Reward Up to $20K for Suspected Serial Armed Bank Robber's Arrest

As the hunt for a suspected serial bank robber continues, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has announced that the reward for information that leads to an arrest has climbed to $20,000.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation stepped forward in April to offer $10,000. Now, Fifth Third Bank is sweetening the deal by another $10,000.

The bank robberies in question began occurring last December.

The latest robbery was reported April 30 at the 7770 66th St. N. Fifth Third Bank in Pinellas Park. In that case, a man entered the bank around 4 p.m., showed a handgun and gave the teller a note. Once the man had the cash, he left without incident.

Pinellas Park Police said the man is believed to be responsible for numerous armed bank robberies in Pinellas and Hernando counties in recent months.

See Also:

• Video Released of Armed Bank Robbery Suspect
• FBI Offers $10k Reward in Pinellas Armed Bank Robbery Cases

The suspect has been described as a white male who is between 40 and 50 years old. He stands about 6-foot-1 in height and has a heavy build. The man has black-and-gray hair that is short, a goatee and a medium complexion.

Pinellas detectives say the man may also be responsible for the following robberies:

• Cadence Bank, 36301 U.S. 19 N. in Palm Harbor, Dec. 19
• Fifth Third Bank, 1703 McMullen Booth Road in Safety Harbor, Jan. 2
• Patriot Bank, 924 Palm Harbor Blvd. in Palm Harbor, Feb. 5.
• Fifth Third Bank, 10899 Park Blvd., Seminole, April 3

All told, the man is believed to have robbed three Fifth Third branches since the spree began, the sheriff’s office noted in an email to media, explaining the reward.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Det. Gene Paniccia at 727-582-6200. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS.

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