Article Photos

BELPRE - Police are searching for a man who robbed a Belpre bank Wednesday afternoon and fled on foot after leaving a package on the counter that he claimed contained a bomb, officials said.

Law enforcement agencies surrounded Peoples Bank, 510 Washington Blvd., at 3:50 p.m. when bank employees reported the robbery.

"The man came into the bank, announced he had a bomb and demanded money," said Belpre Police Chief E.D. Clevenger. "He fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of money and left a small, red cardboard box on the counter, claiming there was a bomb inside."

The suspect fled eastward from the bank on foot before authorities arrived. Several agencies were called, including the Belpre Volunteer Fire Department and the sheriff's departments from Washington and Wood counties. The FBI was also contacted to assist in the investigation.

Wood County's bomb-sniffing dog accompanied by Parkersburg Fire Inspector Mike Beckett arrived shortly after 4 p.m. to search inside the bank and its outside perimeter.

"The dog did make a hit on the box, but we ascertained there was no bomb or incendiary device inside," said Clevenger.

Police would not say what was found inside the box, except to say it wasn't a bomb.

As a precaution, police cordoned off three blocks of Washington Avenue from Maple Street to Stone Road. After determining there was no bomb inside the package, authorities reopened the roads at 4:45 p.m.

"The package was small, but even a very small device can have horrendous consequences," said Clevenger. "You just never know. So we have taken every precaution."

Deputies from the Washington County sheriff joined the search for the suspect with its aviation unit helicopter that searched the Belpre area and the banks of the Ohio River for two hours.

"Right now we have about 10 or 12 of our deputies canvassing the area, but we're no longer using the helicopter," Sheriff Larry Mincks said later in the evening. "We have several deputies and members of our Major Crimes Unit who are involved in the search under the direction of the Belpre Police Department."

Investigators also interviewed employees Wednesday afternoon and obtained surveillance footage from the bank's security cameras.

Belpre police and the FBI were working together on a possible lead Wednesday night, but no new information was released, said Sgt. Terry Williams with the Belpre Police Department.

"We may have a name of a suspect soon, but we are working on trying to confirm it with the surveillance tapes," Williams said. "We still don't have anyone in custody."

Police described the man as white in his 50s wearing a brown leather jacket, a dark colored ski hat with a white emblem and tennis shoes. He was about 5-foot-10 with a slender build and a goatee, said Clevenger.