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Man blames tent city for bank heist

The suspect said he developed a deep fear of being homeless, arresting officers say.

By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published March 28, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - Gregory Seckler came to Florida looking for steady work. He ended up living in shabby motels, desperately afraid of becoming homeless.

After driving by the tent city encampment and seeing the gritty nature of life on the streets, Seckler decided he couldn't take anymore, police said. So he decided to rob a bank.

Last Wednesday, Seckler walked into a Bank of America at 3811 Fourth St. N, police said. He wrote down his demand for money on a bank slip, and handed it over to a teller after waiting in line for his turn. Police say he implied he had a weapon.

As Seckler ran, police said, he made several mistakes that led to his arrest on a charge of armed bank robbery on Monday: He took off a company cap and his shirt. He stopped and buried money in the dirt.

Sgt. Al White, the head of the department's robbery unit, said detectives traced the hat to Seckler's former employer at a concrete company. Then, they distributed his photograph around motels until they found him Monday. Police have not recovered the money, and say someone else in the area may have taken it.

White said Seckler admitted the robbery. He told police he was scared after seeing "tent city," and hungry.

"He said he didn't want to live in those conditions," White said.

Hillary Mildner, 33, Seckler's sister, said her brother had moved to Ocala in search of work, then went to St. Petersburg, but couldn't hold the job at a concrete company for very long.

"He just kept telling me ... he's going to be homeless," Mildner said. "My brother's a good person. Never in a million years in my whole entire life would I imagine he would rob a bank."

Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. Abhi Raghunathan can be reached at araghunathan@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8472.

[Last modified March 27, 2007, 22:21:36]