Crime & Safety

Police Identify Bank Robbery Suspect as Former Newtown Resident

Newtown Savings Bank was robbed by man who passed a note threatening violence and who is wanted on a separate arrest warrant.

The Newtown Savings Bank was robbed by a man who passed a note threatening violence with a gun, police said.

The suspect was identified as , police said. Parsons also is wanted on a string of burglary charges, police said.

He took an undisclosed amount of money, police said.

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All public schools went into lockdown today following the Main Street robbery, officials said.

While Superintendent of Schools had initially ordered a lockdown of Newtown Middle, Hawley and Reed Intermediate schools because they were all on major roads leading to Interstate 84, she eventually decided to extend it to all the schools in the district, she said.

Find out what's happening in Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The lockdown was lifted at about 1 p.m., Robinson said.

"I'm just trying to be extra careful," she said, adding that today was the last day of classes and many students had gathered outside the schools.

If there was an armed robber on the loose, she did not want to take any chance and expose the students to danger by leaving them outside, Robinson said. As part of their lockdown procedures, teachers and adminstrators brought the students inside for about an hour.

The only school not affected was Newtown High School, which ended classes late last week and has a graduation ceremony scheduled at The O'Neill Center in Danbury this evening. Robinson said police wouldn't tell her more than that there had been an attempted armed robbery at the bank.

By 2 p.m., police appeared to have completely cleared from the scene, though the bank remained temporarily closed to business.

Editor's note: Check back later for more information on this developing story.


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