Westover police are still investigating a bank robbery; city ​​receives first sales tax check

Westover Deputy Police Chief Scott Carl said the WPD has expanded efforts to identify the man who robbed the Commerce Drive WesBanco Bank location on Oct. 23.

Carl told Westover City Council members that sharing photos of the man and his vehicle on social media has not yet yielded any leads in the case.

‘So far we have not received any tips that lead us to believe that the suspect is from quite far out of town. We are still working. We are working with other states and are even trying to make his photo public to see if anyone can identify him,” he said.

According to Westover’s initial press release, a white man, approximately 40 to 50 years old, entered the bank around 1:30 PM on October 23 and handed a bank teller a threatening note demanding money.

Westover Police Chief Joe Adams said he believes the man got away with about $3,000 before driving away in what appears to be a blue Buick LeSabre.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Westover police at 304-296-6576.

In other Westover news, Public Works Director Jason Stinespring said the owner of the former Westover Elementary School building on Morrison Avenue has received a demolition notice.

Stinespring said the owner, Victor Solomon, has until Dec. 6 to provide a signed contract for the building’s demolition.

“Otherwise we will take the steps ourselves. We got all the paperwork done and ready. Inspections have been completed and the condemnation letter has been sent. Everything is ready,” he said.

This process officially began more than a year ago, in August 2023, when Stinespring and Code Enforcement Officer Bill Kennedy executed an administrative search warrant to verify the safety of the structure.

The warrant was issued due to the condition of the building’s exterior and the knowledge that the building had been vacant for at least 15 years.

Finally, City Clerk Sandie Weis said the city received its first sales tax check from the state.

The city’s 1% municipal sales tax was implemented through Home Rule and went into effect on July 1.

Weis said the first payout was $170,552.

“That’s not as high as we expected, but we found out that this is only for two months. The next time we get a check, it will be for the full three months,” she said during Monday’s council meeting. “You have to remember that payers also pay at different rates. Some file monthly, some quarterly, some annually, depending on the amount of taxes owed. So that’s quite exciting. At your request, we have opened a special account for it.”