‘Ponytail Bandit’ strikes local bank
Published 9:00 pm Thursday, May 31, 2007
LYNNWOOD – She’s blond. She’s young. She’s color-coordinated. And she’s wanted by the FBI for a monthlong, three-state spree of bank robberies.
Agents believe the “Ponytail Bandit,” the woman who allegedly robbed a Lynnwood bank Wednesday, is the same person who robbed banks in Austin, Texas, and Roseville, Calif.
On Wednesday afternoon, she was dressed like a Gap model.
Witnesses reported the robber was wearing a baby-blue hat, her ponytail tucked through the back. She was sporting a matching long-sleeved baby-blue sweater and white Capri pants, Lynnwood police spokeswoman Shannon Sessions said.
The woman used a note to demand money from a teller at the First Heritage Bank on the corner of 190th Street SW and 33rd Avenue W., FBI special agent Larry Carr said.
FBI agents would not say how much money the Ponytail Bandit took, but typically robberies of this kind net about $1,000 to $2,000, Carr said.
Sometimes, bank tellers place exploding dye devices in money bags during robberies. None has been used with the Ponytail Bandit, Carr said.
It’s up to the teller to decide if they feel safe using the devices, he said.
Wednesday’s robbery is the first in Lynnwood this year, Sessions said.
A woman matching the description and using a note to demand money robbed banks on May 7 in Austin and May 23 in Roseville, a city near Sacramento, Carr said.
“We assume that as the investigation continues, we’re going to find several robberies and will be able to trace her path from Austin, Texas, to the Seattle area,” he said.
Agents believe the woman has an accomplice.
“It would be rare that a young woman would be traveling the country all by herself,” Carr said.
If caught, she likely will face federal charges, he said.
In the meantime, the bureau is asking for anyone with information to call in a tip, he said.
“Hopefully somebody knows her, knows something about her and will let us know what’s going on,” Carr said.
Agents are looking for a woman in her 20s, about 5 feet, 3 inches to 5 feet, 5 inches tall; with a thin build, weighing about 110 to 120 pounds; and with shoulder-length blond hair.
Shes suspected in robbing banks in Lynnwood; Austin, Texas; and Roseville, Calif.
Anyone with information is asked to call the FBI in Seattle at 206-622-0460.
Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.
