Bank robbery suspect still being sought

NEWPORT — Authorities are still searching for the suspect involved in a Friday afternoon bank robbery. According to a Newport Police Department (NPD) report, officers were dispatched to Newport Federal Bank on East Broadway downtown shortly after 3:30 p.m.

The report by Officer Jessy Burgess indicates that bank employees described the suspect as a male wearing a black long-sleeved shirt, sunglasses and shorts. The man then asked the teller for one piece of paper and wrote on the note, “I have a knife and a gun, be quiet and hand me the money.” The employee complied with the man’s demand.

The man left with an undisclosed amount of money, which was later determined to be $2,960 in cash. The report indicates that the man exited from the driver’s side of a Ford Mustang and entered the bank at 3:30 p.m. The video shows what is believed to be the same man walking out of Newport Federal Bank and getting back into the Ford Mustang and leaving the bank traveling west on East Broadway at 3:32 p.m.

The surveillance images of the man show him wearing a black T-shirt with a graphic of a car on it. The car image appears to be a Ford Mustang. The Ponies in the Smokies (PITS) event, which brings Mustangs from all across the country to Sevierville, was held March 18-23.

The suspect appears to have recently shaved his head. Other information released indicates that the suspect is around 5’ 8” tall and weighs between 200 and 220 pounds.

The downtown area went on lockdown while officers searched for the suspect. Cocke County Mayor Rob Mathis posted via social media that people were being asked to avoid the downtown area until an “all clear” was given. Many offices and businesses, including the courthouse, were put on lockdown.

The downtown area was given an all clear later that afternoon and it was believed that the suspect had most likely left the county.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the robbery. Anyone with information about the robbery or the suspect should call the NPD at (423) 623-8777 extension 527 or the Knoxville FBI Field Office at (865) 544-0751. No injuries were reported.