Authorities are still searching for a lone gunman who robbed the United Employees Credit Union Friday, escaping on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Saturday, July 14, 2001

Authorities are still searching for a lone gunman who robbed the United Employees Credit Union Friday, escaping on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The 3:40 p.m. robbery disrupted a busy afternoon paycheck rush, shutting down the bank for the rest of the day. Officers from the Albert Lea and Austin police department employed a pair of bloodhounds to follow the robber’s trail by taking is sent from the teller’s counter. But the dogs were unable to find a sustainable trail, and the suspect remains at large Saturday.

Bystanders described the man as a six-foot, 250-pound white male, approximately 55 years old with gray hair. He was wearing a baseball cap, black-rimmed glasses and a blue and lavender plaid sport coat.

&uot;He just looked out of place,&uot; said one man who was waiting to see a teller in a nearby line. &uot;His clothes didn’t fit in for a hot summer day.&uot;

According to FBI Special Agent in Charge Douglas Domin, the man handed a note to a teller and opened his jacket to show a handgun.

Assistant Chief of Police Dwaine Winkels, of the Albert Lea Police Department, said the suspect was also spotted in a nearby video store and another credit union in town.

&uot;Apparently, he may have made appearances around town today. The reports matched the description we have from the robbery,&uot; Winkels said.

Police released video images of the suspect taken from the bank’s security cameras in hopes that someone will recognize him, Winkels said.

The man may be the same robber who has struck several credit unions in Minnesota and Iowa in the last year, Winkels said. The Minnesota Banker’s Association is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and indictment.

Domin said anyone with information regarding the robbery should call the FBI at 612-376-3200, the Albert Lea Police Department or Crime Stoppers.