MIDDLETON -- Detectives with the Canyon County Sheriff's Dept. are searching for a burglar who broke into the Pioneer Federal Credit Union in Middleton early Wednesday morning but failed to find any cash.
On Thursday, authorities released a photo of the burglar caught on security camera. They say the man is 5'10" to 6' tall, and appears to be wearing a dark mask, gloves, jeans, a blue or black coat with an emblem on the left chest, and dark shoes or boots.
The burglary happened just after midnight on Wednesday at the credit union's location on South Middleton Road.
That's when a man dressed entirely in black -- including a black ski mask and black gloves -- broke the lower section of a glass door in the bank's entryway.
Detectives say the man then crawled through the door and broke another door leading to the bank's lobby to gain entrance.
However, according to Pioneer Federal Credit Union President and CEO Curt Perry, the bungling burglar couldn't find anything to steal once inside.
"They were trying to get lucky and find some cash laying around, but that doesn't happen in a financial institution," Perry told KTVB.
Perry estimates the suspect was in the bank for less than five minutes before police arrived on scene -- and that he barely escaped without being arrested.
That's because the bank's motion detector had tripped a silent alarm at the time of the break-in.
Detective Jim Bish with the Canyon County Sheriff's Dept. says the burglar only caused minor damages as he rifled through several offices.
"He didn't have time to get into the safe. He didn't have time to do anything," Bish said.
Bish says his department is now reviewing security video footage of the burglar's short and unsuccessful escapade. He describes the man as dressed in all-black, approximately 5'10" to 6' tall, and "chunky."
On Wednesday, the Middleton Branch of the Pioneer Federal Credit Union remained closed as bank employees repaired the damages and cleaned up the mess inside. The credit union will be open as scheduled on Thursday.
Perry says he's thankful the incident happened late at night when no customers or employees were present.
"Anytime something like that happens, it can shake you up whether you're in the branch or not," Perry said.
Canyon County Sheriff's detectives encourage anyone who has information about the burglary to contact them at 208-454-7531.
