UPDATE: Police: Alleged Frackville bank robber apprehended, admits to crime
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SENTINEL PHOTO - A Berks County Emergency Services Special Operations Group van sits outside Miners Bank on Friday Afternoon, May 26, 2017
FRACKVILLE – Early Saturday morning, West Mahanoy Township police captured and charged a suspect who allegedly robbed Frackville’s Miners Bank and left behind a suspicious package.
The suspect, Larry R. Dettery, 38, of 34 W. Penn Street, Shenandoah, was arraigned around 1:15am Saturday by on-call Magisterial District Judge David A. Rossi, Tremont, and charged with one felony count of robbery; one misdemeanor count each of terroristic threats, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia; and a summary offense of scattering rubbish.
Dettery was committed to Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post $75,000 straight cash bail.
According to Police, Dettery entered the Miners Bank, 504 S. Lehigh Ave shortly after 9:00am, and handed bank tellers a note and placed a package on the counter. The package was analyzed by a State Police bomb squad, who found it contained batteries, wires and a powdery substance later identified as Potassium, which can be used in the construction of an explosive device.
Dettery then received an undetermined amount of cash, and fled the area on foot, following West Spruce Street past its terminus in the woods.
According to Police, Dettery admitted to taking the package to the bank and committing the robbery.
No bank employees were injured in the incident, and the bank will be closed until further notice.
“First and foremost, all of our employees are safe and unharmed,“We will continue to monitor the investigation and will have more information on when we will be reopening the branch.” Brittany Zolko, director of corporate communications for Mid Penn Bank, the parent company of Miners Bank, said in a statement.
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