Arrests made in Morley bank robbery

BENTON, Mo. -- Two people are in custody and deputies are looking for two more involved in the Oct. 10 robbery of the First Commercial Bank in Morley, Mo.

Alisha D. Porter of Oran, Mo., and Roger Romero Clayton of Davenport, Iowa, are in custody and charged with first-degree robbery. The Scott County Sheriff's Department is searching for Candice Wright of Chicago and Joshua Thompson of Sikeston, Mo., Sheriff Rick Walter said.

On Oct. 10 at just before 8 a.m., the First Commercial Bank at Morley was robbed when the teller opening for the day was restrained by two people, according to a probable-cause affidavit. The two suspects stole an undisclosed amount of money from teller drawers and vaults before leaving.

A witness saw two people run from the direction of the bank and get into an SUV. Witnesses could only describe the SUV as tan and that the people were men wearing gray hoodies with backpacks, according to the affidavit.

Footage from a surveillance camera at the MDK Grocery Store helped authorities identify a tan Dodge Journey in the area with two people wearing gray hoodies and backpacks getting into the vehicle. Deputies found out the vehicle might belong to Porter.

Authorities interviewed Porter on Oct. 16. She told investigators she had been at work from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 10 and had driven her Dodge Journey, but did not arrive until 10:30 a.m. because of a sick child.

Porter voluntarily agreed to a polygraph examination at the FBI office in Cape Girardeau on Oct. 21, in which she told investigators she didn't have any new information concerning the bank robbery, according to the probable-cause document written by Capt. Jerry Bledsoe. After the polygraph, Porter admitted to her role in the robbery, according to the document. She identified Joshua Thompson and "Ro" -- another name for Clayton -- as the two men who forced their way into the bank with a gun. She admitted to driving Thompson and "Ro" to a Days Inn in Sikeston, where they got into a vehicle driven by Wright who took them to an unknown location, according to the affidavit.

Walter said the investigation remains active, but the sheriff's department is confident these are the people they are looking for. "This department has put in a lot of hours and time into this investigation," said Walter.

Porter's bond is $100,000, and Clayton's bond is $100,000 cash-only. Thompson's bond, when he's arrested, will be $150,000 cash-only, and Wright's bond will be $150,000.

The sheriff's department asked anyone with information on Thompson and Wright's whereabouts to call local law enforcement.

skluesner@semissourian.com

388-3648

Pertinent address:

Morley, MO

Benton, MO