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Bank robber leads police on high speed chase Melodie Phelps News Editor A man who robbed a local branch bank at gunpoint led police on a high speed chase along KY 90 into Clinton County, before his vehicle crashed and he was apprehended. Anthony Vernon Calhoun, 18, who is from Georgia but was staying with relatives in Clinton County, was extricated from the black Ford pickup which he drove away from First Southern National Bankıs branch in the Town and Country Plaza at approximately 8:26 a.m. on Wednesday, December 29. He was flown from the scene to the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, where police said he survived surgery but is expected to be paralyzed from his injuries. The crash occurred approximately four to five miles inside the Clinton County line, after Calhoun led five officers with the Monticello Police Department on the 15 mile chase. Monticello Police Chief Melvin Rose was pleased with the way his department responded to the robbery, noting that there was some luck involved since one officer, in an unmarked car, was at the shopping center when the call came in from First Southern National Bank. Officer Ronnie Ellis observed the suspect leaving the scene and was able to follow him behind the shopping center onto Lockett Street, where the chase began. Rose and Detective Sheridan Wright joined the chase at the intersection of Columbia Avenue and Bypass 90. Officer Tony Morris joined the pursuit at his residence on West KY 90 and a few seconds later Officer D.J. Davis joined the chase. Rose noted that Morris and Davis took the lead, since they were both driving police cars. The other officers were in unmarked vehicles. Clinton County Sheriff Rick Riddle got in front of the suspect near the Clinton County line. He, Davis, and Morris boxed in Calhounıs vehicle in an attempt to keep him from veering into the oncoming lane as he had done throughout the chase. ³He ran numerous vehicles off the road and he pulled into the oncoming lanes on several occasions,² stated Rose. ³In a pursuit like that a person will take any risk to get away.² Calhoun rammed the Clinton County Sheriffıs car and attempted to ram a Monticello Police cruiser before he wrecked, according to Rose. No officers were injured in the pursuit, which Rose said reached more than 110 miles per hour. All the money was recovered, noted Rose. Police also recovered a 12 gauge pump shotgun. ³Nobody at the bank was hurt, and the employees did exactly what they should have in that situation,² stated Rose. This marks the second bank robbery in Wayne County in a six-month span, but Rose noted that the two are not related. The BB&T Bank in the Cumberland Crossing Shopping Center was robbed in June. Rose noted that bank robberies seem to be on the increase in cities and in rural areas. ³Itıs become a way to get some quick cash,² stated Rose. The investigation into the robbery is continuing by the Monticello Police Department. Kentucky State Police and the Clinton County Sheriffıs Department are investigating the offenses the suspect is accused of committing in Clinton County. Add a comment |
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