RIVERTON -- Fremont County-area law enforcement officers were particularly busy with three gun-related incidents Friday morning.

Local law enforcement swarmed a downtown bank here on a report a man had taken an employee hostage at gunpoint about 7:40 a.m.

By the time the officers got inside US Bank on North Broadway about an hour later, they discovered the robber had tied up the woman and fled. He remained at large as of early Friday evening.

The employee was not hurt in the incident.

Officials say the masked robber forced the woman inside when she was unlocking the doors and demanded money. But when she told him the money was locked up and inaccessible, he left.

The FBI has only identified the suspect by description, saying he's 6 feet tall, 200 pounds and driving a blue or gray newer model Ford Escape.

Nearly the entire Riverton police force of about 25 officers was on the scene, assisted by Fremont County sheriff's deputies and state troopers. Officers brandishing guns could be seen patrolling the area and stationed in a cherry-picker apparatus hanging above the bank.

Meanwhile, Trinity Lutheran School next door went into lockdown status and students were ushered into the school's basement. Some parents elected to keep their children at home once they learned what was happening.

School officials were not notified directly about the incident. Dean Robert Schaibley said they became aware of the situation after seeing armed officers around the building. By mid-morning he was wondering if what he thought was a scream was made by the hostage.

Schaibley said he heard the noise about 7:15 a.m. as he was loading his car for a trip to Denver.

Looking toward the direction of the sound, he said he saw a woman at the back door of the bank backing into the building. He didn't hear or see anything else unusual so he went about his business.

"I didn't think there was anything wrong," he said.

By about 9 a.m., the situation had been deemed safe and the school reopened, with parents who had decided to keep their children home now dropping them off. The Pledge of Allegiance was said and classes commenced as usual, with the children sharing stories about the ordeal.

First-grader Iain McGruder said he was "kind of scared" when he heard someone was robbing the bank.

His classmate, Jesse Millward, said he thought there were "thousands of men outside with machine guns."

Though that was not the case, and the immediate danger had passed, just as the first-graders were enjoying snack time they were told school was closing for the day because the suspect remained at large.

The incident marked the second hit on the bank in about a month. Someone tried to make off with the ATM in the bank's front lobby by using a skid-loader, but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

Meanwhile, during the police's response to the bank robbery, they received a report that a man had pulled a handgun on a cable employee who had been called to the residence for service. The gunman was identified as Ross Pliley. He was apprehended without incident and taken to jail.

The cable employee is a former Rawlins police officer, who tackled his attacker, called police and held the alleged gunman until law enforcement arrived.

Soon after that incident, a report came in about a student with a gun at Wyoming Indian School in Fort Washakie.

Riverton police say they heard the student was tackled and subdued before officers arrived. The incident is being investigated by the Wind River Police Department.

Leslie Stratmoen is news director for KTAK/KVOW Radio in Riverton.