Union Bank on the Downtown Mall, a favorite for bank thieves and conveniently located only a block away from the Charlottesville Police station, was robbed Monday morning.
Police got a call at 10:58am, and were there within moments.
A witness told officers she’d seen a man hanging out in front of the bank earlier. Police describe the suspect as a white male in his late 20s with a thin build, wearing a dark jacket, with a knife hanging from his belt and a mask or nylons over his face. He escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.
In 2013, Richard Nelson Hawkins III, aka Squirrel, was arrested for robbing Union Bank after reportedly escaping by cab on South Street and counting the money in the backseat.
City property maintenance inspector Cory Jordan foiled a robbery in 2007 when he noticed a well-dressed man wearing a straw hat go in the bank and turn the lock in the door, and then saw an employee with his hands up. Jordan called 911, police again responded quickly and Jeffery Alan Adams was arrested inside the bank.
Police are asking anyone with information about the most recent robbery to contact Crime Stoppers at 977-4000 or Detective Bradley Pleasants at 970-3374.
Correction 4:52pm: Cory Jordan is a property maintenance inspector with the city.