SIDNEY, Ill. (Chambana Today) — On Monday, November 24, at around 1:45 p.m., the Champaign County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a hold-up alarm at Longview Bank, located in the 400 block of West Main Street in Sidney.
Bank employees reported they had been robbed by a male subject wearing a mask, who passed a note demanding money and stating no one would be harmed if they complied. The suspect then exited the bank with a large sum of United States Currency and fled in a vehicle.
The ensuing investigation yielded a description of the vehicle, which was later located in the 2600 block of West Springfield Avenue in Champaign. With assistance from the Champaign Police Department, deputies attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The vehicle then fled, leading deputies on a short pursuit that ended when the vehicle crashed near the intersection of John Street and Goldenview in Champaign after making contact with a Champaign County patrol vehicle. The suspect vehicle then struck a nearby residence, and Caleb Estabrook, a 32-year-old male from Champaign, was taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle yielded evidence of the robbery, including clothing and the recovered currency. A female passenger in the vehicle was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation, with no obvious injuries. The deputy who was in the patrol vehicle was also transported to the hospital for evaluation, as was a juvenile who was inside the residence. Only minor injuries were reported.
Estabrook is being charged with Aggravated Fleeing & Eluding and Robbery.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Division at 217-384-1213. Even the smallest detail could help move this case forward. Crime Stoppers will pay cash rewards of $5,000 for tips that lead to an arrest in any homicide case, $2,500 for tips leading to an arrest in a felony crime involving a firearm, and up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of the person(s) responsible for any other crime.