Edward Reinhold, special agent in charge for FBI Knoxville, asks for the public’s help catching two suspects involved in two alleged kidnapping and extortion plots at banks in Oak Ridge and Knoxville. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
KNOXVILLE—The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public’s help in catching the suspects involved in the kidnappings and extortions involving Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge and SmartBank in Knoxville. The FBI is also working with bank employees to ensure they know what to do in the future and to be aware of their surroundings.
On Wednesday, the FBI announced a reward of up to $20,000 for information leading to the identification and arrests of the suspects. They’ve released descriptions of two white male suspects.
“The only way we can prevent this from happening is to catch these guys,” said Edward Reinhold, special agent in charge at the FBI Knoxville. The FBI had a Thursday afternoon press conference at its Knoxville office on Dowell Springs Road.
Agents are asking members of the public who might know anything to step forward.
Reinhold said there are similarities between the two cases, and the descriptions of the robbers are similar.
The first alleged kidnapping and extortion occurred at about 8:15 a.m. on April 28. The FBI said a Y-12 Federal Credit Union employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence and held hostage at gunpoint.
While the family was held hostage, the employee was coerced to attempt to remove money from the Y-12 Federal Credit Union at 501 Lafayette Drive in Oak Ridge.
After the robbery, the employee’s family members were released unharmed at the Gettysvue Country Club parking lot in Knoxville. The suspects fled and remain at large.
On Tuesday, July 7, 2015, at approximately 8 a.m., a SmartBank employee and his family were kidnapped from their residence and held hostage at gunpoint. The employee and his family were taken to the SmartBank, located at 202 Advantage Place in Knoxville.
While at the bank, the employee was coerced to remove an undisclosed amount of money, which was provided to the robbers.
The employee was then left at the bank and his family was released unharmed a short time later at the end of Pipkin Lane in West Knox County. The suspects fled and remain at large.
Reinhold said the suspects operated differently during the first alleged crime, and their planning progressed with the second.
The suspects are described as:
Male Subject A
- White
- Late 20s to mid 30s
- Possibly salt/pepper hair
- Tattoo on neck with orange ink
- 5’11†to 6’3″
- 160 pounds
- Lean build
- Black clothing
- Black face mask
- Dark baseball hat
- Dark sunglasses
Male Subject B
- White
- Possibly mid-30s
- Shaved head
- 5’10†to 6′
- 200 to 220 pounds
- Stocky build
- Black face mask
- Dark baseball hat
- Dark pants and shirt
- Dark sunglasses
Reinhold said he can’t comment on a third potential suspect.
The cases are being investigated by the FBI, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, and the Knoxville Police Department as part of the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, as well as the KPD Violent Crimes Unit, the KCSO Major Crimes Unit, and the Oak Ridge Police Department.
Anyone with information that may lead to the identification and/or location of the above subjects should contact the Knoxville FBI Office at (865) 544-0751.
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Oak Ridge Police Department officers were at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge on Tuesday morning (April 28, 2015). The branch will remain closed Wednesday, although the credit union’s headquarters will be open. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
FBI Knoxville on Dowell Springs Road is pictured above. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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