Robbed again
Armed robbers terrorize bank employees with threats, gunfire
By JOAN CROTHERS Sentinel Writer

Left: Employees and deputies gather outside the Young Harris branch of Bank of Hiawassee last Thursday, September 14, after it was robbed.

The Young Harris Branch of Bank of Hiawassee was robbed for a second time in eight days, Thursday, September 14, but this robbery was very different from the previous theft. Two masked men brandishing guns stormed the bank, threatening lives.

According to Steve Emmett with the FBI in Atlanta, this robbery, the third in Towns County in as many weeks, happened at 8:51 a.m. A black male, approximately 6' tall and 220 pounds, stocky build with a Zimmer elastic bandage around the bottom part of his face, was accompanied by a while male, 5'8" to 5'11", 150 to 170 pounds, with blond hair and a dark bandanna around the bottom of his face. He was wearing a dark baseball cap.

The black male fired a shot from his handgun into the desk that was in an office to the right, telling everyone he would kill the woman there if anyone moved. The white male vaulted over the counter taking money from a teller and someone at the

drive-thru window. He told the woman that he would "blow her head off" if she didn't stay put.

Both men walked out of the bank and disappeared. Towns County Chief Deputy Eddie Osborn said they were at the bank in three or four minutes. A Union County Deputy was near the Union-Towns line and was the first on the scene.

"We found their bandanna, cap, shirt, and elastic bandage," said Osborn. "We think they had a vehicle waiting and pulled out on Dean Street behind the bank, circled around to Main Street, getting away before we could set up road blocks."

In contrast to this robbery, the first two robberies were pulled by a slim, white male, saying in a note that he had a gun.

In response to the robbery, multiple bank branches in Union County took extra precautions, including temporarily locking their doors, checking to see who was at the door before allowing them inside.

Due to the seriousness of this latest crime, the FBI has joined the investigation, in addition to the Towns County Sheriff's Office and the GBI. The state code book lists "Armed robbery is punishable

by death, life in jail, or not less than 10 nor more than 20 years."

If you have any information on any of the bank robberies, please call the FBI Atlanta office 404-679-9000 or our local Sheriff's office at 706896-4444.