Rice Banking Co. latest in string of break-ins
Published 12:40 am Friday, August 14, 2009
Another bank burglary — the fourth in less than a month — had officers dispatched to Riley and Rice Banking Co. early Thursday.
Selma Police Chief William T. Riley III said an alarm was reported around 5 a.m. and officers arriving at the scene found broken glass and a broken side window.
Riley and Rice Banking Co. manager Marcie Spence said no money was taken from the bank.
“We don’t keep a lot of money in the office anyway,” said Spence. “There was really nothing for them to get. They broke in and messed up a little bit, but nothing was missing.”
A tip led to questioning of a juvenile later Thursday.
“We got an unknown call that said the individual involved with it was possibly walking down in another area,” said Riley. “He was just seen and happened to be in that area.”
Riley said there was not enough evidence to arrest the juvenile.
Riley said evidence collected from the scene is at the state crime lab in Montgomery.
“We’re having them put a rush on that evidence to compare what we’ve collected from the other three incidents,” he said. “We’ve also found some clothing in the area that we’re going to try to do some DNA tracing on as well. Hopefully we can get some help from the lab.”
Thursday’s attempt was Selma’s fourth break-in since a burglary attempt at First Cahawba Bank on July 31. Riley said it is believed that there is a correlation among the recent attempts.
“We do feel that it’s very likely that it’s the same people, persons or group of persons that are involved with this,” he said.
As Selma police await the results from Montgomery, Spence is still trying to make sense of the string of break-ins.
“I really have no clue what would make somebody brazen enough to knock a window out and go in a building,” she said.