Woman allegedly steals over $2K from Oxford bank, police say

OXFORD, Miss. — A bold bank robbery took place on one of the busiest streets in Oxford Mississippi.

What’s even stranger than the crime though is the person who police say committed it, a 60-year-old woman.

Karen Sue Bell entered the Regions bank, presented the clerk with a note and acted like she had a weapon, according to Oxford Police.

Bell is now behind bars, charged with Armed Robbery, and has a $25,000 bond. Police said she was unarmed but led the clerk to believe she had a weapon on her at the time.

The Regions Bank on University Avenue in Oxford sits on one of the town’s busiest stretches of roadway with tons of traffic on University Avenue and in the shopping area where the bank sits.

”So much traffic, how did she think she was going to get away with all the traffic up and down the street and the police all the time? I just don’t understand it,” Alice Ruffin of Oxford said.

Investigators said Bell told them she committed the robbery because she was having financial problems, car trouble, and she couldn’t pay her rent. According to public records, Bell lived 30 minutes away in Water Valley.

Neighbors, who didn’t want to go on camera, described her as quiet. Bell was caught not soon after the robbery in neighboring Yalobusha County as police put out a description of her and her car.

”It’s hard to get a quick escape plus here in Oxford everyone is nosy so I don’t see someone committing a crime and getting away with anything.” Miram Abadi of Oxford said.

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