Wasilla woman attempts Eagle River bank robbery

Authorities say a 62-year-old Wasilla woman tried to rob the Wells Fargo Eagle River branch on Tuesday and drove back to her hometown before police detained her.

Theresa Ann Blackmore walked into the bank with a note and made demands for money, FBI spokesman Eric Gonzalez said. Blackmore apparently became frustrated when tellers didn't comply with her demands.

A Wells Fargo spokesman said no money was taken and that he wasn't aware of any threats or weapons involved. The bank shut down for about two hours to allow police to conduct an investigation.

Blackmore was not arrested and no charges had been filed as of Thursday, Gonzalez said. She was allowed to return home, where a family member said she lives by herself.

Video surveillance footage of Blackmore's visit shows an older woman in white knit hat, black coat who uses a cane, Anchorage police spokesman Lt. Dave Parker said.

Blackmore left the bank and drove off in a red compact car, Parker said. The bank issued a description of the vehicle to other branches.

Wasilla police made contact with Blackmore at the Wasilla Fred Meyer after a Wells Fargo employee spotted her car, Gonzalez said. Police detained her in Wasilla until FBI investigators arrived to interview her.

A relative of Blackmore's said she suffers from what he described as mental illness related to heavy use of painkillers for the past 15 years.

Blackmore's son, who asked he not be named, said his mother broke three vertebrae in her back in a car accident in Valdez, where she worked with physically and mentally handicapped adults. He said her injuries were originally misdiagnosed, and have resulted in regular hospital visits since.

He and his sister have struggled to get their mother to get help for her painkiller use and mental problems, he said.

A state courts database shows several past cases related to medical treatment, including a small-claims case against Blackmore by the Glennallen medical center in 2007 and a medical malpractice lawsuit she filed in 2001.