Post by Scumhunter on Aug 27, 2013 17:17:05 GMT -5
The Unknown Apple Valley Bank Robber made #9 on John Walsh's list of top 10 fugitives of 2009. The following is the full-profile description from an old AMW newsletter I found on another site:
"When an unidentified man robbed TCF Bank in Apple Valley, Minn., it hit bank manager Shannon Hatch close to home.
Most bank robberies are pretty much the same, says AMW producer Evan Marshall, who worked on the story. Guy goes in with a note that says "give me the money" and then walks away.
Except in this case, the bandit didn't even have to go to the bank; he made a house call instead.
On August 30, 2007, Shannon received a call from one of her employees while getting ready to leave her office. A very calm, polite man had requested to speak to her personally, and he was patched through.
Cops say the man told Shannon, very matter-of-factly, that there was a bomb on the roof of her bank.
It's eerie when you hear his voice and you know this phone call wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing,Evan said. It was something he planned for.
When Shannon heard a bit of interference on the line, she used that as her opportunity to get out of the conversation. Thinking fast, she hung up the phone and called the authorities.
The bank was cleared, and the bomb squad found no bombs.
The next month, Shannon received another phone call. While her mother, Janet took care of Shannon's son at home, someone knocked on the door. There, she found the man from Shannon's phone call, dressed in a military uniform, and she was in handcuffs before she knew it.
The man assured her that this was not a joke, and it wouldn't have come to this if her daughter had cooperated in the first place. He ushered the two of them into his SUV, drove off, and had Janet call her daughter.
Fearing for her mother and son's safety, Shannon did everything the man said.
He used psychology. He used her own fears, not for herself, but for her family, Evan said. He knew he could use that to get what he wanted.
And he was successful. Cops said the man claiming to be an ex-Marine had Shannon take money from the bank and meet her by an ice skating rink. Shannon dropped the money behind some trash cans and left the scene.
Now left alone with their anonymous kidnapper, the fate of the hostages remained unclear.
The man dropped Shannon's mother and son at a familiar place, her other son's school. Although everyone got out of the experience alive, it was evident that this man had been stalking Shannon and her family, and he had intimate knowledge of their routine.
He did his research. He knew a lot about this family before he made that first phone call, before he put that plan into motion, Evan said.
So what kind of person would do something like this?
He may very well be a family guy who was desperate for money Evan said. He had a hint of desperation, but at the same time he kind of portrayed himself as a bit of a normal person.
AMW producer Gavin Portnoy also shot a full re-enactment of the events, which you can see on AMW this Saturday night on FOX.
The focus of the re-enactment was not physical violence, but a psychological bent, Evan said. It's not the "what he did" but the "what was he going to do? Sometimes, that's worse."
Interestingly enough, police thought this case was solved when an ex-marine named Timothy Carson was arrested fr robbing a bank in Apple Valley in January 2010. But according to the AMW airings about this case, it was determined he was not their guy.
Admin Note: Our advice for anyone with any information on this case would be to contact the Apple Valley Police Department at(952) 953-2700
Admin Note #2: If you have any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
web.archive.org/web/20120725020612/http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=68051
www.twincities.com/minnesota/ci_6932927
blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/10/timothy_carson_3.php
