An arrest on Thursday may have prevented a recent bank robbery from becoming “cold,” but similar incidents remain active for investigators with the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office.
Four “cold cases” involving robberies are now being actively pursued by investigators.

On Friday, Capt. Michael J. Trice released information about 44-year-old Preston Robert Walcker being charged with the May 4 robbery of the Union First Market Bank at 7279 Bell Creek Road in Mechanicsville.

His arrest stemmed from the cooperative efforts of the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Beach Police Department and Chesapeake Police Department.

Walcker, a Virginia Beach resident, was lodged in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.

In addition to the Mechanicsville robbery, Walcker is accused of bank robberies on April 12 and May 6 in Virginia Beach and May 12 in Chesapeake.

Thanks to the efforts of Hanover investigators, information surfaced that Walcker was responsible for the Hanover robbery as well as other crimes in the other two jurisdictions.
A day before Walcker’s arrest, Trice praised the assistance the public provides. “The Sheriff’s Office has always been very up front in recognizing that our successes are directly attributed to our citizen involvement. We believe — were it not for the good citizens calling in tips and their suspicions — that we wouldn’t be as successful in clearing these crimes as we have been.”

While Walcker’s case turned around in just over a week, Sheriff’s Office investigators have been reviewing unsolved robberies that have taken place since 2000.

In 10 years, Trice said, there have been 182 robberies in the county. “We solved 89 of those cases,” he added.

The four selected for this series are “a tip away” from being solved. “It’s our feeling if somebody goes in and commits a robbery, two things are probable: They’ve committed several offenses before or they’re going to continue to commit robberies in the future.”

The captain did say that “The likelihood of somebody being hurt as a result of these crimes increases as long as they aren’t apprehended for these crimes. So we think it’s important — although they weren’t immediately apprehended — that we continue to seek their identity and hold them accountable for their crimes.”

Of the four robberies that follow, no one was harmed in the commission of the crimes.

- At 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, 2005, a black man approached a teller at the BB&T at 7016 Mechanicsville Turnpike. He communicated a threat and demanded money. He did not display a weapon. He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money, but it is not known what kind of vehicle he may have used to flee. The suspect was described as being in his mid-20s, about 6 feet tall, with a medium complexion, some facial hair and gold or silver capped teeth. He was wearing a light colored t-shirt and pants, a light colored baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses.

- At 9:34 p.m. on Friday, May 12, 2006, a customer at a Wachovia Bank ATM at 8111 Mechanicsville Turnpike was approached by a white man with a knife. The suspect took the victim’s ATM card and $40 in cash. He was described as being 18 to 24 years old, 6 to 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, with blue eyes. He was wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt and a light colored t-shirt. He wore a black and burgundy baseball cap with a cross-like symbol embossed in the front.

- At 12:40 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2006, two men entered the FasMart at 9492 Chamberlayne Road and robbed the clerk of cash, lottery tickets and a carton of cigarettes. The suspects were seen leaving the area in a dark colored, older model Jeep Cherokee. The first, who showed a firearm, was described as being in his late teens to early 20s and wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, long pants and dark colored athletic shoes with white stripes. The hood on his sweatshirt was pulled over his head. He also was wearing a baseball style cap under the hood. The second suspect also was described as being in his late teens to early 20s. He was wearing a black t-shirt, oversized shorts and white athletic shoes. In this case, Trice said one of the suspects “actually went behind the counter, which is always dangerous.”

- At 10:40 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, the FasMart at 9200 Chamberlayne Road was robbed by a white man showing what appeared to be a handgun wrapped in a brown paper bag. He had approached the cashier and demanded money. He fled on foot after getting an undisclosed amount of cash. He was described as being 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-9 in height and weighing 140 to 150 pounds. He was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt pulled up over his head, a dark colored ski mask, dark gloves, dark baggy pants and black shoes with white soles and white shoelaces.

When these incidents occur, Trice said, officers start the investigation with a “comprehensive forensics evaluation of the scene, a detailed interview of the victim tellers and any witnesses at the scene.”

“It’s always a combination of things that solve crimes — it’s never just one thing.”

He also said they share information with other law enforcement agencies “to see if they have similarities.”

A key to solving these cases, he added, is communication. “Our citizens are a big part of that and our local media partners too. I don’t think we could do it as efficiently as we do without them and I think everybody here recognizes that.”

“The Sheriff’s Office puts a lot of effort and considerable resources into ensuring bank robberies don’t happen,” Trice said. “The high visibility of our officers in our commercial corridors are in there in part to deter a potential criminal activity and to increase the probability of an apprehension should a crime occur.”

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Anyone with any information concerning these robberies is asked to call the Hanover County Sheriff’s Office at 365-6140 or Crime Stoppers at 780-1000.

Walcker