Troopers from the Michigan State Police have released a photo of the suspect in today's robbery of the Firstbank branch in Ashley.
A masked man, wearing a white and blue windbreaker, jumped over the counter and demanded that the tellers give him money. No weapon was used nor mentioned, said Michigan State Police Ithaca Post Commander Doug Wright.
The robber then ran out the back door and fled with an undetermined amount of cash about 10:15 a.m., he said. No getaway vehicle was seen.
Technicians from the Michigan State Police, a tracking dog from the Gratiot County Sheriff’s office and police spent much of the rest of the day investigating the robbery.
Once they learned of the robbery, Ashley school officials imposed a lockdown at the school buildings.
There are no reports of any injuries in the robbery of the Firstbank branch at 114 N. Sterling St., a storefront bank in a block of businesses in downtown Ashley.
The Firstbank branch in Ashley is one of 10 offices of Firstbank-Alma, a subsidiary of the Alma-based Firstbank Corp. of Michigan.
The Ashley robbery comes a little more than two months after the robbery of a Chemical Bank branch office in Mt. Pleasant. That robber was quickly arrested and pleaded guilty.

Sun Photo by Rosemary Horvath

State troopers closed down the Firstbank branch in Ashley Tuesday as they investigate report of robbery midmorning. Anyone with information should call the Michigan State Police Ithaca Post at 989-875-4111

Police are asking for help in identifying the man who committed a strong arm robbery at the Elwell Corners store on West Lincoln Road last week.
A man in his early 20s, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and jeans, entered the store just as the clerk was counting the money about 8:30 p.m. Thanksgiving night, said Michigan State Police Trooper Mike Floriano.
The man walked right over to the clerk, told her to give him the money, and grabbed the money from her. She in turn, grabbed his arm and managed to get a few of the bills back. But Floriano said the suspect made off with about $400 .
The clerk saw no car and heard no car door slam after he fled the store.
The suspect is described as 5 ft. 9 to 10 inches, with short dark hair and dark, thick eyebrows. He had acne and acne scars on his cheeks and weighed between 140 to 150 pounds. He was not wearing a mask, and no weapon was seen or mentioned.

Carlos Boozer had 36 points and 11 rebounds as the Utah Jazz posted a 103-93 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday.


Boozer passes off against Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell. Boozer was 17-for-20 from the floor in his best scoring day this season, helping Utah beat the Pistons for the fifth straight time.


Jazz guard Deron Williams (8) goes to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Antonio McDyess. Williams added 21 points and 14 assists.


Detroit played without Rasheed Wallace for the second game in a row, then had head coach Flip Saunders ejected after picking up a pair of technicals for arguing with official Marc Davis in the third quarter.


Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell (54) has his shot blocked by Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko (47), who had 11 points and 10 rebounds.


Detroit guard Richard Hamilton (32), suffering from flu-like symptoms, has the ball knocked away by Utah Jazz guard Jason Hart, right. Antonio McDyess led the Pistons with 19 points and 12 rebounds, and Hamilton added 17.


Pistons guard Chauncey Billups passes off against the Jazz in the first quarter.

(AP Photos by Duane Burleson)

Central Michigan guard Giordan Watson (11) drives up-court against Minnesota guard Al Nolen (0) during the first half of Minnesota’s 77-59 win over CMU Saturday in Minneapolis. Watson led the Chippewas with 22 points. Robbie Harman added 10 points for Central Michigan (0-4), winless in its first four games for the first time since the 1993-94 season.



Minnesota guard Lawrence McKenzie (1) drives around Central Michigan forward Nate Minnoy, back. Neither team was stellar with the basketball. Minnesota committed 24 turnovers; Central Michigan had 23.
Minnesota shot 52.2 percent in the second half and held Central Michigan to 36.7 percent shooting.
(AP Photos by Paul Battaglia)

Nikolai Zherdev scored the winning shootout goal to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets past the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Saturday night.
Michael Peca and Rick Nash also scored in the shootout for Columbus, which won its second straight despite allowing Detroit to tie it with two goals in a team-record 5 seconds. The game was the second shootout in a week between the teams, with Detroit winning last Sunday.


The Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, left, carries the puck across the blue line Zherdev defends. Datsyuk had a goal and an assist. Manny Malhotra and Zherdev scored in regulation for Columbus, which has won two straight. Pascal Leclaire made 23 saves, including a big stop on Henrik Zetterberg in the shootout.


The Blue Jackets' Peca, right, and Red Wings' Zetterberg fight for a loose puck.



The Blue Jackets' Ron Hainsey, left, and the Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom fight for a loose puck. Holmstrom also scored for Detroit, which has lost five of seven.



Chris Osgood made several spectacular saves to keep the Red Wings in the game.

(AP Photos by Jay LaPrete)

The Fulton High School Football team took the win in a close game against Climax-Scotts on Saturday in Kentwood. The Pirates will now play in the state championship game on Friday at Ford Field.

17 Shots from the game will be available for purchase here, likely on Monday.

Good Luck Pirates!

Law enforcement officers salute as the casket bearing the remains of Pfc. Casey Mason, a graduate of Farwell High School, comes off a charter jet at Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport Sunday morning. (Morning Sun photo by Mark Ranzenberger)

Pfc. Casey Mason came home Sunday morning.
The 22-year-old Farwell High School graduate died in Iraq last week. His body arrived on a charter jet mid-morning Sunday at Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport.

An escort of police officers met the soldier’s flag draped casket on the ramp in front of the E.H. Tope Terminal. A U.S. Army sergeant and members of Mason’s family also were there.
Low, dark clouds slid across the sky, and temperatures hovered at the freezing mark as the casket was brought from the twin-engine aircraft onto a portable elevator. A northeast wind rippled the flag covering Mason’s casket as it came off the plane.
The law enforcement officers saluted and stood at attention as the casket was lowered, the silence on the field broken only by a muffled sob from an onlooker.
The hearse was escorted to the Lux Funeral Home in downtown Mt. Pleasant by an escort of seven police vehicles from the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department, Mt. Pleasant Police, the multi-jurisdictional Isaballa County Traffic Team and Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police.
The funeral for Mason, the son of Jeffrey and Robbin Mason of Cadillac, is set for Tuesday morning at 10:30 at Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart Church. Deacon Larry Fussman is to officiate.
Visitation is set for Mondayfrom 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home. Mason is to be buried in Haring Township Cemetery near Cadillac.
Mason was killed in combat last Tuesday in Mosul, Iraq. Mason died after enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire, according to Sgt.1st Class David Gillespie of the 8th Theater Sustainment Command at Ft. Shafter, Hawaii.
Mason was a military police officer assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command. A memorial service is set for this week, as well, for Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
Mason had joined the Army in October 2006 after working at Lux Funeral Home and the Mobile Medical Response ambulance service. His unit had been in Iraq since September.
Friends remember him as a great young man with a good sense of humor, with passions for golfing, riding all-terrain vehicles, computers and firearms.
His family has asked that memorials be made to Hospice of Central Michigan to support construction of the Hospice House.

At Los Angeles, Lamar Odom had 25 points and 15 rebounds, and Kobe Bryant and Jordan Farmar made key plays down the stretch as the Lakers beat the Pistons 103-91.

Bryant, right, reaches in on Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton (32). Bryant finished with 19 points.
Tayshaun Prince had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Pistons.


Bryant, bottom, scrambles for a loose ball along with Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton, top, and the Lakers' Farmar. Hamilton also scored 16 points.


Farmar (5) puts up a shot as Detroit Pistons guard Ronald Murray blocks.


Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom (7) dunks the ball during the second half.


Bryant (24) puts up a shot as Detroit Pistons forward Amir Johnson (25) guards.


Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher watch the Pistons play the Lakers.

Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine was in the seats, too.
(AP Photos by Mark J. Terrill)

Eastern Michigan surprised Central Michigan with a 48-45 win over the Chippewas Friday night at Mt. Pleasant.
Central led 38-28 at the end of the third quarter, but the Eagles outgunned the Chippewas 20-7 in the final quarter to come from behind and win.
Watch the highlight video here.


Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour makes an easy touchdown in the second quarter against Eastern.



Eastern Michigan's DeAnthony White cuts through Central Michigan defenders on his way toward the end zone.


Central Michigan's Tommy Mama (14) pulls down an interception on a pass intended for Eastern Michigan's Tyrone Burke (86).
Central still is headed for the Mid-American conference championship game after its only conference loss to the Eagles
Photos by Ryan Evon

Check this police video from the Michigan State Police.

The Rev. Charles Williams II of the Detroit-based National Council for Community Empowerment speaks on the campus of Central Michigan University Friday, demanding a federal investigation in the wake of the Engineering and Technology noose incident. CMU officials say they've already called in the FBI.



Students and others gathered in front of the Bovee University Center after the university announced that someone had hung four nooses in the Engineering Technology Building. Campus police are questioning students and faculty about whether they noticed suspicious activity in the building, the university released a statement denouncing the nooses as racist, and raised the reward offered for information on the incident to $5,000.
(Morning Sun photos by Ryan Evon)

thanks for watching:)

Central Michigan's Marcus Van, top, misses the dunk over teammate Nate Minnoy, bottom left, and Central Missouri's Kevin Wolbrinck, bottom center, and Paul Bannister, bottom right, during the first half of Tuesday’s college basketball game in the CBE Classic game. Central Missouri won the game 75-70 as the Chippewas fall to 0-2. (AP Photos by L.G. Patterson)



Central Missouri's Kevin Wolbrinck, center, is surrounded by Central Michigan's Chase Simon (1) and Robbie Harman (20) during the first half.



Central Michigan's Nate Minnoy, left, knocks the ball away from Central Missouri's Tremaine Luellen, right, as he shoots during the second half.



Central Michigan's Giordan Watson, bottom, lays on the floor in dejection after he dribbled the ball out-of-bounds in front of his bench in the final seconds of their 75-70 loss to Central Missouri. Watson led the Chippewas with 20 points.

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, right, and Central Michigan's Marko Spica, left, battle for a rebound during the first half of a college basketball game in the first round CBE Classic Monday, Nov. 12, 2007, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri won the game 87-76.(AP Photos/L.G. Patterson)


Central Michigan's Jon Yeazel, right, tries to get the ball away from Missouri's Stephon Hannah during the first half.


Central Michigan's Jon Yeazel, center, has the ball knocked away by Missouri's Matt Lawrence, right, during the first half.


Missouri head coach Mike Anderson, right, discusses a play with his player DeMarre Carroll during the first half.


Central Michigan's Giordan Watson, right, fouls Missouri's Stefhon Hannah.


Central Michigan's Giordan Watson, right, bites on his shirt after he fouled out.