UNC student arrested for SunTrust bank robbery

A UNC student charged with robbing a SunTrust Bank in Apex on Nov. 7 is in a New Jersey jail after turning himself in.

Gordon Miller Goodwin, 22, was arrested Saturday at 11 p.m. in the casino at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City, a detective with Atlantic City police said Thursday.

Police say Goodwin robbed a SunTrust Bank inside the Kroger supermarket off U.S. Highway 64.

After the robbery, the Apex Police Department issued a warrant for Goodwin’s arrest.

Police said Goodwin passed a note to the teller at the SunTrust Bank demanding money.

The teller was 45-year-old Melissa Cooper. Goodwin took $4,500 from the bank, according to the police report.

The police report lists the robbery as armed. Capt. Ann Stephens of Apex police said Goodwin did not possess a firearm during the robbery.

Goodwin is now in jail at the Atlantic County Jail in New Jersey, waiting for transportation back to North Carolina.

“He has not been brought back to the state,” Stephens said.

Diana Goodwin, Gordon Goodwin’s mother, said she received a phone call from him Saturday night.

“He did call me, but it was his choice to turn himself in to the police,” she said.

“We’re going one day at a time,” she said.

Goodwin’s stepmother, Christine Goodwin, said she was shocked at the arrest.

“We never (thought) Gordon could do such a thing,” she said.

Christine Goodwin added that family members are very upset.

“Gordon is a good kid. It’s just horrible,” she said.

Department of Public Safety spokesman Randy Young said any decision regarding Goodwin’s status as a student will be handled through the Honor Court.

“Anytime a person is charged with anything, it’s an issue for the Honor Court,” Young said.

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