It reads like one of those too strange to be real stories that we used to watch on television. But it happened Monday in nearby Smith County, Kansas.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Smith County Sheriff's Office arrested a woman thought to be connected to a bank robbery in Kensington, Kansas.
About 10:15 Monday morning, a woman robbed the Farmers National Bank at 133 S. Main St. in Kensington, Kansas.
The Smith County Sheriff's Office responded to the location and found Jennie R. Aanenson, 51, of Agra, Kansas, outside of the bank. Aanenson was detained.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was asked to assist.
When questioned, Aanenson reported she was forced by two men to rob the bank while armed with a bomb that was in her bag. She also claimed her infant daughter was abducted by the men who left the area while she was inside the bank.
The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) and the Smith County Sheriff's Office immediately began searching for the reported vehicles. Also assisting in the case were the Phillips County Sheriff's Office and the Osborne County Sheriff's Office.
KBI agents arrived to assist and concluded that no child was abducted, and that Aanenson does not have an infant daughter. KHP's Hazardous Devices Unit responded to the bank, and determined that the device was not a bomb.
Monday evening, Aanenson was arrested for suspected aggravated robbery with a dangerous weapon, aggravated criminal threat, and two counts of interference with law enforcement. She was booked into the Smith County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is expected to join the case so that federal charges can be considered.
Hopefully, as the investigation unfolds we will learn why the woman remained in the area outside the bank . Did her "get-a-way" plan go amuck or did she not have such a plan?
The Smith County bank robbery is only the latest in a string of robberies which began in February of 2021 at Burr Oak. On May 20th a suspect entered the Cornerstone Bank at York wearing gray sweatpants, a black long-sleeved shirt and a COVID-19 mask and left the bank with a sum of money. Authorities are also looking for a woman who is thought to have been involved with the robbery.
About 1 p.m. Friday the Heartland Bank in Geneva was robbed.
A masked white man thought to be 6’4” to 6’6” with short, dark hair and and of slim build entered the bank and handed a teller a note demanding money. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt and blue jeans.
After being handed an amount of money, he left the bank and headed north on Ninth Street.
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