New photo shows SunTrust branch robber

RALEIGH -- Police, who are asking for the public's help in finding a suspect in the Jan. 17 robbery of a SunTrust Bank branch, have issued a new security-camera photo in hopes of getting more leads in the case.

The photo, a profile (shown on the right side of this page), shows more of the slender, white man with a white goatee than an earlier photo showed. Police said the man is in his 50s or 60s, stands about 5 feet 8 and was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and cap. The previous picture was taken from above and showed little of the man's face.

He entered the SunTrust Bank branch at 7320 Creedmoor Road shortly before 4 p.m. that day and gave a robbery note to a teller, according to police spokesman Jim Sughrue.

The teller complied with the note's demands, and the suspect fled the bank.

Sughrue said the photo distributed late Saturday had not been made public until the day after the robbery and probably had not been seen in news reports.

Anyone who thinks they recognize the suspect or remembers seeing him is asked to call Raleigh Crime Stoppers at 919-834-4357. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for anonymous tips that help solve cases.

Also, the North Carolina Bankers Association offers a reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of anyone responsible for robbing a bank or savings institution in North Carolina.