SAFEGUARDING YOUR SAVINGS: Incident thwarted in S. Whitley

February 28, 2013

Area police departments have stepped up patrol at banks and credit unions in Whitley County after the surge in bank robberies in Fort Wayne and surrounding cities. Post & Mail photo / Nicole Ott

COLUMBIA CITY — While Fort Wayne has been dealing with an abundance of bank robberies, Whitley County has stayed under the radar — for the most part.

Police received a call Tuesday morning of a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of a bank in South Whitley.

According to police scanner traffic, bank employees may have seen a man wearing a ski mask parked outside of the bank.

According to the scanner, the vehicle took off before police arrived, and traveled southbound out of town.

Police in the area have been paying special attention to banks and credit unions.

“In the past couple months, we have stepped up bank patrols,” Columbia City Police Chief Tim Longenbaugh said. “Our guys have done a great job looking out for the banks.”

A special group of police investigators has been created to focus on these crimes — the Northeast Indiana Bank Robbery Task Force.

Fort Wayne has had multiple bank robberies already in 2013.

South Whitley Police Chief Dave Wilkinson was not available for comment before press time.