BURNETTSVILLE — Police have arrested a person of interest in the robbery of a bank in Burnettsville Monday afternoon.

Acting on a tip, officers arrested 27-year-old Jeremy Nicholas Penn of Wolcott in Kokomo about 1 a.m. today on a charge of auto theft. Detectives from the Indiana State Police are scheduled to interview Penn today in regard to his possible role in the Monday afternoon robbery of the State Bank of Burnettsville.

Sgt. Kim Riley of the ISP Lafayette Post said Penn had yet to be charged in the bank heist, but he said the investigation picked up pace when a sales associate from the Mike Anderson Drive Now Auto Credit in downtown Logansport called police Monday evening to report that a vehicle had been stolen from the lot that day.

According to a police report, a man came into the dealership between 11 and 11:30 a.m. wanting to buy a car with cash. The salesman suggested the man take the black 1999 Mercury Cougar for a test drive, return it and make an offer. The man drove off and never returned. Before leaving with the car, he had to provide a photo copy of his driver’s license, which police obtained.

The salesman described the man as a thin build with a tattoo of a female’s name in cursive writing on the right side of his neck. The description was similar to that of the robber, who witnesses had described as a slender, white male about 5-foot-6, wearing a camouflage coat with a tattoo on the right side of his neck.

Logansport police entered the Cougar into the stolen vehicle database, and county officers found it about 5 p.m. Monday in a church parking lot in Lake Cicott, a town along U.S. 24 less than four miles from Burnettsville.

The robbery investigation began when a man walked into the State Bank of Burnettsville Monday afternoon, handed the teller a note and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Detectives were not sure whether the man possessed a weapon when he approached the bank teller. He had one hand concealed in his pocket as he handed over the note, Riley said.

Police declined to reveal whether the man made any threats. They also would not release the message on the note. No injuries were reported.

Monticello police were the first arrive, about five minutes after bank employees called 9-1-1 at 12:28 p.m.

The robber left the bank at 324 S. Main St. traveling in an unknown direction.

Construction on Main Street blocked both sides of the bank, but escape routes were still plentiful in the rural community, Riley said.

Canine units were brought in, but they could not pick up a scent. An ISP helicopter was called to the area around 1 p.m. to help with a manhunt.

Because of conflicting statements from witnesses, police were not sure whether the robber fled on foot or got into an awaiting vehicle driven by a blond female. The robber was last seen heading out the front door of the bank and walking south on Main Street.

Besides Monticello PD, officers from the state police, Department of Natural Resources and sheriff’s departments from White and Cass counties joined in the investigation. Officers canvassed the area and notified residents of the robbery.

News of the robbery caused concern for those who work next door to the bank.

“It’s scary,” said Barbara Wells, owner of Wells Family Grocery.

“A little too close to home,” added Angela Boer, Wells’ daughter.

Both had been handling the influx of people coming in for hot sandwiches and pizza for lunch. Neither one knew about the robbery until police came in asking if they had seen the culprit. They told police they had not seen the man.

Boer said their phone had not stopped ringing since word of the bank robbery spread through town. She figured on telling the story countless times in the days to come.

“All we know is that the bank got robbed,” she said.

Burnettsville is a town of less than 400 people situated near the White-Cass County line on U.S. 24 some 13 miles west of Logansport. Riley said state troopers patrol the area daily. He speculated that the culprit might have intentionally planned the robbery for the lunch hour when response time might be delayed.

Penn remained in the Cass County Jail without bond this morning. According to the Indiana Department of Correction, he was released on parole in April 2008 after serving time for a January 2007 conviction of class C felony escape.

Penn’s arrest the year before stemmed from 28 hours on the lam. With just two months remaining on a six-month sentence, he walked away from a community corrections work detail at the Family Opportunity Center.

At the time, Penn told detectives he ran because his wife had recently filed divorce papers and he was afraid he would never see his four children again. He was sentenced to four years in prison.

Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com



Have a tip?

• Anyone with information regarding the bank robbery in Burnettsville is encouraged to contact the Indiana State Police at (800) 382-7537.



Timeline

Monday

11 to 11:30 a.m. — Man takes a 1999 Mercury Cougar for test drive at dealership in downtown Logansport

12:28 p.m. — Robbery of State Bank of Burnettsville reported

12:33 p.m. — Monticello police respond to bank

12:33 p.m. into evening hours — Police use helicopter, K-9s and squad cars to search for robber

4:28 p.m. — 1999 Mercury Cougar reported stolen

5 p.m. — Cass County deputies find stolen Cougar on Church Street in Lake Cicott

Tuesday

1 a.m. — Police arrest 27-year-old Jeremy Nicholas Penn on a charge of auto theft