MEMPHIS, Tenn.—The 64-year-old manager of an FAA CU office here—kidnapped Monday during the robbery of her branch, followed procedures that minimized the CU’s financial loss from the crime, said CEO Todd Vanderpool.
However, the events from Monday morning have placed the manager in the hospital from “complications” from the traumatic event.
“I think everything that has happened to our manager (resulting from the trauma of the robbery) is addressable and I anticipate she will be OK,” said Vanderpool, not disclosing the employee’s name. “But there are always potential physical and psychological ramifications from going through an ordeal like this.”
Monday, around 7 a.m., the 8082 Rockcreek Cove office was robbed after two men kidnapped the manager at her home and forced to her travel to the credit union to obtain funds. According to the Memphis Police Department, the victim was forced to drive her car to the credit union and then let the two men into the branch. There the two men robbed the CU and fled with an undisclosed amount of money in a bag, scattering cash outside the CU when a dye pack exploded in the money sack.
“This was an abduction, a home invasion . . .,” said Vanderpool. “When you think about it, one of the most important things in life is your security in your home, and that, for our manager, has been violated. The crooks used her car, which is now violated. And the place where she worked for 34 years has been violated. You can sense the terror and grief she must have felt—it is just palpable.”
Training Paid Off
Vanderpool said the manager followed her robbery training well.
“Following appropriate procedures, such as dual controls, kept this from being a more significant loss on the financial side,” said Vanderpool, not disclosing the amount of money that was stolen. “This is a case where our manager did so many things right. We have had robbery training in the past, and she said much of that kicked in as she was going through this trauma. I am not so sure the training would have kicked in as well for me had this happened to me—under that kind of duress it can be hard for your brain to work well.”
Not only did the event show the manager’s mettle, said Vanderpool, it demonstrated even more to the new CU CEO what credit unions are all about.
“I am a 36-year banker, and two years now with credit unions,” said Vanderpool. “But the sense of family and community that has been shown here following the robbery is unprecedented. The credit union family, which includes employees, members and their churches are lifting up FAA, and our manager, during this time.”
Third CU Kidnapping
Monday’s incident marks the third time in the last four months that credit union employees have allegedly been kidnapped in their own homes as part a robbery attempt. Unlike previous attempts this year, this time police say the robbers did get the money.
As CUToday.info reported earlier, in late February, Matthew Yussman, CFO at Achieve Financial Credit Union in New Britain, Conn., was allegedly confronted at his home by two robbers who held him and his mother hostage overnight, then attached what he was told was a bomb vest to his chest and told him to drive to the credit union and retrieve cash in what ultimately was an unsuccessful robbery attempt. Three men are being sought in the case. Details on that story can be found here.
Two months later, Mark Ziegler CEO at Oak Ridge, Tenn.-based Y-12 CU, was kidnapped. Authorities reported that Ziegler and his family were held hostage in their home as part of an alleged attempted robbery and extortion plot engineered by two men and a woman. The crooks were not successful in getting money from Y-12. Details on that story can be found here.
In the FAA robbery, the two suspects are still at large.