CRIME

Bank workers trap robbery suspect, prevent escape

robin brown
The News Journal

A bank robber nearly got away with the heist Thursday, until employees hit a button and trapped him between the bank's two outer doors, state police said.

He was caught in what police call "a mantrap," Sgt. Paul G. Shavack said.

The suspect tried to escape the electronically locked enclosure, attempting to smash the break-resistant glass of the windows and doors, Shavack said.

He managed to cause some damage – but didn't escape – growing frustrated and wearing himself out as bank staff looked on, Shavack said.

Police soon arrived and arrested Stephen D. Dunfee, 38, of the New Castle area, without incident, he said.

He was charged with second-degree robbery and criminal mischief and was awaiting arraignment Thursday night.

The incident began about 3:30 p.m. at a Citizens Bank branch in the Chestnut Hill Plaza off Chestnut Hill Road near Newark.

Dunfee entered the bank and handed a note demanding money to a teller, Shavack said.

The 32-year-old woman complied, turning over an undisclosed amount of cash, he said.

But as Dunfee turned to flee, Shavack said, "bank personnel activated a security device known as a 'mantrap,' which remotely secures the interior and exterior doors of the bank, trapping him in the vestibule."

No estimate was available of the damage caused by the suspect's unsuccessful escape attempt, Shavack said.

Contact robin brown at (302) 324-2856 or rbrown@delawareonline.com. Find her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @rbrowndelaware.