Lt. Mike Green said in a news release that the robbery happened about 4:30 p.m. at the StellarOne Bank in the 1200 block of West Main Street.

He said a man entered and showed a note declaring he was robbing the bank and was armed, but that he did not show a weapon. The man was given an undisclosed amount of money and fled west across the bank parking lot on foot toward Spartan Drive. No one was injured.

Police have described the robber as between 30 and 40 years old and about 5 feet 7 inches with a medium build. He wore a white shirt over a gray sweatshirt and had the hood of the sweatshirt pulled up over a red baseball cap. He also wore blue jeans and dark sunglasses, and was described as clean-shaven with a ruddy complexion.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Salem police at 375-3083 or Crime Line at 344-8500.

-- Neil Harvey