Bank robberies surge in the Tampa Bay area

Bank robbers have hit Hillsborough County particularly hard.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published July 12, 2007

This man robbed a Temple Terrace Bank of America branch Friday afternoon and appears to be the same person who robbed a Washington Mutual branch in St. Petersburg and the Bank of America branch on Bearss Avenue in Tampa, Temple Terrace Police said.
	[Handout photo]

TAMPA -- The notorious Band-Aid Bandit is behind bars, but that hasn't spared local banks.

Far from it.

Last year, the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office investigated 17 bank robberies. Little more than half way through 2007, they've already had 24 cases.

Add the banks robbed in Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace, and the total for the county so far this year hits 39.

Perhaps robbers are inspired by the glamorized life of the Band-Aid Bandit. Maybe they're addicted to drugs or desperate for cash. Deputies don't know.

They do believe the men are dangerous.

"There's no question they have a propensity to commit a violent crime because they're bank robbers," said sheriff's Maj. Harold Winsett.

Agencies from Pasco to Pinellas counties have posted increases in bank robberies this year. In 2006, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office didn't investigate a single bank robbery. So far in 2007, it has had 10. The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office had three bank robberies in 2006. This year, it has already seen eight.

The FBI reported 38 bank robberies in Central Florida from January 2006 to July 2006. In that same period this year, it has reported 126. The difference is partly due to increased reporting standards, but there has been a rise, said FBI Special Agent Dave Couvertier.

"For some reason, serial bank robberies are becoming a popular crime for individuals," said Couvertier.

Investigators say it's not time to panic, though, because bank robberies go in cycles and one prolific robber can cause a big increase in the numbers.

"We have little control on how these numbers change year-in and year-out," Pinellas County sheriff's spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda said. "The best we can do is to take these bank robberies very seriously, which we do."

Video villains

In Hillsborough County, four men are known by nicknames pulled from surveillance footage. There's "Man with Demand Note," "Man with Knife," "Man with a Gun," and "Man Wearing a Bandanna." Officials say Bandanna Man is Tommy Wayne Donnell, 41. There's a warrant for his arrest.

Bank robbers steal for all sorts of reasons, and it's hard for law enforcement to predict trends, investigators say.

Still, there's some commonality.

Robberies can spike during an economic downturn. When times are tough, people can do desperate things.

"The big one traditionally has been the socioeconomic," said Couvertier. "Criminals will start looking at banks."

A recent Tampa bank robbery suspect told investigators he got fed up with the long hours and low pay of construction jobs and thought he would find an easier way, said police Sgt. Joe Fish.

People with expensive addictions, whether to drugs or gambling, may turn to robbing banks for quick cash, Fish said.

One recent robber was addicted to drugs. Another wanted money to buy booze. Two more wanted to buy crack cocaine.

Publicity of successful bank robbers can inspire others. They seek the daredevil glamor of the heist seen in Hollywood films, the nicknames, the brazenness.

That's where the Band-Aid Bandit comes into play. He lived in a spacious home in suburban Orlando. His lawn was the envy of the neighborhood.

"People realize they can get a lot of money like the Band-Aid Bandit did," Fish said. "But we know what happened in the end."

Before a U.S. district judge sentenced Rafael Rondon, 47, to the maximum of 149 1/2 years in prison, Rondon robbed at least 39 times, authorities say.

The robberies began in 2000, and Rondon quickly earned the nickname for the bandage he wore to cover a distinctive mole.

In all, Rondon and Emeregildo Roman, 54, Rondon's accomplice and former brother-in-law, were ordered to repay $676,873 in restitution to the banks they robbed.

Rondon asked for a new trial, a request denied Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday.

Highly publicized dramatic events can trigger copycats, said University of Florida criminology professor Lonn Lanza-Kaduce.

Then again, perhaps it's much more simple, he said, chuckling before he repeated the old saw:

"That's where the money is."

Times staff writers Jacob H. Fries, Jonathan Abel, Camille Spencer and Austin Bogues contributed to this report. Abbie VanSickle can be reached at vansickle@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3373.

Tampa Bay bank robberies

• Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
  2006: 17
  2007: 24
• Temple Terrace Police Department
  2006: 1
  2007: 3
• Plant City Police Department
  2006: 2
  2007: 1
• Tampa Police Department
  2006: 5
  2007: 11
• Pasco County Sheriff's Office
  2006: 0
  2007: 10
• New Port Richey Police Department
  2006: 1
  2007: 1
• Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
  2006: 3
  2007: 8
• St. Petersburg Police Department
  2006: 6
  2007: 9
• Clearwater Police Department
  2006: 4
  2007: 10

FAST FACTS: How to help
Anyone with any information on bank robberies can call the following numbers:

• In Hillsborough County:
  The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at (813) 247-8200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477
  Tampa Police Department: (813) 276-3591 or 276-3567
  Plant City Police Department: (813) 757-9200
  Temple Terrace Police Department: (813) 989-7110
• In Pinellas County:
  The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office: (727) 582-6200
  Clearwater Police Department: (727) 562-4242
  St. Petersburg Police Department: (727) 893-7780

[Last modified July 12, 2007, 00:35:52]