Two Bizarre Cases Show Why Bank Robbers Aren't Rocket Scientists
Friday January 25, 2008


If nothing else, what you're about to read proves that bank robbers, whatever else they may be, aren't rocket scientists. Take the case of a woman accused of committing a bank heist in the town of Sandy Springs, Georgia, near Atlanta, and then making her getaway.

Well, almost making her getaway.

Cops say a female walked into a local savings and loan on Wednesday and demanded money. She didn't show a weapon, but the teller did as she was instructed and handed over a bag of cash. But when the culprit got out into the parking lot with the loot, she was red faced. Or rather, orange faced. The bank employee had loaded in a dye pack with the cash. It exploded, leaving it - and her - the colour of a Florida fruit.

The bright orange woman quickly ducked into a nearby restaurant and tried to wash the bills off and changed clothes, hoping to leave the scene. But she didn't grab a car and hit the accelerator. She didn't hop on a motorcycle and roar off. And she didn't even hail a cab. Instead, this genius decided to take the bus.

And you know what bus service is like. Cops found her looking like a carrot and waiting at a stop for the vehicle, quickly placing her under arrest. "That just wasn't too bright," laughs Sandy Springs police Lt. Steve Rose. But the suspect, 22-year-old Channel Monae Gaskin, allegedly told police she'd robbed another bank just a week before - and took the bus away from the area.

She remains in jail.

And so does a 72-year-old man in another part of the country, who apparently changed his mind about robbing a bank in the middle of the crime. Cops in Lynchburg, Virginia contend Duval Alexander Davis walked up to a teller late last year armed with a gun. He allegedly told the branch manager to "give me all your money." When the man complied, cops say Davis grabbed the cash, started out the door, and then stopped.

To the astonishment of employees, they allege he came back into the bank, handed the money back to his victim - and told the teller to call police. He then handed over the gun and waited for authorities to arrive.

Davis was in court Wednesday where a judge ruled there's enough evidence to send him to trial. If he's convicted, there's no chance prosecutors will change their minds about sending him to jail.