Men held after bank robbery in Society Hill
------------------------------------------------------
by Sheila Allen
staff
sallen@newsandpress.com
Local insurance agent among those terrified by gun-toting robbers
 |
 |
| Society
Hill insurance agent Jean Funderburk was still shaken up shortly
after authorities finished interviewing her about her scary experience
inside the bank during the robbery. PHOTO SHEILA ALLEN |
|
When Jean Funderburk woke up last Wednesday morning, she said she didn't
realize it could have been her last day on Earth. As she went to make
a deposit at Carolina Bank at about 9:30 a.m., the bank was robbed by
two masked men, one carrying a handgun.
She is the owner of Funderburk Insurance Agency, located on Main Street
in Society Hill, just a short walk from the bank. Funderburk was the
only customer in the bank at the time, and said she will never, ever
forget her fear as one of the men pointed the gun in her face.
"I thought he was going to kill me," Jean said moments after
being released from the bank and coming back to her office.
Before the robbery, she was talking to the teller and in the process
of making a deposit when she heard someone yell.
"I turned around and saw a young tall, black man with a gun. He
had his mouth covered with his hand and a piece of a bandanna. He then
told me to ‘get down.’”
Jean said the gun man repeated his order, and this time she obeyed.
"I was the only customer in the bank at the time, and I had my
bank bags in my hand. When he told me to get down, I squatted down on
the floor and I could see the bank teller's trash can. That's when I
decided he was not going to get my bank deposits, and I threw my bank
bags in her trash can."
"He pointed the gun in my face and asked me what I was doing and
I said, 'nothing, nothing' and squatted down."
She said everything happened so fast, but to her it seemed to last a
lifetime.
She said she could tell that the suspect was just as terrified as she
was.
Jean said the suspects took the money from out of the cashier’s
drawers and walked out. The bank was then locked, secured and sealed
as they waited the few minutes it took for police to arrive.
"I just thank God for keeping me and all the bank employees safe.
The way the world is today, it's best to get your life right and be
ready to leave this world at any time."
The brave and courageous lady managed to leave the bank unharmed physically
and with all of her bank deposits, but she said she will never be "alright"
again.
According to Society Hill Police Chief Jessie Rogers, two black males,
one armed with a handgun, entered Carolina Bank on Main Street in Society
Hill, at about 9:35 a.m., and robbed the bank. The pair escaped on foot
with an undisclosed amount of money.
"After the robbery, they both fled on foot in opposite directions.
After checking with employees at the bank and making sure they were
alright, I began checking the perimeter of the area," Chief Rogers
said.
He said he found an abandoned 2005 Ford Taurus parked on Cheraw Highway
near Burlington Drive. He then called in the tag and further checked
around the vehicle.
"I observed a black male fitting the description of one of the
bank robbers, about 30 feet away from vehicle coming towards it."
He was taken into investigative detention, and based on the photo on
the suspects driver's license and from the photos taken from the cameras
inside of the bank, officials were able to identify him as one of the
bank robbers.
About 45 minutes to an hour later, a Society Hill resident observed
a strange black male in her back yard and notified 911.
Chief Rogers said they were able to identify this suspect as the second
robber through the same means as they used to identify first one, and
he was also taken into custody. All of the money stolen was recovered
later that day before 5:00 pm.
Apparently the alleged robbers tossed it while they were running away
from the scene, Chief Rogers said.
"I appreciate the assistance of the Darlington County Sheriff's
Office, FBI, Society Hill PD, Chesterfield and Marlboro County Police
Departments, DNR, and SLED for their help in the investigation and arrests,"
Chief Rogers concluded.
Jarvis Nathan McNeil, 22, of 417 Durant Drive, Lake City, and Raymond
Rashad Cooper, 20, of 2992 Wright Oak Grove, Kingstree, are both in
custody at the Darlington County Detention Center and face charges of
armed robbery possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent
crime.
This is the second time Carolina Bank in Society Hill was also robbed
in less that two years. The bank was also robbed last year on June 5,
2006.
---------------------------------------------
>>BACK TO HOME
PAGE