Two men allegedly robbed the Thomaston branch of Robertson Banking Company Friday at 8:40 a.m. and stole a

undisclosed amount of money.

Stanley Leon Matten, 28, and Charlie Bennett, 19, of Uniontown, were identified as the suspects, according to Marengo County Sheriff Jesse Langley and FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. Fuhrman.

The two black males in their early 20’s were wearing denim jackets, blue jeans and using t-shirts with holes cut out as masks, Langley said.

They entered the bank with one armed suspect going behind the counter. The suspects removed money from two of the bank’s four money boxes.

They left the bank with a customer, Robert Smith, an employee of Tombigbee Equipment, with the intent to take his vehicle.

After realizing he didn’t have a vehicle to use for their getaway, the suspects hit Smith in the back of the head with a gun, Langley said. However, Smith was not seriously injured.

Smith was treated at the scene by paramedics and released.

The robbers, who were headed for Uniontown, were apprehended on foot without incident on County Road 53 by Sheriff Langley. The arrest occurred approximately one hour following the robbery.

They were found with money and a gun in their possession.

The suspects are in custody in the Marengo County Jail.

Langley and his staff, as well as agents from the Monroeville resident agency of the FBI, were involved in the investigation.

The two men have not formally been arrested as of press time, Langley said. The FBI is questioning them.

The suspects will be officially charged with armed robbery and assault on a customer. They will be charged by federal officials with bank robbery.

The money has been recovered, said John Northcutt, chairman and CEO of Robertson Banking Company. The Thomaston branch planned to reopen Friday at 2 p.m.

This is the first time the bank in Thomaston has been robbed since Robertson Banking Company took over operations.