Verona PD, 911 thank dispatchers, law enforcement for bank robbery arrest
Feb. 27—SALTILLO — Because of a very observant bank employee, a calm 911 dispatcher and law enforcement coming together, it took less than 20 minutes to arrest the suspect of a Verona bank robbery.
On Dec. 30, Antonia Cannon of Shannon reportedly walked into the Renasant Bank branch in Verona about 15 minutes before closing, produced a gun and demanded money.
Employees gave him $4,700, and he drove away.
Bank employee Susan Jennings called 911 at 4:45 p.m. and relayed a host of information, including a description of the suspect and what he was wearing — a blue hoodie with a plaid blue and white shirt. Jennings said the suspect was carrying a black semiautomatic pistol, possibly a 9mm, and that he left in a red Cadillac. She was even able to give them the license plate number.
"She was amazing. She got the tag number. I could hear her yell it out for someone to write it down," said 911 dispatcher and shift supervisor Christina Smith. "Nobody wrote it down, but when they asked her again, she was able to remember it. She paid attention and got the information. I was impressed. She deserves a raise."
Dispatchers quickly relayed the information to all the law enforcement agencies in the area, and they were asked to be on the lookout for the suspect.
Natchez Trace Parkway ranger Dylan Romine heard the call, guessed that the suspect might avoid the main roads and spotted Cannon's car on the Trace near Palmetto Road at 4:53 p.m. He turned around and began following.
"A lot of places around the country, a ranger's backup (from other law enforcement) might be 20-30 minutes away," Romine said, adding that he didn't want to immediately alert the suspect to his presence. "That's why I followed him and didn't light him up right away."
The ranger followed the suspect as he turned onto West Main Street and then headed south on Thomas Street, passing along exactly where they cross streets to the 911 dispatcher and to the Verona and Tupelo police departments. By the time the suspect turned east onto Bryan Drive, Tupelo PD patrol cars had closed in and stopped him after a couple of blocks.
Police took Cannon into custody at 5:01 p.m.
"The information given at the bank was the game-changer," Romine said. "We found the clothes he tossed out of the car. We found the gun he threw out. They matched the descriptions from the bank exactly and that will be big when it goes to court."
Lee County 911 and the Verona PD on Friday honored Smith and her shift staff — including Andrea Senter and Sarah McCoy — for keeping the caller calm while quickly getting the information out to the various law enforcement agencies.
"We want to thank you for all you do. You are one of the reasons we make it home safe every night," said Verona Assistant Chief Renika Franks.
Lee County 911 assistant director Jason Nichols said Smith's demeanor kept the caller from getting too excited and allowed her to relay the host of information she had.
"When you have to call 911, you expect a calming voice on the other end of the phone," Nichols said. "Christina was calm and collected, and was able to get the information we needed from the caller. Everything worked like it is supposed to."