CITIZENS BANK WAS ROBBED

Bomb threat at Montville bank closes Route 32

By GREG SMITH
Norwich Bulletin
Posted Sep 21, 2009 @ 11:43 PM

Montville, Conn. — .Route 32 was closed and a bomb squad called in Monday after police said a woman robbed the Citizens Bank in Montville.

Police said a heavyset woman between the ages of 20 and 30 and wearing a blue hoodie walked into the bank at 12:19 p.m. and placed a handbag on the counter.

The woman passed a note to the teller, told her a bomb was in the bag and demanded money, said Montville Police Sgt. Richard Crooks.

The woman made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The bank was evacuated while state and local police closed Route 32 for safety reasons in the event the bag did contain a bomb, Crooks said. Traffic was rerouted to side roads.

Bank employees huddled together in a parking lot across the street from the bank but declined to comment under direction from police.

A state police bomb squad technician, dressed in a protective suit and helmet, entered the bank shortly before 2 p.m. and emerged several moments later to give the all clear, indicating the bomb threat was a hoax.

State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said detectives are investigating a possible link between the robbery and a purse snatching with a female suspect reported earlier Monday at Mohegan Sun casino.

Anyone with information or who may have seen anything suspicious in the area of the bank is asked to contact state police at Troop E in Montville at (860) 848-6500.


EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: What happened at this bank, a bank robbery? What about in Waterford, the Dunkin Donuts was almost robbed? What about the DUI arrests, the shootings and crime in New London and Norwich?

Is Southeastern Connecticut changing from the sleepy corner of the state to a crime area? Are the crime rates going up every where in the state? Is the crime rate up dramatically in southeastern Connecticut, compared to the rest of the state?

Is Southeastern Connecticut a safe place to live? Could friends or relatives of ours, have been caught in the bank, when this happened? Do our friends and relatives, use this bank? What do you think?

Hopefully, the Connecticut State Police will catch the bank robber.

THESE ARE THE COMMENTS, OPINIONS AND IDEAS OF BROKENWING.'