Teller injured in Essex bank heist

ESSEX, Mo. -- Police are looking for two suspects after the robbery Monday morning of the First Commercial Bank branch in Essex.

According to Stoddard County Sheriff Carl Hefner, two suspects described as black males entered the bank at 11:25 a.m. Monday and demanded money.

Details were sketchy as of early afternoon Monday, but it was confirmed that two employees, the branch manager and a teller, were in the bank when it was robbed and were overtaken by the suspects. Both employees were reportedly taken to SoutheastHEALTH Center of Stoddard County in Dexter, Mo., after the incident. Early reports stated a teller sustained minor injuries during the robbery, and that both were taken to the hospital for a well-being check.

Law enforcement from the Stoddard County Sheriff's Office, Essex Police Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the office of the FBI from Cape Girardeau remained at the scene Monday afternoon. Crime tape surrounded the bank facility and its parking areas.

"We are looking at the bank's surveillance footage," Hefner stated, "and hope to know more once we see that."

FBI officials, Hefner noted, are automatically called in when a bank robbery occurs.

A news release from the sheriff's office late Monday afternoon provided a description of the suspects' clothing. One suspect was described as wearing a black ball cap, blue coveralls with a high-visibility vest over the top and had a brown backpack. The second suspect was wearing what appeared to be denim pants with a high-visibility yellow sweatshirt and a red sock cap with white stripes.

When superintendent Frank Killian at the Richland School District in rural Essex was notified of the robbery, he took steps to assure the safety of Richland students and staff by moving all students and teachers into the main elementary and high school buildings; no one was allowed to leave or enter who could not be identified. A newly installed security system at the Richland campus enabled administrators to carry out the plan effectively.

"The School Reach notification system was also activated to let parents know their children were safe," Killian said.

No approximate ages were listed in the descriptions of the suspects. The pair left on foot and were possibly picked up by a third party in a vehicle that may have been parked nearby, but their direction upon leaving the bank was unknown.

It was not revealed Monday how much money had been taken in the robbery or if robbers gained access to the bank's safe.

Details of the crime will be published as they are released from authorities.

The Essex branch of First Commercial Bank was established in 2007. It is the final acquisition of First Commercial banks in Southeast Missouri, each owned by Norman Harty of Dexter. The robbery marks the second time a Harty-owned bank has been robbed in the past six months. The FCB branch at Morley, Mo., was held up at gunpoint Oct. 11. Two individuals were later charged with that crime.