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54 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend March 30, 2004 An employee at the downtown Medford bank posts a sign on the door directing customers elsewhere after a robbery at the bank Monday afternoon. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Gray-haired suspect robs Medford bank By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune A Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball jacket may help police track down the robber who struck Medford’s downtown Key Bank branch on Monday. Medford police Lt. Mike Moran said the man who allegedly robbed the bank abandoned the jacket as he fled through an alley east of the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce offices at the corner of Eighth and Front streets. The dark blue jacket has the team emblem of the Devil Rays displayed on the left chest. Moran said the suspect entered the bank at the corner of West Main and Front streets and presented a teller with a note demanding money. He left with an undetermined amount of cash after being in the bank for little more than two minutes. Advertisement The robbery created so little disturbance that some bank customers didn’t know it had happened. Lyle Sams, 103, and his companion Joan Pomeroy, 67, were in the bank on an errand, but saw nothing that suggested a robbery in progress. "I guess the guy was pretty careful," Pomeroy said. Moran said the suspect is a white male 55 to 60 years old, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing about 160 pounds. Along with the baseball jacket, the suspect was wearing light blue pants. A light blue baseball cap covered his head during the robbery, but witnesses noted that his hair was gray, Moran said. Surveillance cameras at the bank malfunctioned, so there is no photo of the suspect, Moran said. He noted that a witness told police the man approached the bank from the transit station across Eighth Street from the bank. Police and detectives checked buses at the station and briefly detained someone who matched the robber’s description before determining they had the wrong person. About 10 officers and detectives fanned out across the area around the bank immediately after the robbery, but they could not find the suspect. The robbery was Medford’s first bank heist since November 2002, when a man robbed the U.S. Bank branch on Court Street. The same branch also was robbed in May 2002. Three bank robberies occurred in Ashland during 2002, including two on Nov. 19, when robbers struck branches of Klamath First Federal Bank and Washington Mutual Bank. Reach reporter Bill Kettlerat 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times