ALMOST JULY

When I worked at the Runnels County Sheriff's Office last year, I ran across a file about an attempted bank robbery in Wingate, Texas of all places! I thought it was too wild to be a real case, but when I asked about it, no one who was in the Department at that time wanted to discuss it. When I researched the story on Google, I discovered why they didn't want to talk about it! Can you imagine NOT catching a guy in a CLOWN SUIT?? In Runnels County?? (They recovered the suit and a pair of cowboy boots he discarded.) Talk about red faces! Anyway, the following is an account of this clumsy attempt written up in the Abilene paper:

From the Abilene Reporter News, August 8, 2007

An interview with FBI Senior Resident Agent Gary Macnoll:

“Of all the bank robberies Macnoll has investigated over the years, only two remain unsolved. The most recent was the May 2004 robbery of American State Bank near Abilene Regional Medical Center.

The other one was a doozy. In fact, authorities aren't really sure it was an attempted bank robbery. Whatever it was, part of it occurred in Security State Bank in Wingate, a small community in northwestern Runnels County.

About 1 p.m. on Aug. 14, 1996, a man wearing a clown outfit walked into the bank and said he was there to deliver a singing telegram, Dallas FBI Special Agent Marjorie Poche said at the time.

He was asked to leave, which he did -- with no money taken from the bank. From there, the "clown" walked to the county barn, where he encountered Postmaster Garry Goff. The man, toting a chrome revolver, took Goff hostage in the postmaster's 1989 white pickup.

Goff later was released unharmed and authorities found the abandoned pickup nearby. Runnels County law enforcement officers quickly set up road blocks. The Abilene office of the FBI was alerted, and Macnoll rushed to the scene.

Before the manhunt was over three days later, the area was searched by helicopter, on foot, and by area prison guards on horseback.

The 'clown bandit' was seen by numerous people, who described him to authorities. He eventually shed his clown suit, which was recovered by officers. But somehow he still got away with it.

‘We don't know what happened to him,' Macnoll said.”

The Runnels County Sheriff's Department doesn't know either. Wow! Fingers in the evidence room and a bank robber in a clown costume -- who says life in a small town is dull?
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Some news on our favorite "patients":

From JAMES HAYS: "I'm doing OK, back to work 6 weeks ago. Got another part time job, too. I'm the Brown County Health Authority now, but they didn't give me a badge and a gun with one bullet. Only 3 and 1/2 months 'til I can start getting my pilot's medical certificate back."

JERRY DAVIS just finished his first week of radiation (I thought it was his second week!). He and I played telephone tag today, and we both left voice mails. He said he is feeling fine, and wants to thank EVERYONE for all the cards, phone calls, good wishes, and prayers.

IRENE (PIEL) BATTS has major surgery on her jaw scheduled in San Antonio on July 23rd. I will try to get the name and address of the hospital, as she is going to be there for two weeks.

We had two out of three correct guesses on the houses last week. JUNE (HASH) CURRY correctly guessed that House #2 was her home during high school, and JAMES HAYS guessed that House #3 was his home until 1955. (Read Comments for the last blog entry.) That only leaves one house. Who lived in House #1 (on the last blog post) during their Freshman year in high school??

Here are a couple more for your guesses. Did YOU live here? These were also during our Freshman year. (A hint -- one was a girl and one was a guy.) I realize a lot of years have gone by and some of the houses don't look quite the same. "Use your imagination", as my granddaughter Audrey used to say when she was two years old and stirring a can of rocks.. She told her playmate she was stirring "beans".

NANCY (THOMPSON) BAKER and hubby Jake just returned from three days spent with their son Rodger and his wife Tammy at Fredericksburg. Rodger has spent tours in Iraq and Bahrain the past three years. They are preparing to move to Spain for a three-year tour of duty, and might not be able to fly home until that tour is up. Rodger flew home on emergency leave to see Jake when he had heart surgery last summer. That was for only one night, and since Jake was in ICU, he doesn't remember the visit at all. Nancy said they really enjoyed their visit with them.

I hope everyone is having fun this summer and taking some great vacation photos for me. Some of you will be getting some pictures taken at the reunion in the mail shortly. Irene wanted to send those before we got too old to remember them!

Let me hear about the "good stuff" happening in your life.

'Til next time,
Marilyn