MOULTON, Ala. -- Moulton police didn't have to go far to arrest the suspect in a Monday morning bank robbery.
Rickie Lawrence Gardner robbed Bank Independent on Court Street, put the money in his car, then waited on a bench outside of the bank until police responded to the call shortly after 9 a.m., Moulton Police Chief Lyndon McWhorter said.
Gardner, 49, of 7667 Alabama 33, told police he feared losing his job at International Paper after suffering a leg injury and needed a place to stay.
Gardner entered the bank with a note stating that he carried a weapon, and the teller gave him an undisclosed amount of money, according to police.
He then walked out of the building, entered his 2003 white Ford Explorer and placed the money in the passenger seat of the vehicle before waiting for police to arrive, police said.
Gardner is being held in Lawrence County Jail on charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree theft. Bail has not been set.
"We are glad that none of our employees and none of our customers were hurt in this incident," Bank Independent communications officer Patricia Hartley said.
The last bank robbery in Moulton was at CB&S Bank in September 2008.
Copyright 2013 - The Decatur Daily, Ala.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
