By JIM RUNKLE
LOGANTON - State police are seeking the public's help in identifying a woman who robbed a bank branch office Thursday afternoon in this normally quiet community just minutes from heavily traveled Interstate 80.
Article Photos
PHOTO PROVIDED
State police at Lamar has released this photo from surveillance video during the armed robbery Thursday at First National Bank, Loganton.
A surveillance photo of the armed woman was released Friday by state police, but with no additional ifnormation on their investigation.
In the photo, the woman is seen at a teller's window at First National Bank of Loganton.
The robbery occurred between 2:30 and 3 p.m. Thursday when the blonde haired-woman, wearing a white hat, walked into the bank, showed a teller a note and displayed a handgun, state police said.
The woman was wearing a bright blue shirt, blue jeans and dark sunglasses.
Anyone who has information about the woman is asked to call state police at 570-726-6000.
After robbing the bank of an unreleased amount of money, the woman fled out onto Main Street - Route 880 - heading west to Route 477, or South Mill Street, and jumped into a red or maroon SUV occupied by one or two males, state police said.
South Mill Street leads to heavily traveled Interstate 80, just a couple of minutes north.
The woman had a tattoo with the word "love" on the left side of her neck, witnesses told police.
State police at Lamar and a Forensic Services Unit from Montoursville were on the scene until 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Schools were put on lockdown.
Several people were near the bank and saw the woman leaving with an over-stuffed shoulder strap bag draped over her chest.
Two anonymous male witnesses, 18 and 17, were sitting on the bench in front of the Loganton Country Store when they first noticed the woman walking up the street.
"We went inside (the store) and got some drinks and came back out and there was a man yelling and pointing up the street yelling, 'Go get her -she just robbed the bank.' We didn't know what was going on because I never thought that the bank in Loganton would get robbed," the witnesses said.
She was wearing a "really bright blue shirt," they described.
Two young women, who asked not to be identified, witnessed the events unfold in the center of town.
The oldest of the two said she came face to face with the robber.
She told Express free-lance writer Amber Morris: "I went into the store to grab something, and then drove in my truck and parked across from the bank in front of Earl's Garage. I was going into the bank to cash my check. I was just shutting my truck off when some of the women who work at the bank came out yelling, 'Go catch that girl-she just robbed us!'
"So I started my truck up and drove up Mill Street and drove out the first alley and met with another man who was also chasing her and asked him for a description. We kept driving and stopped behind the Methodist Church and spotted her walking up toward us. She was acting strange and nervous and walking in circles, and then back and forth and in front of my truck.
For more on this story, please see Saturday's print version of The Express.
