Bank Robberies Not the Norm in Merrimack, But They Happen

It's a relief to Merrimack Police that there were no patrons in the TD Bank when a robber walked in with a shotgun in hand on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Merrimack Police Lt. Denise Roy said thankfully no one was hurt in the incident in which a man armed with a shotgun wrapped in some sort of blanket walked through the doors and aimed the gun at the tellers behind the counter as he approached them.

As can be seen in the surveillance video above, which was provided to police by TD Bank and posted on the police department's YouTube page, the man is only lightly disguised by a hat and sunglasses when he demands money from the tellers.

Roy said the man left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash before police arrived on the scene.

If it's sound somewhat familiar, it's because just a couple months ago, on June 14, a man who didn't even bother to disguise his face, walked into the People's United Bank on Route 101A, told the teller he had an explosive that he would detonate if she didn't comply with his demands, and then he, too, left with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Both crimes were committed with violent weapons, both happened in broad daylight, both involved threats and an escape with money, but the difference, aside from the description of the two men, is that in this case, Roy said they have "several leads" they are following. In the People's United case, the leads just aren't coming in.

The police have asked for the public's help in both situations, trying to put a name with remarkably clear faces pulled from surveillance cameras at both banks.

The problem is, Roy said, often times bank robberies are committed as the perpetrators are making their way through town.

"It's quite possible no one around here has ever seen these men before," Roy said.

And while police work to solve two important crimes in town, Roy did agree that this is not normal for Merrimack.

"Bank robberies definitely not the norm in Merrimack, but they happen," Roy said. "We're in between two of the largest communities in the state, Nashua and Manchester, and we have easy access to major highways. That creates opportunity."

Before June's bank robbery, it had been about three years since the last reported bank robbery in Merrimack. That man, Robert Ferguson, of Lowell, Mass., dubbed the Burly Bandit by the FBI, was arrested following an investigation into nearly a dozen bank robberies in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Maine between April and July 2010.

Incidentally, the bank he hit in Merrimack, Ocean Bank, was located at the same location in Pennichuck Square that now houses Peoples United Bank.

Ferguson, according to the Bangor Daily News, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for the robbery spree. He was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in restitution including more than $15,000 in Merrimack.

Roy said the violent nature of these recent bank robberies does concern the Police Department, but thankfully no one was hurt in either incident. She said the department regularly does security checks at businesses in town, and they will keep doing so at least as frequently if not more. If they see something a business can do to create a safer environment at their store, Roy said they do offer advice.

The most important thing, Roy said, is that people should never approach someone they see acting suspiciously at a store or a bank, especially if it's obvious they are armed.

"If someone were to see something like that (a man carrying a shotgun into a bank), we'd never want someone to approach them but to make a phone call certainly. That would be their best option."