SALISBURY — A former Davidson County Sheriff’s deputy with a history of robbing banks was back at it Thursday when he reportedly robbed the F&M Bank on South Avalon Drive in Salisbury.
According to Salisbury police, officers went to the bank at 102 South Avalon Drive at 2:39 p.m. Thursday, July 31 for a holdup alarm, which was quickly confirmed as a robbery in progress. Officers in the area already promptly arrived and detained a white male who had exited the bank. That man was identified by bank staff as the person who passed a note demanding money. Tellers gave the man the money, he left the bank and was captured by police, who have identified the man as Jeffrey Dean Athey Sr., 58.
Athey was charged with common law robbery and placed in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $50,000 bond. Athey is currently on federal probation for bank robbery for a 2022 incident but has another robbery as well.
Athey was convicted of robbing a bank in Rockwell in 2018, and while on probation in that case, was arrested again on July 13, 2022, for reportedly robbing the F&M Bank on South Avalon Drive, the same bank he allegedly robbed Thursday.
In the 2022 case, police reports say Athey, then 55, was found sitting in his pickup truck in the bank parking lot after going in the bank and handing a teller a note demanding money, receiving cash and leaving. Police say no weapon was shown and the note made no threat of a weapon. Athey was taken into custody without incident.
In 2018, Athey was convicted of robbing the F&M Bank on West Main Street in Rockwell, but in that robbery he showed a Glock 41 semi-automatic handgun. He requested $1,000 and then left the bank. Rockwell Police said within four minutes a Rowan County Sheriff’s deputy pulled Athey over during a traffic stop after receiving a description of his silver older-model Ford Mustang.
He was fired from his post with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office after his 2018 arrest, and documents showed that he had also worked part-time as security for the bank during the previous Christmas season.
Former Davidson County Sheriff David Grice said, following his 2018 arrest, that Athey worked with his department from May 2002 until March 2007 then left to work for the private military company formerly known as Blackwater. He returned to the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in August 2013, where he worked until his termination. Athey worked as a patrol officer and a transport officer taking prisoners to jail and served civil court papers as well as commitment orders.
Neither Grice nor former Rockwell Police Chief Hugh Bost were able to determine a motive for the initial robbery, but his court-appointed attorney in 2018, Darrin Jordan, provided the court information showing Athey was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Jordan told the court that his client had worked in extremely hostile environments in both Afghanistan and Iraq and had done prior to work for Dynacorp International, the company responsible for training Iraqi police.
Jordan detailed how Athey built a concrete bunker in his mother’s home to show Athey’s struggles with mental wellbeing. He explained the bunker was outfitted with bells and cans to alert him if someone was approaching or coming in.
Today’s robbery remains under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Casper at 704-638-5333 or 704-638-5211 or by email at investigations@salisburync.gov. or going to the police departments Facebook page for a link to submit any video anonymously.
