HPD & VCSO apprehend alleged bank robber


On June 14, 2010 around 10:43 a.m. two plain clothes officers with the Henderson Police Department were inside First Citizens Bank on Dabney Drive in Henderson, North Carolina.

While in the bank, the officers witnessed a suspect running from RBC Centura Bank on Dabney Drive.

The suspect’s demeanor indicated that he had just robbed the bank.

The officers left the First Citizens Bank and pursed the suspect on foot to a vehicle that was stationary nearby. The suspect was able to flee in the vehicle.

Information related to the suspect and the vehicle was relayed to responding officers. A few minutes after the information was relayed, a deputy sheriff with the Vance County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle on I-85 North, near Satterwhite Point Road at the mile 217 exit of I-85 North.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver fled the deputy. The deputy pursued the vehicle on Satterwhite Point Road near Nutbush Road where the vehicle drove of the roadway and lost control. The driver who was the suspect of the bank robbery was then apprehended by the deputy and other responding officers.

Steven Novac Matthews
Steven Novac Matthews

The suspect, Steven Novac Matthews, 43, of 913 Fiske Street in Durham, North Carolina was arrested and charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and resisting a public officer.

Matthews received a $220,000 secured bond and remains in the Vance County Jail pending a court hearing on June 28, 2010.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been contacted and is assisting in the investigation.