Accused Skokie Bandit Has Past Bank Robbery Conviction

SKOKIE, IL — The man accused of robbing a Skokie bank Thursday before fleeing into the Walmart across the parking lot to change clothes before being caught by police in the dairy section pushing a pair of women's shoes had a previous conviction for bank robbery and was suspected of involved in an unsolved Chicago heist earlier this year.

Jerry J. Williams, 42, faces federal charges for allegedly stealing $285 from the PNC Bank at 3636 Touhy Avenue. He is accused of entering the bank and passing a note to a teller demanding cash before walking out of the bank and into the neighboring store.

According to an investigating FBI agent's affidavit, Williams pleaded guilty to three counts of bank robbery in 2006. Court records show he robbed about $1,000 a Chase Bank at 935 W. Armitage, Chicago, using a note passed from his sweatshirt in November 2005.

Williams was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison and a term of supervised release for those charges. He was also ordered to pay $4,120 in restitution and undergo mental health treatment, according to court records.

After his arrest last week, federal prosecutors sought to revoke Williams' supervised release. He is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Skokie, Evanston — or your Illinois community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

Plus, an FBI "Wanted" poster suggests the same man was suspected of the robbery of the Byline Bank, 2000 W. Division St. in Chicago, on Feb. 22. In that incident, the robber also passed a note to a teller, according to an FBI spokesperson. While the poster suggests the same person was responsible for both robberies, no charges have yet been filed in connection with the Byline Bank incident, the FBI confirmed.

The following surveillance photos were taken during the February 2017 incident:

» Read more Cops: Man Robs Bank, Goes To Walmart

_{Top photo: Jerry James Williams allegedly robbing a Skokie PNC Bank | FBI}