'Bad Hair' bandit hits Spokane bank
'Bad Hair' bandit hits Spokane bank
SPOKANE (AP) - It appears the "Bad Hair Babe" is heading east.
The Spokesman-Review reports a robber matching her description held up a Spokane bank Monday.
Tellers told police her dark brown hair with bangs could have been a wig.
The robber is known for wearing a variety of wigs in a series of 15 bank holdups that began in December in the Tacoma area. She also is believed to be responsible for holdups last month at banks in Ellensburg and Moses Lake.
The robber also usually wears a hooded sweatshirt and glasses.
She gives tellers a note, saying she is armed and demanding cash.
The Moses Lake Key Bank was the twelfth bank robbed by the suspect.
The female suspect is described as standing about 5 feet, 3 inches tall, white and heavyset.
Her moniker stems from surveillance photos of her wearing wigs.
At roughly 10 a.m. the woman entered Key Bank in Moses Lake on Third Avenue and produced a note for a teller, indicating she had a weapon and wanted money, according to Moses Lake police.
She was given an undisclosed amount of money and then left the bank walking east on Third Avenue toward South Pioneer Way.
The suspect did not display a weapon and took the robbery note with her when she left.
"Bank employees are trained to cooperate in a robbery. They did the right thing," police Chief Dean Mitchell said.
Police were unable to locate the suspect.
It's believed the same suspect robbed the Wheatland Bank in Ellensburg.
The same description of the suspect was given to the Ellensburg police and witnesses said the suspect used the same method of robbery as used in Moses Lake, according to the Ellensburg Daily Record.
"There was a mention of being armed, however there were no threats or acts of aggression," Ellensburg police Capt. Dan Hansberry told the Ellensburg Daily Record.
The "Bad Hair Babe" is suspected of robbing 13 banks in Washington state and attempting to rob two more. The first robbery occurred Dec. 22 at a US Bank in Tacoma, according to Crime Stoppers. She robbed or attempted to rob six banks in January, two in February, one in March and four in April, including the Moses Lake and Ellensburg banks.
There is a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and charging of the suspect, according to Crime Stoppers.
People with information about the Moses Lake robbery are asked to call Moses Lake police Sgt. Mike Williams at 509-764-3900.
People with information about the other robberies and attempts are asked to call either the Moses Lake police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
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