Robber hits Lakeside bank

Law enforcement officials using a helicopter with infrared technology were scouring the hills west of Lakeside on Wednesday night after a man wearing a motorcycle helmet robbed a bank.

It was the second area bank robbery in less than two months by a helmeted robber.

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office responded to Glacier Bank on U.S. 93 in Lakeside after a robbery was reported there at about 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The robber, described as being between 5-foot-3 and 5-foot-4, escaped on a motorcycle with an undisclosed amount of money after displaying a weapon and demanding cash, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Undersheriff Pete Wingert would not say what weapon was used, though another source confirmed it was a can of pepper spray.

No one was injured during the robbery, Wingert said.

Witnesses described the suspect as being a man in his 50s with a gray mustache. He was wearing glasses, dark-colored jeans and white tennis shoes with dark trim, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Wingert said a customer watched the man flee the bank parking lot on a white Yamaha 185cc motorcycle emblazoned with lime green lettering. The witness said the suspect headed west on Bierney Creek Road away from U.S. 93 South.

 More than a dozen Sheriff’s Office personnel were searching for the suspect Wednesday night.

The search area includes a large swath of land west of Lakeside marked by a maze of trails and unpaved roads. Wingert said the suspect conceivably could travel on trails as far as Kila without returning to a paved road.

Wingert said searchers were being assisted by the ALERT helicopter equipped with infrared technology, and would continue looking for the man throughout the night.

“I think we were pretty quick on the draw as far as the search goes, so let’s just see what we find out there,” Wingert said.

Law enforcement officers also were posted at points along Montana 82 and other roads in the area.

The Polson Police Department responded as well, stopping at least one vehicle on U.S. 93 in Polson.

Polson Police Chief Doug Chase told the Lake County Leader that a woman driving a bronze Jeep Liberty was stopped in Polson after the vehicle was earlier seen leaving the Lakeside bank.

She had gone to the building to teach a class, but was told by an employee the bank had been robbed, so she left. Seven patrol cars surrounded her vehicle but the woman was allowed to leave after a brief interview.

Wednesday’s robbery comes after a Sept. 25 heist at First Interstate Bank in Bigfork during which a helmeted robber entered the bank, demanded cash and escaped into a wooded area.

“Certainly there are some similarities,” Wingert said. “We’ll look at them, evaluate it and make a determination.”

One similarity — aside from the fact that a motorcycle helmet was used to hide the man’s identity — is the timing of the robberies, which each occurred at about 4 p.m.

The suspect in the September robbery was described as 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 with a medium build, while the man who escaped Glacier Bank Wednesday reportedly was several inches shorter.

Wingert said images collected from surveillance video inside the bank would be released to the media today.

Glacier Bank President Bob Nystuen was at the scene late Wednesday but said he would limit commenting until the law enforcement investigation is complete.

He commended the employees of the bank for their handling of the situation. Several people apparently inside the bank at the time of the robbery were interviewed by detectives until about 5:30 p.m.

“Our staff handled it as professionally as they could,” Nystuen said.

The bank robbery is another setback for Glacier Bank, which only recently reopened its Eureka branch at a temporary location after its building was burned Oct. 15.

“And now we have this,” Nystuen said.

Reporter Eric Schwartz may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at eschwartz@dailyinterlake.com