LEWISTON – Police investigating a Monday morning robbery at the Community Credit Union on Pine Street are hoping surveillance photos might aid in the search for a suspect.
By Tuesday night, no arrests had been made in the morning heist, the fourth such robbery in the region in a month.
Police were distributing a composite sketch as well as photos captured from the credit union’s security cameras in hopes of prompting tips from area residents.
“The security cameras do help,” said Lewiston police Lt. Tom Avery. “For instance, in this case, the yellow jacket with blue or black trim is kind of unique. Maybe someone will recognize this as a person they saw walking to the scene or walking away from it.”
Detectives were also investigating to see if cameras from other businesses on Pine Street, where the Monday robbery occurred, might have picked up images of the robber.
For police, the use of surveillance photos has become increasingly important. Such photographic evidence has been obtained from two recent bank heists in Lewiston, one in Auburn and one in Freeport.
Portland police are also using photos from surveillance cameras as they investigate a similar heist at TD Banknorth in that city last week. Other heists have been reported recently at banks and convenience stores in Windham and South Portland.
“There has definitely been a rash of these types of robberies,” Avery said.
In the three robberies in the Twin Cities beginning in mid-November, no weapon was displayed. In the Freeport heist, a gunman ordered bank employees and customers to the floor. Police are exploring the possibility that at least some of the robberies might be connected.
“There are certainly similarities,” Avery said. “But we need to put an end to it, whether they’re related or not. Even when a weapon is not displayed, you have to assume there is one. And you never know what’s going to happen during one of these.”
In the robbery at the credit union Monday, the suspect was described as a man 5 feet, 7 inches tall, of average build and sporting a mustache. He was wearing a yellow coat with a hood and dark trim. Anyone with information about the man or about any of the robberies is asked to phone the Criminal Investigation Division in Lewiston at 795-9000.
“These robberies are very traumatic for the people involved,” Avery said. “We don’t want to see anything worse happen.”
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