Unarmed suspect remains at-large; no one harmed

A man robbed the Kent branch of Fifth Third Bank at 1597 S. Water St. at approximately 2:22 p.m. yesterday, according to a Kent Police Department press release.

The suspect walked into the bank, demanded money from the teller, who complied, and then left without harming anyone, according to the release. No weapons were seen, and the suspect fled on foot. It is unknown how much money was stolen, police said.

One bank patron said she didn’t realize what was happening until after it was already over.

According to the release, the suspect wore a greenish nylon winter coat with the hood pulled up over his head and dark jeans tucked into his boots. He wore sunglasses and a blue cap.

Later on, police officers were seen questioning a potential suspect who was wearing a green coat.

“Obviously, he was wearing the wrong coat,” said Lieutenant Ray Stein of the Kent Police Department. “Initially, we thought he might have something to do with it.”

The suspect was then released. Currently, police have no suspects.

The police questioned employees and patrons at the bank, as well as employees of the adjoining office for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. They also measured footprints left in the snow, supposedly by the perpetrator.

Both the bank and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles closed their offices for the afternoon.

In August of 2006, an armed man robbed the Chase bank across the street from Fifth Third on South Water Street. The FBI later arrested an Akron man, Tracy Greer, who was linked to 15 other robberies in Portage and surrounding counties. He stole more than $78,000 from those banks, according to a Department of Justice press release.

Last month, two black males robbed the McDonald’s at 1280 S. Water St. and made off with more than $4,500 in cash and gift certificates.

The Kent Police Department is asking anyone with information about yesterday’s robbery who can identify the bank photo of the suspect to contact police at (330) 673-7732.

Contact public affairs reporter Channing Hindel at [email protected].