Troy Police stopped a would-be bank robber in his tracks.

The saga started with a bomb threat at F&P America on  Corporate Drive on January 29.Several officers stayed in other ends of town in case it was an attempt to draw officers to one end of town so someone could do something on an other end of town. Officers spoke with employees of several banks in other parts of town alerting them to the possibility of a robbery.

Soon afterward, there was a 911 call reporting a robbery at Wright-Patt Credit Union. Officers who arrived saw nothing wrong. People were coming and going as normal. An officer was then sent to Abbey Credit Union on Wayne St. On his way, he stopped at two banks alerting them to the two false alarms on the west end of town.

Arriving at Abbey, the officer went inside and advised the manager that there were two false alarms on the west end of town, and that police believed that this was an attempt to get officers away from the east end. As the officer left Abbey, he saw an older red Chevy pickup truck that he had seen earlier around the Credit Union. It was parked in a parking lot across from the Credit Union. He moved his cruiser to an area where it could not be seen by the driver of the truck. The truck then headed toward the Credit Union, but turned on Crescent Dr. The officer had requested a plainclothes vehicle, but none were available. Another officer asked why he was looking for help and he explained the situation. The officer finally initiated a traffic stop on the truck on Drury Lane at Pennsylvania Ave. The driver, David Winter, 33 of 432 Lincoln Ave., only had an Ohio ID card. He said he was looking for a girl named Ashley who he had just met and had called and needed a ride. Winter had slurred speech, his eyes were red his pupils were restricted and his head movements were slow. The officer could also detect a moderate odor of alcohol coming from Winter.

A second officer had arrived, and asked Winter what he had in his lap. He gave the officer two pieces of a pill. Winter was ordered out of the vehicle, and officers saw a gun on the seat. Winter yelled "It's not real and I have not hurt anyone." Winter was cuffed and placed in a cruiser. The weapon was a Ruger semi-automatic "airsoft" hand gun, a toy replica that had been altered by covering the orange tip with either spray paint or a magic marker. Also in the truck officers found a cell phone with the battery removed. This is a common practice to prevent the phone from being tracked.

The officer notified his Captain that he probably had the suspect in the false alarms and requested a search warrant. The Captain and a member of the Prosecutor's office soon arrived, and the decision was made to get a search warrant and tow the vehicle to the Police lot. The officer called for a tow truck and the Captain read Winter his Miranda rights. Winter requested an attorney and would not talk.

At the Miami County Jail, Winter was asked for a urine sample but refused. He said he would rather have a year's license suspension than go to rehab for drug problems. He was cited for OVI, possession of a dangerous drug and no operator's license.

At 5:30 p.m., Winters' truck was searched. A note was found on the driver's side floorboard that read "Stack the cash on the counter or people will be shot. You first. I'm serious, Thanks." Another cell phone with the battery removed was found. Batteries were replaced in both cell phones and dispatch was called from them. The numbers matched the numbers calling in the false reports.

A black fabric cape tied into a knot, possibly to be used as a mask, was found. Officers also found two pair of gloves and a backpack with a change of clothes.
Detectives then went to 432 Lincoln Ave. to talk to Winter's wife, the registered owner of the vehicle. His wife said that her husband's boss was at the home inquiring where Winter was. She was advised that he was arrested for OVI. She started "freaking out" because she said he had been acting very strange for about a month. She was advised to come to the Police station to talk.

In the interview room, she said that she and Winter had not been getting along for several weeks. She said that today they had been arguing about being one month late on their rent and needed money for medicine. She submitted a handwriting sample, and her handwriting was not the same as the writing on the note found in the truck. She was shown the note and said "Oh my God, that's his handwriting. He writes like a girl."

Winter's wife said that he had talked about robbing a bank about a year ago, but was just kidding. She said that he needed the truck today to go to the drive-thru. She then fell asleep with her ill son and was awakened by Winter's boss knocking on the door asking his whereabouts. She said that Winter owns two cell phones, but didn't think either was operational. She was asked if she could provide a sample of Winter's handwriting, and she said that she had samples at home.

Her truck was released to her and officers followed her to her home. She produced tax papers and a Bible that Winter had given to her son. The Bible had an inscription that Winter had written. They were taken as evidence.

In light of all of the evidence, David Winter was charged with Attempted Aggravated Robbery, Inducing Panic and making false alarms.