Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

A man suspected of robbing Five Star Bank in Pavilion at about 11:30 a.m. is still on the lam as law enforcement units from three counties (Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston) scour a heavily wooded area southwest of the village.

A state police helicopter is surveying the area, too, along with ATVs and a canine unit.

"We think he's still in the area," Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha said. "But we're not sure."

Pavilion School has been in lockdown since the incident, but that is being called off now and school officials say the students will be dismissed at the regular time.

The suspect is described as white, between 25 and 35, between 175 and 180 lbs.. He's wearing a black jacket with light blue stripes down the sleeves, with a Husqvarna logo, sunglasses and a green and white hat.

According to Sheriff Maha, the suspect did not brandish a weapon when demanding money at the bank. He was seen running from the bank, then he dropped out of sight. Soon thereafter, a Sheriff's deputy spotted a man running down the railroad tracks nearby. He acted suspiciously and ran into the woods.

The heat-sensor equipment on board the helicopter is virtually ineffective in locating the suspect's whereabout in the thick woods. Law enforcement set up a wide parameter around the scene and eventually let the dog loose to help in the pursuit.

Meanwhile, officers were checking parked cars in the vicinity to clear them of any possible involvement. Fresh four-wheel drive tracks were spotted before the police ATVs arrived, but it's unknown if they relate to this incident.

No one apparently was injured in the heist and the Sheriff said it's unknown at this point, how much money was taken. Although it was intially reported by The Batavian that a bag with money was found, that is not the case. The suspect brought a "Target-type" bag into the bank, but it has not been found.

If this is another case of an urban resident robbing a rural bank, and that's not known yet, it would seem to indicate, according to Maha, that: "maybe they think we're easy pickin's. "

He said, on average, there's one or two bank robberies a year in Genesee County.

AUDIO: Press Conference with Sheriff Maha (mp3)

AUDIO: Statement from Sheriff Maha about releasing bank photo (mp3)