MOORHEAD — It was a bank robbery that featured armed gunmen, locked up workers, an employee’s vehicle used as a getaway car, and hypnosis. It took place 44 years ago in Moorhead. Those working at the bank will never forget it. Neither will one of the bank robbers. They have never publicly told their stories before. Until now.
On December 5, 1979, the branch location of the American Bank and Trust Company in Moorhead was quiet. The bank had only been open for business for two weeks. The employees, manager Margaret Messerschmidt, assistant manager Elaine “Cookie” Ebsen, teller Marsha, and teller Stacey Foss, were going about their morning routine when two men entered the bank wearing ski masks.
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The robbers brandished their guns and announced the robbery. The employees were terrified. Cookie, who had a button on her desk to set off an alarm, hesitated to push it due to fear for their lives. The robbers, later identified as Robert Frey and Robert Trkula, chose the bank because it was near a highway and appeared to have no guards.
The employees were then forced into the branch manager’s office, where they were questioned about the vault’s combination. In the midst of the ordeal, a police car drove by, causing panic among the robbers. They accused the employees of setting off the alarm, which they denied. Guns were pointed at all four employees, who were scared for their lives.
Marsha, the teller, was forced to open the teller drawers and the vault. The robbers filled a bag with money, including the bait money, which Marsha cleverly avoided taking. They then demanded the keys to a car, and Cookie handed over her damaged Fiat. The employees were locked in the bank’s mechanical room, fearing for their lives.
Meanwhile, Margaret, the branch manager, managed to set off the silent alarm before the robbers left. The police, led by Officer Mel Zepper, arrived at the scene but narrowly missed catching the robbers. The employees were eventually freed from the mechanical room and were relieved to see the police.
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The robbers escaped with $28,000 and Cookie’s car. The employees were left shaken but thankful to be alive. Four decades later, they have finally come forward to share their harrowing experience. The bank robbery in Moorhead serves as a reminder of the lasting impact such events can have on the victims involved.
