The Chesterton branch of 1st Source Bank was robbed on Friday morning by a man claiming to be in possession of a gun, Chesterton Police said.

According to police, at 10:07 a.m. a man with his face covered by a scarf entered the bank at 800 Indian Boundary Road, approached a teller, informed her that he wanted to cash a check, then passed her a note reading “I have a gun, empty your drawers.”

The teller gave the man an undetermined amount of cash, which he placed in a white plastic grocery bag.

The man then exited the bank, made his way on foot to the parking lot of the Tiny Bubbles car wash at 451 Roberts Road, entered a brown or tan Cadillac, and left the lot eastbound on Ahrens Drive. He was last seen on Sand Creek Drive North, police said.

There were five 1st Source employees in the bank at the time and one customer, police said. No one actually observed a gun in the suspect’s possession and no one was injured.

The CPD received an alarm at 10:09 a.m., the first officer was on the scene at 10:13 a.m., and the area was quickly flooded with police, but the suspect was not located.

Police described the suspect as a white male, probably in his thirties, around 5’ 8’’ in height with a thin build and blond hair. In addition to the scarf around his face, he was wearing a light-colored stocking cap and a brown coat.

The Chesterton branch of 1st Source Bank occupies the former site of the Porter County Visitors Center at the southeast corner of the intersection of Indian Boundary and Roberts roads.

Agents with the FBI and an officer with the Gary Police Department’s GRIT Team also responded to the scene and are assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information about the robbery is urged to contact Det. Lt. Dave Adkins at 926-1136.

Posted 1/28/2008