By By Lydia Grimes
Employees of the East Brewton branch of BankTrust were shocked Thursday afternoon when a woman walked in, claimed to have a gun, and demanded money.
According to East Brewton Police Chief B.C. Cooper, at approximately 4:04 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, a white female entered the bank about the same time as another customer. She stood in the middle of the bank for a few minutes looking around as if she were trying to decide where to go. She then walked to the teller who was farther away from the one waiting on a customer. She told the teller that she had a gun, although no one ever saw it. She demanded money, and after being given what she wanted, she left the building by the same door and disappeared around the side of the post office. Someone did notice a Ford truck parked nearby that left about the same time, but it could not be confirmed whether it had anything to do with the robbery.
Before she left, the robber told the teller, "I'm sorry."
The woman is described as being about five feet, three inches tall and weighs around 115-120 pounds. She has dark brown or black hair and was wearing tan shorts and white tennis shoes with a cap pulled down over her eyes at the time of the robbery.
"We are 99 percent sure that it was the same woman who has robbed two banks in Pensacola," Chief Cooper said. "We have a photograph of the robber at the Wachovia Bank in Pensacola and it appears to be the same person. We don't believe it was anyone local."
East Brewton Police Officer Shawn Sullivan was the first on the scene of the crime, followed by Chief Cooper. They secured the area and the Alabama Bureau of Investigations was called in to investigate. Also assisting in the investigation are the Escambia County Sheriff's office and the Brewton Police Department.
"There has been no reward offered at this time," Cooper said. "We are still investigating."