Would-be robber leaves empty-handed after mistaking water office for bank

By Greg Kocher - gkocher1@herald-leader.com

NICHOLASVILLE — A would-be armed robber left empty-handed Tuesday after realizing that his intended target was no longer a bank but the office of a local water district.

About 1 p.m. Tuesday, a man entered the office of the Jessamine South Elkhorn Water District at 802 South Main Street — formerly a branch of Farmers Bank — showed a revolver and demanded money, Nicholasville police spokesman Scott Harvey said.

Harvey said an employee told the man, "We really don't have any money."

Harvey said the robber responded: "I know you have money. It's a bank."

But he was told, "No, sir, it's not a bank anymore."

"He looked around, realized it wasn't, and he left with nothing," Harvey said.

No one was hurt in the robbery attempt.

The water district has been in the former bank building since Dec. 15, said Diana Clark, office manager for the water district.

"We've had people come in here asking to cash a check," Clark said. The bank vacated the building on the corner of South Main Street and East Edgewood Drive about four months ago, she said.

Harvey said the district takes payments for water bills, "but they really don't have anything worth stealing," he said.

Witnesses told police that the would-be robber was a heavyset black man in his mid-30s and was wearing a black parka with a hood lined with brown fur. Police were looking for a van that might have been involved.

Nicholasville police said anyone with information about the attempted robbery should call (859) 885-9467.