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Bandit at it again? Bank robbed
The Sheriff's Office says the Band-Aid Bandit and a sidekick brandished handguns but injured no one in the holdup on SR 54.
By STEVE THOMPSON
Published May 18, 2005
NEW PORT RICHEY - A bank robbery on State Road 54 Tuesday morning was the work of the infamous Band-Aid Bandit, sheriff's investigators say. They think it is the first bank he has robbed in Pasco County, but his 36th in the Tampa Bay area.
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office released photographs Tuesday afternoon showing the pair that investigators think are the Band-Aid-Bandit and his accomplice.
The robbers entered the Colonial Bank just before 10:30 a.m. brandishing two handguns and demanding money. The Bandit was carrying what looked like a chrome .357-caliber, witnesses told investigators. His accomplice held a black semiautomatic handgun.
Five employees and one customer were in the bank at 6213 SR 54. No one was injured, and the robbers left with an undisclosed amount of money. They ran out and got into a vehicle.
Authorities say the bandit has robbed banks in eight Florida counties since Dec. 29, 2000, when the clean-shaven man with a bandage on his left cheek held up the Bank of America branch in Lakeland.
Since then, a man resembling the same person has been captured on bank surveillance videos and ATM cameras in Ocala, Inverness, Alachua, Tampa, St. Petersburg and other locations, FDLE officials say.
In many of the robberies, the Bandit had an accomplice, officials say.
In each case, the Band-Aid Bandit was described as a middle-aged man weighing between 200 and 240 pounds, with discolored skin on his hands and forearms. He has in his waistband a silver or chrome-plated handgun with a long barrel, authorities have said.
Anyone with information about Tuesday's robbery is asked to call the Pasco County Sheriff's Office toll-free at 1-800-854-2862, ext. 7279.
Staff writer Duane Bourne contributed to this report. Steve Thompson covers crime in Pasco County. He can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is sthompson@sptimes.com
[Last modified May 18, 2005, 00:50:19]
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