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Seymour Man Arrested For Bank Robbery

Last updated on Saturday, May 12, 2012

(SEYMOUR) - A 60-year-old Floyd County parolee’s alleged crime spree, which included a bank robbery and a sexual assault, ended with his capture on Thursday morning on Seymour’s east side.

Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott said it all began when Ralph T. Freeman, who was living at Motel 6 at 356 Tanger Blvd., cut off his ankle bracelet and left the motel.

"A (man later identified as Freeman) then walked into the Dupont State Bank and asked for money," Abbott said. The bank is located at 1725 E. Tipton St.

Detective Greg O'Brien said Thursday afternoon that the man did not display a weapon, but put his hand under his shirt implying he had a weapon.

The man then went to a temporary employee agency in the 1800 block of East Tipton Street and committed sexual battery on a female employee, Abbott said.

Abbott said he did not think the woman was physically hurt, but she was taken to Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.

After that assault, the man went to Jackson County Learning Center at 323 Dupont Drive, where he attempted to hide from police, Abbott said.

Freeman, however, was located by Sgt. Ryan Huddleston and officers Billy Smith and Gilbert Carpenter.

Abbott said the series of events occurred within 20 minutes. The bank robbery was reported at 8: 35 a. m. and the man was able to leave with an undis¬closed amount of cash. The money was recovered, O'Brien said.

He was then taken to Jackson County Jail in Brownstown. He faces charges of robbery, criminal confinement and sexual battery.

According to the Indiana Offender Data Base, Freeman received a six-year sentence on a sexual battery conviction March 24, 2010, in Floyd County. Freeman was paroled April 30, 2012.

Freeman was assigned to the Bloomington Parole Division.

The robbery was the second this week of a Seymour bank.

On Monday, a PNC Bank branch at 1551 E. Tipton St. was robbed of an undisclosed amount of cash.

Part of that money was recovered when an Austin woman and a Lexington man were arrested in Scott County early Tuesday morning.

Brittany Engle, 21, and Franklin D. Skirvin III, 23, remained in jail at Brownstown on Thursday.

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