Blackwell bank robbed; suspect arrested

Blackwell’s RCB Bank at 13th and Doolin was robbed Monday afternoon.

A suspect was arrested about 2:30 p.m. on Interstate 35 north of the Kansas-Oklahoma state line.

Trooper Dallas Gilmore with the Kansas Highway Patrol reported he received a call from the Blackwell Police Department asking that he be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle and Blackwell officers were in pursuit of the suspect’s vehicle.

Gilmore said that at one point, Blackwell Police had the suspect pulled over, but he took off again before officers could make an arrest.

Gilmore said he then placed stop sticks across the highway at mile marker 12 on the Kansas side of I-35, which the suspect ran over, causing his front tires to deflate.

The suspect, who has not yet been identified, then exited his vehicle with his hands up and approached Gilmore, who then arrested him.

Gilmore said the suspect had a large amount of currency in his front pants pockets when he was arrested.

The suspect has been taken to the Sumner County Jail in Wellington, Kansas, and the FBI has been contacted, Gilmore said.

Gilmore said he did not know how much was taken in the robbery, but said he had been told the bank had a limited amount of cash on hand.