Alert Woman Leads To Bank Robbery Arrest

A tip from an alert citizen led to the quick arrest of a bank robbery suspect this week.

Wednesday morning, Suzanne, who didn't want her last name used, was dropping her daughter off at a day care center across the street from Union Bank in Lee's Summit when she saw something she couldn't ignore.

Suzanne said she used to work at a bank, and her training about watching for suspicious activity kicked in.

"I saw a car pull up and act like it was going into the bank, instead it whipped and turned into the day care and pulled into a spot facing the bank," Suzanne told KMBC's Peggy Breit.


It was 8:45 a.m. and the bank lobby wasn't open yet.

"They'd always told us that if you're going to get robbed, it's generally right when you open or right when you close," Suzanne said.


She said she asked someone at the day care center to call police and told a parent to watch the suspicious car. Then, Suzanne went to a nearby QuikTrip where she found a D.A.R.E. officer and told him her suspicions.


"'Thank you for not thinking I was crazy.' He turned right around and came down here," Suzanne said.


With reinforcements in place, police arrested Linda J. Spooner, 42, from Greenwood, Mo.

Investigators said they found her with the bank's money and a gun.

It was a dramatic finish to Suzanne's intuitions, but Suzanne missed it.

"I needed to go to work, so I went home and packed my lunch and when I came back, I saw all the lights and the officers and I was just hoping that nobody had gotten hurt," Suzanne said.


No one was injured.


Suzanne said she hopes other people can learn from her experience and maybe stop another robbery in the future.


"It does make me feel very good. It was a lot of things and a gut feeling -- in the right place at the right time," Suzanne said.


Female bank robbers are rare and investigators are checking whether Spooner is connected to a robbery at an Olathe Target store Tuesday night.

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