Police nab robbery suspect

It took police 22 minutes to nab a suspect who has since been charged with robbing the Bank of Missouri Friday morning, but they had advance warning.

Around 9:26 a.m., the Missouri State Highway Patrol received a telephone call alerting them to a bank robbery about to occur, first in the area of Commerce Bank at Lexington Avenue and Cape LaCroix Road, then later in general at Lexington, North Kingshighway and Route W.

Police spokesman Sgt. Rick Schmidt said the highway patrol relayed the call to Cape Girardeau police, and immediately police cars began making their way to the northwest part of town.

Schmidt said that while police were checking to see if Commerce Bank had been robbed, at 9:33 a.m. a suspect reportedly wearing dark clothing and a mask jumped over the counter of the Bank of Missouri at 1622 N. Kingshighway and grabbed an undisclosed amount of money from the cash drawers. The suspect did not display a weapon.

Eric Andre Mitchell of Memphis was charged with bank robbery in federal court late Friday afternoon in connection with the incident, the FBI said.

The caller told police the suspect would be driving a gray Honda. Schmidt said police later found the Honda, which police linked to the suspect, but the man apparently ditched the Honda and drove to the bank in a stolen maroon Oldsmobile, which was recovered from the parking lot of the Cape LaCroix Methodist Church. Both cars were impounded and searched for evidence.

The suspect was apprehended at 9:55 a.m. at the corner of Lynnwood Hills Drive and Route W near Lynnwood Baptist Church after police saw him running in the vicinity of the Horseshoe Ridge subdivision. He was taken into custody following a short foot pursuit with the assistance of police dog Toben and the stolen money was recovered.

Schmidt said that authorities were also investigating a possible connection between this suspect and robberies at the Bank of America.

Officers also questioned the caller who alerted them in advance of the robbery. Schmidt said Friday morning that the caller was considered a "person of interest" but not necessarily a suspect. He was released after questioning and no charges were filed against him.

Cape Girardeau police were assisted by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Jackson police set up a surveillance at Center Junction.

"It was a big team effort," Schmidt said. "It came together pretty well. Nobody got hurt, we got the bank robber and we got the evidence back."

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160