Suspect held in six bank holdups

He asks deputies to wait before his arrest. They don't.

By ABBIE VANSICKLE
Published July 13, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Tommy Donnell, 41, is accused of robbing five banks and trying to rob a sixth one between the end of May and the end of June.

TAMPA - Tommy Donnell heard deputies at the door.

Donnell asked them to hold on a few minutes before hauling him to jail.

They say the accused bank robber wanted a moment to savor a last smoke of crack cocaine.

"He made a comment to the detectives he was in the residence, and he was doing his last bit of drugs," said Hillsborough Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter.

They didn't wait.

Donnell, 41, is accused of robbing five banks and trying to rob a sixth one between the end of May and the end of June.

They found him at 1:15 a.m. Thursday, hanging out with friends in Seffner at 5240 Williams Road.

The attempted robberies and robberies that Donnell is accused of committing:

- May 23, the Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union at 901 W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Seffner.

- May 30, a SunTrust Bank at 11721 Boyette Road in Riverview.

- June 6, a Wachovia Bank at 11265 Causeway Blvd. in Brandon.

- June 14, an AmSouth Bank at 3414 Lithia Pinecrest Road in Valrico.

- June 14, a Bank of America at 300 S Parsons Ave. in Seffner.

- June 26, a MacDill Federal Credit Union at 1009 Providence Road in Brandon,.

Jail officials say Donnell was not available Thursday for an interview.

He has 15 prior arrests in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Donnell served two terms in state prison and is on probation until September 2007.

News researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 226-3373 or vansickle@sptimes.com.

[Last modified July 12, 2007, 23:32:10]