Authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with Wednesday’s robbery at Glacier Bank in Lakeside.
According to Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry, a witness’ description and an “aggressive” investigation led to the arrest of Steve Norred, 55, of the Bigfork area.
The robbery – during which a man entered the bank on Sept. 28, showed the teller a gun and fled on a red dirt bike – is similar to several other bank robberies in the past two years, including those at at Muralt’s Truck Stop in Missoula in September 2009; at First Interstate Bank in Bigfork in September 2010; at Glacier Bank in Lakeside in November 2010; at First Valley Bank in Seeley Lake in April of this year; and Bitterroot Valley Bank in St. Regis in May 2011.
The man involved in each of those robberies was described roughly the same way, measuring between 5-foot-5 and 5-foot-6 and wearing a black helmet. Curry said Norred fits this description, though the sheriff’s office would not release a photo of Norred until formal charges are filed.
“We aren’t saying it’s the same guy at this point, but it is a lead we are pursuing,” Curry said.
Curry said the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is working jointly with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on this case, and the investigation could result in federal charges.
According to a press release from the FBI, the suspect wore a motorcycle helmet and escaped on a motorcycle in four of the five other robberies. Prior to this week’s bank robbery, the FBI had offered a $5,000 reward for information about the robberies.