Bank robber on the loose

Auburn lawmen, FBI seek suspect in Wednesday morning theftBy Jamie Trump, Journal Staff WriterLocal lawmen paired up with the FBI to initiate a statewide search for the man suspected of robbing the Auburn branch of Bank of America on High Street Wednesday.A man walked into the bank a little after 9 a.m. Wednesday carrying a small tote bag, said Sgt. Steve Cash. He approached one of the tellers, demanded money and said he had a bomb with him.The teller did as she was told, Cash said, and the suspect left through the rear exit of the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.No one was hurt.Cash said the suspect then crossed through the Auburn Journal parking lot across the street from the bank and was last seen on foot headed southbound on High Street.Bank officials called the Auburn Police Department at 9:23 a.m. and closed down both the front and rear entrances of the building for about half an hour for safety precautions.Auburn police detectives immediately responded to the scene to question witnesses as police officers and Placer County Sheriff?s deputies covered the city limits, panning pedestrians for a man fitting the description.They also began an intense area check of Central Square on High Street and searched surrounding businesses in the area including Taco Tree and California Juice Company.Officers described the suspect as an overweight man in his late 50s or early 60s, average height, clean-shaven, gray hair, and wearing glasses, a gray sweatshirt and a beanie. He weighs between 230 and 240 pounds and has a ?beer belly.?Officers also said the suspect should be considered armed and violent.?Anyone that walks into a bank and does this type of thing should be considered very dangerous,? Cash said.The man remained at large Wednesday evening.Detectives sent photos captured by bank surveillance cameras to FBI officials and the investigation continues, Cash said.This bank robbery was not the first for the Auburn branch of Bank of America.Steven Mark Williams, 39, was arrested in a Colfax motel 11 days after robbing the Bank of America Jan. 17, 2000, just days after hitting the El Dorado Savings in Grass Valley.The U.S. Bank in Auburn was also hit on Jan. 16, 2000. The suspect remains at large. This was the first robbery at a bank or financial institution in Auburn since a robbery at Wells Fargo Bank on Elm Avenue in April 1998.The Placer Sierra Bank in Auburn has also been victim to bank robbers.?They?ve all been hit,? Cash said. ?It?s not just Bank of America.?Anyone with information or who have seen a suspect fitting the description is asked to call the Auburn Police Department at 823-4234.