Hurlburt Cops Detain Suspected Bank Robber
by Staff Sgt. William J. Seabrook Jr.
16th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
Released: 7 Jun 1999
Senior Airman Edward Michael, 16th Security Force Squadron, along with his
military working dog partner, Tim, check a vehicle for drugs and explosives. (Photo by
Master Sgt. Kevin L. Hoeth) |
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. (AFPN) -- The 16th Security Forces Squadron detained a
suspected bank robber May 27 after he fled onto the base.
The suspect, a military family member, had just entered the front gate when two
citizens following him alerted the gate guard that they suspected the individual of
robbing a bank.
The gate guard, Airman Randall Hampton, immediately secured his gate and alerted
the east gate guard to secure his gate. He then called the security forces control center
to report the situation.
"Hampton's quick thinking and decisive action getting the gates closed as
fast as he did was one of the main reasons we were able to detain the suspect," said
Capt. Laura Soule, 16th SFS operations officer.
However, the gate guard wasn't the only airman thinking on his feet that day,
according to Staff Sgt. Robert Cogswell and Senior Airman Frank Woznick, the 16th SFS desk
sergeants.
"We had just initiated search procedures for the individual when we
received a call from Staff Sgt. Jack Gilliam, 823rd Rapid Engineer Deployable-Heavy
Operational Repair Squadron Engineer, who reported there was an individual changing
clothes in his parking lot," said Cogswell. "We knew from the witnesses that a
dye pack had exploded on the suspect, so there was a good chance this was our guy."
Tech. Sgts. Pauly Kubek and Drew Hill and Senior Airman Edward Michael, along
with his military working dog partner Tim, from the 16th SFS, responded to the scene and
were able to successfully detain the individual.
"We had him surrounded, so he didn't give us much trouble," said
Kubek. "It went very smoothly, thanks to everyone doing their jobs and staying
cool."
Dye was discovered on the person's hands, as well as on clothes found in a trash
bin.
Security forces notified the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department, which
responded along with the FBI and took custody of the individual.
"Everybody stayed alert and took appropriate actions, which enabled us to
successfully assist the sheriff's department in apprehending this individual," said
Soule. "This was another shining example of the cooperation between Hurlburt's
military police and the civilian law enforcement community."
RELATED SITES
* Federal Bureau of Investigation
* Hurlburt Field, Fla.
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