Police Make Arrests in 5 Bank Robbery Cases

Three arrests have been made in connection with five area bank robberies during the past six months. On May 18, Springdale police arrested Carlos Macias and Juan Moreno, both 18 and of Springdale, in connection with the robbery of the First National Bank of Springdale. Police believe Macias, a teller at the bank, worked with Moreno in a scheme to rob the bank.

On May 24, Fayetteville police arrested Larry J. Allen of Fayetteville in connection with the robbery of two Fayetteville banks and a Hindsville bank. Sgt. Shannon Gabbard of the Fayetteville Police Department said Allen indicated he had a handgun during the robberies, but no weapon was seen by witnesses and no handguns were found at his residence.

Police have yet to arrest anyone involved in a Nov. 19 robbery of the Bank of Arkansas in Rogers.

Local police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation refused to disclose how much money was taken in the robberies, saying publishing that information might encourage more robberies.

Statewide, however, the number of bank robberies is down from last year at this point.

Brian Marshall, an FBI spokesman in Little Rock, said that from Jan. 1 through mid-May this year, there had been 20 bank robberies in Arkansas. Thirteen of those have been solved. That compares with 32 bank robberies and 21 solved for Jan. 1 through mid-May of 2001.