UPDATE: Man arrested on felony robbery charge
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UPDATE 9:30 p.m.
Idaho Falls Police have arrested 36-year-old Craig Blankenship on a felony charge of robbery in connection to a bank robbery Tuesday morning.
Blankenship is homeless living in the Idaho Falls area, according to a police spokeswoman. He is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.
The following is an update from the Idaho Falls Police Department:
Idaho Falls Police received a tip from the public which helped them to locate and detain a man whom they believe is the suspect of the bank robbery.
Police believe the man is the one pictured in the photos obtained through video surveillance footage.
Until it is confirmed that he is indeed the suspect in the crime, police will not release his identity.
More information will be forthcoming as the investigation progresses.
UPDATE: 4:55 p.m.
The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Police Department
Idaho Falls Police have obtained more video camera surveillance photos of the suspect who allegedly robbed the Bank of Commerce earlier this morning.
Police believe the man has likely changed his clothing and may now be wearing jeans, either a black Nike Air t-shirt with a camouflage-colored square on the front or a black Nike t-shirt with teal words “Twenty Three” on the front and the sleeves, and/or a camouflage-colored Champion ball cap.
UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.
President and CEO of the Bank of Commerce Tom Romrell said the bank’s systems are fully functional. He said the bank plans to reopen Tuesday afternoon.
“This was just a coincidental case where one camera was not functioning properly at a very inopportune time,” Romrell said in a news release. “Our cameras are checked weekly and we take the process very seriously. The camera is in the process of being repaired.”
Romrell said he has faith in the Idaho Falls Police Department to apprehend the person responsible for the robbery.
“We are very proud of our employees,” Romrell said. “They followed the protocol to the letter. The fact that no one was harmed speaks to their understanding of policies and safe execution of procedures. That makes us very pleased. Because of their efforts, the police will be able to do a proper investigation. We have full faith in our partners at the Idaho Fall Police Department and we know they will do everything they can to apprehend this young man and hold him responsible.”
UPDATE:
The Idaho Falls Police Department released images of the man suspected of robbing the Bank of Commerce on West Broadway Tuesday morning.
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IDAHO FALLS — A man robbed the Bank of Commerce on West Broadway on Tuesday morning.
Holly Cook, spokeswoman with Idaho Falls Police, said a man walked in around 9:30 and handed bank staff a threatening note and demanded money. He left with an undisclosed amount of cash.
The bank camera that would have gotten his face is “not working properly,” Cook said. Police are working on getting surveillance video from other businesses in the area and will release photos soon, she said.
According to Cook, the robber was Caucasian in his mid-20s. He was wearing red.
We will update this story as more details become available.