By MARVIN HAMLETT
Editor
Farmers Bank in Appomattox was robbed last Tuesday afternoon, but police needed only an hour-or-so to arrest a suspect.
Ubel Booker-Bey Jr., 28, was charged with armed robbery of the Triangle Plaza branch of Farmers Bank.
Booker-Bey’s residence is listed as Meherrin and King William County.
The suspect allegedly entered the bank wearing a blonde wig and brandishing an apparent weapon before escaping with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Appomattox Sheriff Barry Letterman said his office received a call at about 4:15 p.m. that Farmers Bank was robbed.
Officers quickly responded and discovered that an employee had written down the license plate number of the suspect’s getaway car.
The car was registered to a Meherrin address, and regional authorities were notified to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
Deputy Chris Sams of the Appomattox County Sheriff’s Department radioed that the suspect’s vehicle was spotted on the U.S. 460 East Bypass in Prince Edward County.
The vehicle exited on U.S. 15 South, and Sams attempted to stop the car. The suspect, however, attempted to elude the officer.
An officer with the Town of Farmville threw out a spike strip, which caused the suspect’s tire to blow.
The vehicle continued down U.S. 15 until it became disabled, at which time the suspect fled on foot.
A short time later, an officer from Hampden-Sydney subdued and arrested Booker-Bey shortly after 5 p.m.
Further charges may be pending, Sheriff Letterman said.
All of the stolen money was recovered.
Nobody was injured from the robbery or the pursuit of the suspect.
“I’d like to compliment everyone involved and thank the bank employees for the way they reacted,” Sheriff Letterman said. “They did exactly what they were supposed to do.”
Letterman also praised the assisting law enforcement agencies, including the Virginia State Police, Prince Edward County Sheriff’s Department, Farmville Police, and Hampden-Sydney Police.
“It was an example of great teamwork,” Letterman said.