Customer poses as US marshal and warns of a sniper to get into bank, Kentucky cops say

A customer posed as a U.S. marshal and warned a sniper was in a nearby building to get inside a bank, Kentucky police say.

But it wasn’t a robbery.

Joseph Perry White, 41, went to the US Bank in Paducah on Wednesday afternoon and withdrew cash. He turned angry upon learning the lobby was closed and demanded to speak with a specific employee, police say.

Then White told workers he was a U.S. marshal and a sniper was positioned in a building near the downtown bank, police say. He said the sniper would shoot on his command, according to police.

Armed with a knife, White started searching the bank for the employee and eventually locked himself in a fifth-floor office, police say. Officers located White soon after arriving and he refused to leave unless a Kentucky State Police detective he knew came to the bank, police say.

When the detective arrived, White gave himself up.

He was arrested and charged with impersonating a peace officer.

This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Customer poses as US marshal and warns of a sniper to get into bank, Kentucky cops say."