Overland Park bank robbery has ties to Arkansas heist

Overland Park police sought a man who robbed Valley View Bank at 8100 W. 151st St. on Thursday. Police linked the case to a previous heist in Arkansas.

Bank employees told police that a man with a handgun demanded money from a bank teller just before 5 p.m. The teller complied and the robber left. No injuries were reported.

Officers arriving at the bank saw a suspect leave the area in a pickup truck. Police tried unsuccessfully to stop the truck and lost sight of it near West 135th Street and U.S. 69.

The robber was described as a white man in his 50s between 5 feet 9 and 6 feet with an average build. The man wore a cowboy-style straw hat and a dark coat, police said.

The suspect vehicle was a new-looking silver Ford F-150 pickup truck with an Arkansas license plate. The tag number on the car matched a vehicle stolen during a robbery in Arkansas.

Overland Park police said the investigation continued and the FBI was notified of the robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI at 816-512-8100 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

Ian Cummings, icummings@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 27, 2015 at 8:11 PM with the headline "Overland Park bank robbery has ties to Arkansas heist."