Police are still searching the armed suspect that robbed BB&T Bank this afternoon, and the FBI will be working the case that is thought to possibly be the work of a serial bank robber.  

According to Covington Police Department’s Public Information Officer, Lt. Wendell Wagstaff, a call came in to 911 around 12:50 p.m. from someone who had noticed the suspect come into the bank.  He was wearing a black running-type suit, sunglasses and a wig – much like the suspect who robbed a Conyers Wachovia Bank yesterday. The man is described as a black male, slender, standing around 6-feet-tall. He was seen driving a silver Lexus, which was recovered in the kudzu off Old Atlanta Highway. The man made off with an undisclosed amount of money. 

Palmer-Stone Elementary, Cousins Middle, Challenge Charter Academy and Troy State University were all placed on lock-down as a precaution while officers searched for the suspect in the woods.  

According to Wagstaff, it is possible that there was someone waiting for the robbery suspect in the area. Officers from the CPD, deputies from the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, K-9 officers from the city, county and Porterdale and officers from the Porterdale Police Department as well as troopers from the Georgia State Patrol assisted in the search, the GSP also provided use of their air unit to search from above, to no avail.  

“I have to give kudos to those guys,” said Wagstaff. “They did an amazing job.” 

Earlier in the day Wal-Mart on Industrial Boulevard was briefly evacuated because someone called in a bomb threat. However, the store was checked and the threat was deemed to be unsubstantiated.  Wagstaff said that they do not believe the call was made as a diversionary tactic because the calls were placed more than an hour apart.