Rosann Madenford is certain who robbed Miners Bank in Tremont, where she worked as a teller, on June 6, 2012, and she made that identification decisively Monday in Schuylkill County Court.
"There's no doubt. It's something I'll never forget," Madenford testified on the first day of the trial of Kevin E. Smith, 29, of Harrisburg, who is charged with that robbery and one on June 29, 2012, at Halifax National Bank in Tower City.
"Is that person in the courtroom?" First Assistant District Attorney Thomas J. Campion Jr. asked Madenford.
"This person right there, Kevin," Madenford answered, pointing at the defendant, who did not visibly react.
Madenford was one of several Miners and Halifax National employees who identified Smith as the robber, as their testimony highlighted the first day of Smith's trial, which is scheduled to resume at 9:30 a.m. today before a jury and Judge Cyrus Palmer Dolbin.
State police at Schuylkill Haven have charged Smith with two counts each of robbery, theft and receiving stolen property and one of knowledge that property is proceeds of illegal act.
Police said Smith entered Miners Bank, 29 E. Main St., Tremont, about 11:30 a.m. and got away with $6,719.99.
They also alleged Smith walked into Halifax National Bank, 920 E. Wiconisco Ave., about 10:10 a.m. and took $13,414.21.
Smith, who is in prison in lieu of $300,000 straight cash bail pending the outcome of his trial, occasionally conferred with his lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Lora J. McDonald, while prosecution witnesses described the terror they felt during the robberies.
"I probably see that face every night," Candice Schade, Halifax National's branch manager, testified about how she was able to pick out Smith in a photo lineup Aug. 23 at the Schuylkill Haven state police station.
Schade said she came face-to-face with Smith after he entered the bank.
"I saw ... the girls looked upset," checked the monitor in her office, and saw a man more than 6 feet tall and dressed in a New York Yankees cap and dark clothing committing the robbery, Schade said.
"That gentleman" robbed the bank, Schade said while pointing at Smith.
Halifax National tellers Heather Klinger and Carol McSurdy and Miners employee Jessica Smith all identified the defendant as the robber, while Miners teller Susan Schaeffer testified she could not identify the perpetrator.
"This is the man that came in that day," Jessica Smith testified while examining a photo.
"Is the man ... in the courtroom today?" Campion asked her.
"Yes."
"Can you point him out?"
Jessica Smith unhesitatingly pointed at the defendant.
When cross-examining the witnesses, McDonald emphasized that each saw the robber for only a short time while they were under stress, that the man was wearing a hat and sunglasses and that the photo identifications were made in August. The witnesses also said when questioned that they did not work with a sketch artist to try to get a better picture of the suspect.
McDonald also questioned the employees closely about their eyesight, exactly how closely they saw the man and about discrepancies in how long each woman said the robberies took.
Also, state police Trooper Chad Smith, the prosecuting officer in the Tower City case, said nothing was found connecting Kevin Smith to either robbery when his residence was searched in August.