"Granddad Bandit" Wanted By FBI

ATLANTA -- He's not your typical serial bank robber. You probably wouldn't even feel nervous if you saw him walk into your bank. Even the name the FBI has dubbed him wouldn't scare you. But they're tired of him and they want him stopped.

He could be your father or grandfather and he has chosen robbing banks as a life style. And he'll go almost anywhere to rob them. "We want this individual off the street," said Atlanta FBI Special Agent Stephen Emmett. "He's a nuisance at the very least to the banking industry."

Since April 2009 the FBI says he has robbed nine banks in seven states. Two of the robberies were right here in Atlanta. On April 29th the suspect robbed the SunTrust Bank at 303 Peachtree Street according to the FBI. On October 2nd they say he robbed the SunTrust Bank in Midtown at 1503 Peachtree Street.

The FBI has dubbed him "The Granddad Bandit". Special Agent Emmett says he uses that unobtrusive appearance as his modus operandi. "He's going into the banks and being very subdued," Emmett said. "He wants to fly under the radar and not draw attention to himself."

Special Agent Emmett says he is not armed and he hands the teller a note informing the teller of the robbery.

The banks he is accused of robbing are:

-Amergy Bank of Texas in Houston on 4/10/09

-SunTrust Bank in Atlanta on 4/29/09

-Valley Bank in Roanoke, VA on 5/29/09

-Arvest Bank in Little Rock, AR on 7/03/09

-Wells Fargo Bank in Dallas, TX on 7/24/09

-Servis 1st Bank in Birmingham, AL on 8/21/09

-Solvay Bank in Syracuse, NY on 9/22/09

-SunTrust Bank in Atlanta on 10/02/09

-Bank of America in Tallahassee, FL on 10/16/09

The FBI has put out a bulletin to law enforcement agencies across the country. "We want them to take a look at the photographs and re-visit some of their note jobs they have investigated," Emmett said. "We want to know if this individual has hit in their jurisdiction.

Special Agent Emmett said it's unusual for one man to rob banks in such a wide path. "It's anybody's guess what he does, a long haul trucker is a possibility, someone that certainly travels as part of his job," he said.

That's only speculation according to Agent Emmett because he doesn't fit any of the FBI profiles for serial bank robbers. "He's an individual you really wouldn't look at in terms of having any concerns about," he said. He looks kind of like your father or your grandfather.

The FBI is offering a $10-thousand dollar reward in this case for information about the suspect. If you recognize the man in the bank robberies call the Atlanta FBI at 404-679-9000.