Shady Grove man suspected in attempted armed robbery

By Deborah Buckhalter

Published: July 14, 2008

A local man was arrested less than two hours after an attempted robbery at Focus Credit Union just west of Marianna late Monday afternoon, according to Major John Dennis of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.  The gun believed to have been used in the crime was found shortly thereafter.
Bryndyn Neel, 18, of the Shady Grove community in Grand Ridge is the suspect in the case, according to Dennis.
Neel, of 7637 Shady Grove Rd. in Grand Ridge, is charged with attempted armed robbery and false imprisonment in the case.
Neel was fished from Merritt’s Mill Pond, which lies near the credit union, Dennis confirmed.
Within an hour of the suspect being placed in custody, and just before dark fully enveloped the crime scene, officers also found the gun believed to have been used in the attempted hold-up. A backpack was also located nearby, but officials were not saying whether it was believed to have been connected to the crime.
Swarms of officers responded to the incident. According to Dennis, it appears that Neel, wielding a rifle or shotgun, tried to hold up an employee outside the credit union shortly after 5 p.m. Dennis said no one was hurt in the incident.
Canine units searched the woods behind the credit union. A helicopter search team was dispatched shortly after the incident and flew above the parking lot and surrounding areas.
Game and Fish Commission officers patrolled Merritt’s Mill Pond, while sheriff’s officers stood on docks surrounding the body of water, looking for signs of activity.
Officers, some of them armed with long-guns, were stationed at points along U.S. 90 leading away from the credit union toward Merritt’s Mill Pond.
Others crouched behind their cruisers in the two fields immediately east of the credit union, aiming their weapons towards the woods behind the lots.
Investigators and patrol officers from Marianna Police Department assisted Jackson County in the manhunt.
This story will be updated as more details become available.