Mount Vernon police officers arrested 39-year-old Jerad L. Shaw following an attempted armed bank robbery in downtown Mount Vernon early in the morning of Wednesday, March 17, reports Knox Pages.
According to Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD) Chief Robert Morgan, Shaw, a Mount Vernon resident, entered CES Credit Union on 400 West Chestnut Street, brandished a firearm — later revealed to be an airsoft gun — and demanded tellers hand over money. He took the money and also attempted to rob a person just entering as he left the bank.
As he fled, he tried to break into the car of an anonymous Mount Vernon woman who witnessed the robbery and was in the process of calling 911. When his attempt failed, he ran. The woman decided to follow him with her car and, according to Knox Pages, she witnessed Shaw removing his shirt, hat and mask in the alley behind Colonial City Moose Lodge. She once again called the police, who soon arrested Shaw without any trouble. Officers transported Shaw to the police department for questioning.
Shaw was charged with the first-degree felony of aggravated robbery. If convicted, he will face three to 16½ years in prison, according to coverage by Knox Pages. The amount of money the tellers initially gave the suspect has not yet been determined. Nobody was injured during the incident. The MVPD has opened an investigation into the robbery and will likely issue a press release in the near future with more information, according to Knox Pages.
This is not the first instance of a bank robbery in Knox County. One notable occurrence was in 1933, when four men attempted to rob the old People’s Bank of Gambier. More recently, in July of 2020, 31-year-old Joshua Lee Cron stole over a thousand dollars from the Huntington Bank located on Coshocton Avenue in Mount Vernon, according to Knox Pages. Cron subsequently fled to Spokane, Wash., where he was apprehended shortly after by U.S. Marshals. A Knox County grand jury indicted Cron on one count of aggravated robbery.
Those who have more information about the March 17 bank robbery should report it to MVPD.
Editor-in-Chief Mae Hunt contributed to reporting.