Man robs ''gun-free'' bank in Dayton high-rise
July 20, 2004
Dayton Daily News
DAYTON | A man robbed a bank in a downtown high-rise office building Tuesday morning.
The robber walked into Park National Bank on the 18th floor of 40 W. Fourth St. at 10:37 a.m. and demanded money, Dayton police Lt. Matt Carper said.
Carper said that the man said he had a weapon and that witnesses said the man made a hand gesture under his shirt, but did not show a weapon. No customers were in the bank.
Police said the man fled with an undisclosed amount of money. Carper said police are reviewing the surveillance video from the bank and the building.
The man was described as a black male, 20 to 25 years old, 5-foot-10 to 6 feet tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt, dark baggy pants and a white skullcap, with gold caps on his teeth.
Park National Bank, based in Newark, has an office in Dayton as well as Cincinnati and Columbus. Its parent, Park National Corp., owns banks in Greenville, Piqua, Urbana and Springfield and operates subsidiaries that include Second National Bank of Greenville, Security National Bank, Springfield, Unity National, Piqua, the Citizens National Bank, Urbana, and Park National Bank.
Commentary:
The building located at 40 W. Fourth St. is posted with a "no-guns" sign. Yet this individual entered, rode up 18 stories in an elevator, robbed a bank after convincing a teller he had a gun, and calmly descended and exited. Obviously he wasn't concerned about being stopped by an armed citizen, thanks to the signs.
According to this story, Park National Bank owns, among others, Second National Bank, which is listed on the Do Not Patronize While Armed list as having posted discriminatory signs banning CHL-holders throughout Ohio. It has not yet been determined if Park Ntl. branches are posted.
Meanwhile, in Columbus, a 76 year-old man was beaten and robbed outside a bank which does NOT post "no-guns" signs. What makes this incident notable is that police say the robber apparently knew Sparks' routine.
"It appears that he did his homework, and then struck when the moment was right," Detective Don Junk said.
Clearly, while premeditating their crimes, enterprising robbers concerned that their victims are armed will also be smart enough to target citizens who bank at places which ban firearms.
Whenever OFCC warns that publishing names of CHL-holders would lead to an increase in gun thefts, the media and some legislators scoffed at the notion that criminals were intelligent enough to plan their crimes.
They cannot say we didn't warn them.
How are Columbus officials reacting to the victimization of this 76 year-old man? At least one city councilman is trying to take even more self-defense options away from law-abiding citizens:
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