While the men accused in three bank robberies in western Schuylkill County are due in district court today, au-thorities say the rural locations of the banks wasn't necessarily the reason they were targeted.
Although rural sites appeal to would-be bank robbers, police think familiarity with the area played a bigger role in the Harrisburg men's choice of targets.
"We're in no danger of being at a higher risk of robberies because we're in a rural area," said Sgt. Matthew Nickey, head of the state police station at Schuylkill Haven.
Although the circumstances surrounding the Tremont and Tower City robberies are unusual, "It stands out but because we're rural doesn't mean we're more at risk," he said.
Nevertheless, Sgt. Barry Whitmoyer, commander of the state police station at Frackville, said people who decide to rob a bank often pick a branch in less populated areas with minimal traffic and near major highways.
In the cases involving Tremont and Tower City, both communities have only part-time police departments.
Juan R. Cooke III, 32, of 504 Graham St., Harrisburg, and Darrell D. Dixon, 28, of 424 Harris St., Harrisburg, are charged with robbing Miners Bank, Tremont, on Aug. 23, while Kevin Smith, 28, of 628 Curtain St., also in Harrisburg, was charged with robbing the same bank June 6.
Later that month, on June 29, police said Smith robbed Halifax Bank on East Wiconisco Avenue in neighboring Tower City.
All three men are scheduled to appear for preliminary hearings this morning before Magisterial District Judge Carol A. Pankake, Tremont, for their roles in each of the heists.
Authorities said the three banks were robbed by a group of men who knew each other and were somewhat familiar with the area and getaway routes.
In the Aug. 23 robbery, state police Trooper John Sleboda said Cooke walked into the Tremont bank at 29 E. Main St., threatened three tellers inside and then fled with $18,222.32.
Both he and Dixon fled the area but later crashed their vehicle on Interstate 81 in Lebanon County while fleeing a state police trooper who was able to get a description of their vehicle.
The investigation into that robbery led to Smith being identified as the person responsible for the other two heists.
Whitmoyer said the state police Major Case Team believed the heists were connected.
"We felt it was a group that was doing this," he said. "There wasn't 30 outlaws out there robbing banks."
In spite of what bank robbers may think, rural areas are not necessarily easy targets. Due to today's technology and increased security systems, it doesn't matter if a bank is in a city's downtown or in a rural area.
Whitmoyer said robbers are caught on security cameras and any money handed over by employees usually is tainted with exploding dye packs or GPS tracking devices.
Such a GPS device was used to track down an Orwigsburg man who robbed a bank last week in Muhlenberg Township, Berks County.
Township police said Brent Lauer, 48, entered the bank at 4435 Pottsville Pike on Sept. 6 and handed a note to a teller demanding the money in the cash drawer.
The teller handed Lauer more than $2,300, which contained a tracking device.
That tracking device, along with help from bank employees and security images, helped police track the man down and stop him while he was driving south on Route 61 near the City of Reading.