Pikeville bank hit by armed suspect
By Lee Williams
Published in News on November 10, 2006 1:45 PM
PIKEVILLE -- Cradling a handgun, a Pikeville woman allegedly walked into BB&T Bank about 10 minutes before closing time Thursday and demanded money.
The bank robber police identified as Pamela Diana Davis or Pamela Mercer Custer bolted from the bank located on East Main Street with an undisclosed amount of money.
Ms. Davis, 49, of Party Road, reportedly jumped into her older model white Chevrolet Blazer and left, but she didn't travel far.
Pikeville police Officer Sgt. Jeff Jones spotted the vehicle traveling east on Big Daddy Road, so he pursued it south on Airport Road and apprehended the suspect, Pikeville Police Chief Ken Barrett said.
Ms. Davis was taken into custody without incident. A handgun and the stolen money were recovered, Barrett said.
No one was injured in the bank robbery, Barrett said.
Ms. Davis, who faces an armed robbery charge in connection with the incident, was being held Friday at the Wayne County Jail on a $65,000 bond, Barrett said. Her first court appearance is scheduled for Monday.
Units of the Pikeville Police Department, Fremont Police Department and Wayne County Sheriff's Department responded to the bank to investigate the incident and interview witnesses. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also was called in to investigate the matter.
Moments after the incident, patrol vehicles flooded the parking lot. Customers who came up to the bank to make deposits or conduct other business at the bank were turned away.
Ms. Davis had no affiliations with the bank, the chief said. He added Ms. Davis was in a desperate state when she allegedly committed the bank robbery. He added that she had some medical problems that she was coping with.
Barrett lauded the quick work of his officers in apprehending the fleeing suspect. He also thanked the assisting agencies.
"It was good police work," Barrett said. "The tellers gave us good information and we had some officers nearby who were able to get right on top of it."
Barrett said this was the first bank robbery BB&T of Pikeville experienced.
"We hope this is the last, but that's all we can hope for," Barrett said.
Officials at BB&T deferred all comments about the case to the police.