INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Riverside Bank Director of Corporate Security Laz Claro says according to his personal tally, bank robberies at the institutions he oversees are on the rise.”In the past we would get maybe five or six a robberies a year (at Riverside Bank locations throughout the Treasure and Space coasts),” said Claro. “So far this year we have had five robberies, more than one a month.”
In fact, there has been a flurry in just the last five weeks. Riverside banks have been hit twice in Brevard County, and once each in Volusia, Polk and Indian River counties in that span. In the Volusia (March 5) and Polk (March 9) robberies, the suspects were apprehended soon after leaving the bank.The two robberies in Brevard County, at Rockledge on March 4 and Palm Bay on March 22, appear to be the work of a serial bank robber, who is also suspected of hitting First Peoples Bank in Vero Beach on March 30 among other area Non-Riverside banks.The latest Riverside robbery, April 2 in Roseland, is thought to be by a different suspect rather than the serial robber based on a visual comparison of photos from the security cameras.In both the Vero Beach and Sebastian robberies, a male subject wearing jeans, a sweatshirt and a ball cap entered the banks, presented a note to the teller demanding money and then fled on foot.Claro is hopeful that the suspects will soon be caught.”Statistically repeat robbers are caught 80 percent of the time,” he said. The Vero Beach Police Department remains the lead agency investigating the First Peoples Bank robbery, while the Sheriff’s Office retains jurisdiction of the Sebastian Riverside Bank case.If you have any any information on any of the Riverside Bank robberies call Sgt. Thom Raulen (772) 978-6099 of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office or Detective Ernie Diebel of the Palm Bay Police at (321) 733-3048.Anyone with any information about the First Peoples Bank robbery can call the Vero Beach Police Department at (772) 978-4600.
