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Occupation? 'What do you think? I'm a bank robber'By Times staff and wire reports © St. Petersburg Times, published February 6, 1999 BRADENTON -- It's his career, and he's proud of it. When a Manatee County detective asked Jerry Lynn Davis to state his occupation, the 53-year-old answered: "What do you think? I'm a bank robber." Davis, nicknamed "Jesse James," told detectives he has robbed banks his entire adult life -- 148 times in all. After being captured Wednesday, he said he had committed about 50 around Tampa Bay and Miami since August, when he got out of prison after doing 12 years for bank robbery. "He said the first thing he did when he got out of prison is he went and robbed a bank because he needed some money," said Manatee County Sgt. Chris Atkinson. "He's a career bank robber." Although Davis bragged of 50 bank heists, he is charged with only two right now, FBI spokeswoman Juana Klim told the Times on Friday. Klim said the FBI has evidence that Davis robbed the First Union branch at 1506 S Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa on Jan. 29 and a NationsBank in Land O'Lakes the day before that. "It's too early to charge him with all those robberies at this time," Klim said. "We're going to have to go over the record and make a case for each robbery. That doesn't mean we don't believe him. It just means we have to have the evidence." In addition to the Land O'Lakes holdup, Pasco County investigators suspect Davis is the one who held up a SunTrust Bank in Dade City on Jan. 7, dressed as a woman and possibly armed with a hand grenade, said Pasco sheriff's spokesman Jon Powers. Hillsborough County detectives questioned Davis on Thursday, and investigators from throughout the state are expected to follow suit. Davis became one of the unemployed Wednesday. Acting on a tip, Manatee sheriff's detectives staked out a Century Bank in Bradenton. They say they spotted Davis and nabbed him as he headed inside. "He was extremely surprised when he was arrested," said Sgt. John Kenney of the FBI's Violent Crimes unit, which helped make the arrest. Davis thoroughly checked out the bank before heading inside, did countersurveillance in search of police and appeared to have an accomplice, who wasn't immediately identified, watching for police as well, said Atkinson, the Manatee County sergeant. Davis also had a change of clothes in his vehicle. "This guy is smooth. He really is a professional," Atkinson said. After Davis' arrest, Atkinson recalled his saying, "I'm not going to fight this thing. This is my last hurrah. I'm done." Davis was being held at the Manatee County jail Friday on $1-million bail. "He would probably be the most wanted bank robber in Florida," Manatee sheriff's spokesman Dave Bristow said. "We'll have many visitors for him at the jail."
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