Police: Ferndale bank robbery a hoax, teller arrested
A senior bank teller at KeyBank in Ferndale was arrested for a suspected hoax armed robbery that she’s accused of inventing to cover up the theft of more than $30,000, according to police.
Donna A. Brown, 54, an employee of the bank for years, called for police around 2:40 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, to report the robbery. She stated that a man had called the bank at 2081 Main St. and ordered her to drop off a cardboard box full of money behind a sign on Scout Place, about a mile away, said Ferndale Police Lt. Bill Hatchett.
The man supposedly told her he was aiming a gun into the bank, and to prove it, he described people inside. So, she told police, she dropped off the money.
Officers found the cardboard box, but no money. A police dog searched the area but found no robber.
Over the next few hours police interviewed Brown, and she maintained that the story was true. By the following day, Hatchett said, Brown had “acquired the services of an attorney.”
Since then she has not spoken with police about what happened. Police checked Brown’s work phone records and found nothing to suggest any of the calls had come from an armed robber. They also watched surveillance footage from inside and outside the bank, and found nothing to corroborate Brown’s story.
The money hasn’t been recovered. Police believe Brown withdrew the cash and kept it for herself.
On Friday morning, Dec. 18, Brown agreed to meet police at Whatcom County Jail to be arrested. She has not confessed to the theft, Hatchett said.
State court records suggest Brown has no felony record. She faces a charge of theft in the first degree. Her arraignment has been set for New Year’s Eve. She was released from jail on personal recognizance Friday afternoon, after spending a few hours behind bars.
Police have ideas about a possible motive, but Hatchett declined to release that information for now.
Caleb Hutton: 360-715-2276, @bhamcaleb
This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Police: Ferndale bank robbery a hoax, teller arrested."