PORTLAND — A woman suspected in a bank robbery Saturday was arrested Sunday following a standoff in which police negotiated with her for six hours to surrender and turn over her 5-month-old son to police.
Jill Polley, 34, of Portland was arrested on Class B robbery charges stemming from the robbery at the Norway Savings Bank on Congress Street. Police say additional charges are likely.
Additional Photos
The robbery occurred around 10:30 a.m., police said, when a woman demanded money from a teller and indicated she had a gun. She left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and was seen leaving the parking lot in a blue compact car.
Police went to 1808 Forest Ave. at 8 a.m. Sunday after receiving tips that a woman pictured on bank surveillance footage was living there.
Police Chief James Craig said officers talked to Polley several times by cell phone during the standoff, describing it as “a pretty significant situation.”
Police said Polley had threatened to harm herself but not the baby.
Polley surrendered her son to police around 2 p.m. and he was checked in an ambulance before being released to family members at the scene.
Police were able to enter the apartment early in the afternoon to talk directly with Polley and to take custody of the baby.
Some who were in a crowd of people who had gathered to watch the standoff were clearly moved when Officer Eric Nevins carried the boy across Forest Avenue away from the building. Shortly after, the woman surrendered and was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Abdul Azimi, owner of the building, said Polley moved into the basement unit of the building in February.
“Nothing like this has ever happened here,” Azimi said during the standoff. “It’s a good neighborhood.”
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at: mcreamer@pressherald.com
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.