Holly Hines

hhines2@press-citizen.com

Iowa City police are continuing to investigate a robbery Thursday at a credit union.

Officials at the Joint Emergency Communications Center received a call at 9:43 a.m. reporting a robbery at a branch of University of Iowa Community Credit Union, 2525 Muscatine Ave., according to an Iowa City Police Department news release.

According to the release, the caller stated that an individual entered the bank carrying a bag, demanded money and then fled with an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect is a male of unknown race, about 5-foot-7 to 6-feet tall, 160 to 200 pounds, dressed in black and wearing a white mask.

The suspect did not display a weapon and no injuries were reported, according to the release.

A representative at UICCU declined to comment. A sign on the door of the credit union read, "Our office is temporarily closed due to a robbery."

Haley Welsh, an eye care technician, said she was working at Eye Associates next door to the credit union when the robbery occurred.

Welsh said she was getting a patient inside near the front of the building when she saw a man wearing a black hoodie and what appeared to be a white mask walk by.

"What really caught me off guard and made me do a second look was that he had what looked like a white mask over his face," she said. "That's why I stopped and looked."

She said she paused to see if he would come into Eye Associates, but he walked past the building toward Muscatine Avenue.

Iowa City police put a lockdown in place at Lucas Elementary at 10:45 a.m. as a result of the robbery.

About 60 students, primarily from Twain Elementary, were participating in a summer program in the building with about five to 10 teachers, said Chace Ramey, the district's chief communications officer.

Ramey said the lockdown, which was lifted about an hour later, was a precautionary measure.

"There was never a direct threat to the school," he said.

A district release states that teachers resumed standard procedures at the school shortly after the lockdown ended.

Iowa City Area CrimeStoppers is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers at 358-TIPS (8477). All calls are held in strict confidence and anonymity is guaranteed.

Reach Holly Hines at hhines2@press-citizen.com or at 887-5414.