OCALA - A man accused of being the "gentleman bank robber" whose polite manner stood out as he held up four Central Florida banks this month was being held without bail Friday.
Larkin Lloyd Derks, 49, is charged with four counts of strong-arm robbery and with possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia. He was also charged with 23 probation violations on a conviction for bad checks.
The crimes were notable, police said, because of the robber's demeanor. He would wait patiently in line before handing a note to the teller demanding cash. He then would leave quietly.
He did not show a gun during the robberies, and detectives have not recovered one.
Police arrested Derks without a struggle at a motel early Thursday.
As Derks was taken to a squad car, reporters asked whether he had anything to say to the bank tellers.
"I already thanked them," Derks said. Marion County Jail records show Derks has been in and out of jail and was released in February. Police said Derks confessed to robbing the banks and told them he has a drug problem.
"He expressed relief. It was a combination of a lot of things, like the drug problem, we're after him, the bank robberies, everything," said Maj. Mike McQuaig, head of the Marion County Sheriff's Office major crimes unit.
