UNITY — A man robbed the Down East Credit Union at 58 School St. on Friday afternoon, escaping with an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

Even as Maine State Police and Waldo County Sheriff’s Department officers scoured the area, guns drawn and using tracking dogs, the robber had not been found by Friday evening. Police said the FBI also had been contacted.

No one was injured during the robbery, and it was unclear Friday whether a weapon was involved, although the incident was initially reported as an armed robbery.

Scott Story, the Waldo County sheriff, said the robbery happened about 2:30 p.m. when a man handed a teller a black bag. The man then fled on foot, reportedly toward Unity Raceway, down Route 139. Information provided by police did not make it clear whether the money the robber took was in the bag.

The robber was described as a thin white man in his 20s between 5-feet-6 and 5-feet-8, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt with the word “Montana” and possibly the number “89.” He was also wearing blue jeans, tennis shoes, sunglasses and possibly gloves, according to an all-points bulletin issued by the sheriff’s office.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, a police dispatcher for the sheriff’s office said officers still were scouring the area and had not found the robber. Officers on scene had their guns out and were searching the woods directly behind the credit union, which is adjacent to Unity Elementary School.

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The credit union was closed after the robbery and it was cordoned off with yellow police tape. Police investigators could be seen coming in and out of the building.

Kaj Johansen, regional vice president of the credit union, declined to comment on the incident.

The Maine Computer Crimes Task Force is participating in the investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.

The robbery was at least the fifth to occur at a central Maine business this year.

The others include a Jan. 20 robbery at Kennebec Market in Augusta, one on Feb. 21 at a beverage container redemption center in Gardiner, one on April 14 at an off-track betting parlor in Waterville, and one on May 5 at a Big Apple store in Madison.

Samuel Sanchez, 35, of Augusta pleaded guilty to robbery and theft in the Augusta incident and was sent to prison for two years.


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