Wednesday, August 11, 1999

An Oil City man found out today that passing a "give me all your money" note to a bank teller through the drawer at a drive-up window isn’t a joking matter.

Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Investigator Charles Bradford said James "Robbie" Scaife, 31, of 207 Weaver Loop in Oil City, will be booked at the Caddo Correctional Center on a charge of terrorizing because of an incident at the Bank One branch in Oil City that Scaife said he thought was a joke.

Bradford said that at about 11:30 a.m. today, Scaife drove his Dodge pickup truck to the bank’s drive-up window and handed a note to the teller that said, "give me all your money." Bradford said Scaife then picked up a pistol from the seat of the truck and showed it to the teller.

The teller, believing Scaife was joking, engaged him in conversation. Scaife then handed the teller a valid personal check for $500 made out to cash. After the teller cashed the check, Scaife drove off. The teller reported the incident to her supervisor who contacted the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s Deputy Dale Hubbard arrested Scaife in North Shreveport at about 2 p.m.

If convicted of the charge of terrorizing, Scaife could be fined up to $15,000 and imprisoned with or without hard labor for up to 15 years.