Man held in Smithsburg bank robbery

June 18, 1998|By LISA GRAYBEAL

SMITHSBURG - About 30 minutes after officials at Farmers and Merchants Bank at 22940 Jefferson Blvd. reported a robbery there Thursday, a Waynesboro, Pa., man called 911 and told police he did it, according to the Bureau of Drug and Criminal Enforcement of Maryland State Police.

Richard Lenard Morrow, 39, of 2 E. Main St., was charged with robbery and theft of more than $300, police said.

He was being held Thursday night in Washington County Detention Center on $200,000 bond.

A man entered the bank at about 10:20 a.m. and demanded money from a teller, police said.

No weapon was displayed, said Ron Frey, senior vice president of the bank's security office.

There were no injuries.

The bank teller gave the man money that contained dye packs and the man left the bank in a silver Oldsmobile bearing Maryland tags, police said.

Bank officials were able to provide police with a detailed description of the man, but it turned out it wasn't needed.

As the man drove on Kretzinger Road, the dye packs activated and the car became disabled, police said.

The man walked to a nearby home and told someone there that his car was disabled and asked if he could use the telephone, police said.

The man then reconsidered and told the homeowner to call 911, after which he told police that he had robbed a bank, police said.

Shortly after the call, police arrived at the home and the man was taken into custody without incident, police said.

Thursday's incident is the first time that bank has been robbed, Frey said.

"It was very good police work and everybody did what they were supposed to do," he said.

The bank closed immediately after the robbery to preserve evidence. The bank's drive-through window reopened at 11 a.m. and the main office opened shortly after that, Frey said.

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