UPDATE: Man robs Freeland Bank

Deputies are searching for a man who robbed a bank in Freeland Thursday at about 5:45 p.m.

Island County Sheriff Mark Brown said the masked man walked into the Chase Bank on N. Main Street and demanded money, implying that he was armed with a gun. A teller placed an undisclosed amount of cash into a small blue bag that the robber brought with him.

Detective Ed Wallace said the robber left the building and bank employees were unable to see whether he got into a car.

Detectives were able to capture images of the robber from a security camera. He is seen wearing a disposable face mask and surgical gloves.

The robber is described as a white man in his 20s, about 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, and medium build. He was wearing a blue hooded zip-up sweatshirt with a white T-shirt underneath and blue workout pants with gray and white stripes.

It was the second business robbery this month on Whidbey Island. On Jan. 4, a gunman robbed Linds Pharmacy in Freeland and escaped on foot with a bag of OxyContin.

Wallace said it’s unlikely that the same robber hit the bank and the pharmacy.

“We’re not ruling out anything, but the builds of the two suspects were just too different,” he said, pointing out that the pharmacy robber was significantly shorter.

Wallace said investigators have been talking to the FBI, but this bank robbery doesn’t seem to be similar to other robberies.

Anyone with information about either robbery should call the ICOM dispatch center at 360-679-9567.

Contact Whidbey News Times Assistant editor Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360.675.6611 ext. 5056.

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