Clarkston bank robber still at large

Authorities are still on the hunt for a man who robbed the Lewis Clark Credit Union in Clarkston late Monday afternoon and fled the scene on a bike.

The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office released images of the robber Tuesday that were captured on the credit union’s surveillance system.

The credit union, at 1451 15th St., was robbed at 5:20 p.m., 10 minutes before closing time. The suspect is a white male, 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with a slender-to-medium build and little or no facial hair. The man was wearing white tennis shoes, dark clothing, a hat and gloves and he carried a brown messenger bag.

The suspect threatened to detonate a bomb if the teller did not comply with demands, but no weapons or explosives were displayed or observed.

A similar robbery occurred at Arby’s in Clarkston on June 9, when a man with a similar height and build fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

The Asotin County Sheriff’s Office and Clarkston Police Department are working together to solve the crimes and determine whether they are related.

Asotin County Detective Jackie Nichols said it’s unusual to have two robberies in such a short period of time. She advises business owners to go over their policies for responding to robbers so employees are aware of where panic buttons are located and the proper protocol.

If it does happen, people can help police by being good witnesses, the detective said. Pay close attention to eyes, voice, tattoos, mode of travel or any other information that could assist in the investigation.

The last commercial robbery in Asotin County occurred about three years ago at a Zip Trip, officials said, and bank robberies in this area are fairly rare.