Police file charges against Cape man in Monday morning bank robbery

A 50-year-old Cape Girardeau man is in custody after an attempted robbery Monday at First Missouri State Bank, according to a news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Police say the suspect told them he needed money "to travel to St. Louis so he could go to [South] Africa and pay the ransom on a 'friend' who had been abducted," according to a probable-cause incident report filed by police.

An arrest warrant was issued Monday afternoon for David Carl Dawson, 1427 N. West End Blvd., on a charge of first-degree attempted robbery, the release said. Dawson is being held on a $75,000 bond and would be transported to the Cape Girardeau County Jail, the release said.

Police jumped into action at 8:35 a.m. Monday after a phone call alert of a bank robbery in progress. They nabbed the suspect before he fled with any money, police spokesman Darin Hickey said.

Police received a call from the bank that a suspect was inside and had handed a teller a note demanding money and saying he had a weapon, according to Hickey.

David C. Dawson

According to the arrest warrant, Dawson threatened the teller with "immediate use of a gun" and presented a note to the teller saying "this is a holdup, I want $20,000 and I have a gun. ... act normal."

According to the probable-cause statement written by Det. Cpl. Keith Green, the teller told him Dawson presented him with the note, which he didn't recall the exact contents of and didn't read all of.

The teller asked Dawson what he wanted, and Dawson replied $20,000.

The teller told Dawson he only had $1,000, and Dawson replied "hurry up." The teller said Dawson started "getting agitated with him," the statement said.

When Dawson pointed to the lobby vault, he was told "there was no money in that vault and he would have to go downstairs to get the money," according to the police statement.

When the teller went downstairs, he told his supervisor what was happening, and they called 911. The teller said he never went back upstairs and did not see the suspect again. According to the police statement, Dawson did not receive any money at that time.

Earlier Monday, Hickey said police arrived at the bank within minutes of the phone call and surrounded the building while the suspect was still in the bank. Hickey said the suspect was taken into custody as he was leaving the building.

Dawson's maroon van was impounded and processed, Hickey said. No weapon was found, and no one was injured in the incident, he said.

The FBI has been notified, but it's up to the federal government whether they wish to "pick up federal charges after this," Hickey said.

Hickey said police officers were "out and about" in the area of the bank Monday morning. "The bank made a great call by calling us," he said.

Initially, Hickey said 10 to 12 Cape Girardeau patrol officers, detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene.

"We were very fortunate to have this ... [suspect] in custody," he said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

2 S. Mount Auburn Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.