Bank robbery suspect has long, multi-state rap sheet

SEATTLE — A 40-year-old man dubbed the Alabama Band Bandit — an alleged serial bank robber who threatened to shoot tellers in Bellingham, Shoreline and Lynnwood — has a criminal record dating back to 1993, court records show.

Michael Ryan Hardesty, of Woodinville, was arrested Tuesday after allegedly evading police in Skagit and Snohomish counties, according to authorities. He’s being held in the King County Jail on $500,000 bail for investigation of at least five bank robberies in July. His next court hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Officials have not yet decided if Hardesty will be prosecuted at the state or federal level.

In each heist, the Bandit slipped a note to the clerk, saying he would shoot if he didn’t get cash, according to the FBI. He struck two Washington Federal banks in Bellingham on consecutive Friday afternoons in July, wearing his trademark disguise: a hat, large-rimmed glasses and what looked like a wig. He never flashed a gun.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

In one robbery, the suspect wore a hat bearing the logo of the southern rock band Alabama — hence the moniker Alabama Band Bandit.

A tip led police to the Mark II Motel in Burlington around 7 a.m. Tuesday, where police spotted a green Mercedes — a car that hadn’t been used in the robberies but that Hardesty was known to drive — parked outside. Hardesty jumped into the Mercedes and sped off north on I-5, according to police. Officers lost sight of him before he reached the Bow Hill exit, a few miles to the north.

Six hours later police in Snohomish County spotted Hardesty trying to swap cars in the Everett area. Deputies confronted him. He ran, ditching a .45-caliber Smith &Wesson revolver as he fled, said Shari Ireton, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. A police dog caught up to Hardesty about 15 minutes later.

Court records show that over the past two decades, Hardesty has been convicted of crimes in Florida, Michigan, and Island and Whatcom counties in Washington. His rap sheet includes home burglaries, grand theft, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, forgery and delivering methamphetamine.

In 2008, Hardesty pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to possessing an unregistered firearm. A federal judge sentenced him to seven years and eight months prison.

Before his arrest on Tuesday, Hardesty was wanted on a federal warrant for violating probation.

FBI agents were looking for a getaway driver, too: a white woman seen driving Hardesty from the scene of two robberies. An accomplice hadn’t been arrested as of Wednesday, bureau spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich said.

Here are the details on the two Lynnwood cases:

On July 7, a man walked into the Bank of America at 1424 164th St. SW, wearing a dark striped long-sleeve shirt and a dark ball cap with no logo. He slipped a note to the teller and fled with cash at 4:30 p.m. He was described as about 5-foot-6, in his late 30s, and 140 pounds. (Court records from this week say Hardesty, 40, stands 5-foot-9, weighs 170 pounds, and has hazel eyes and a shaved head.)

On July 30, at a Wells Fargo two blocks from the first Lynnwood bank, the suspect wore sunglasses, a plaid shirt and a tan sun hat with a floppy brim. He handed the note to the clerk at 12:30 p.m., then got away.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Snohomish County Health Department Director Dennis Worsham on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Health Department director tapped as WA health secretary

Dennis Worsham became the first director of the county health department in January 2023. His last day will be July 3.

‘No Kings’ rallies draw thousands to Everett and throughout Snohomish County

Demonstrations were held nationwide to protest what organizers say is overreach by President Donald Trump and his administration.

Police Cmdr. Scott King answers questions about the Flock Safety license plate camera system on Thursday, June 5, 2025 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mountlake Terrace approves Flock camera system after public pushback

The council approved the $54,000 license plate camera system agreement by a vote of 5-2.

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen goes through an informational slideshow about the current budget situation in Edmonds during a roundtable event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center on Monday, April 7, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

The city’s biennial budget assumed a $6 million levy lid lift. The final levy amount is up to the City Council.

A firefighting helicopter carries a bucket of water from a nearby river to the Bolt Creek Fire on Saturday, Sep. 10, 2022, on U.S. 2 near Index, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Snohomish County property owners can prepare for wildfire season

Clean your roofs, gutters and flammable material while completing a 5-foot-buffer around your house.

(City of Everett)
Everett’s possible new stadium has a possible price tag

City staff said a stadium could be built for $82 million, lower than previous estimates. Bonds and private investment would pay for most of it.

Jennifer Humelo, right, hugs Art Cass outside of Full Life Care Snohomish County on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘I’ll lose everything’: Snohomish County’s only adult day health center to close

Full Life Care in Everett, which supports adults with disabilities, will shut its doors July 19 due to state funding challenges.

Marysville is planning a new indoor sports facility, 350 apartments and a sizable hotel east of Ebey Waterfront Park. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New report shifts outlook of $25M Marysville sports complex

A report found a conceptual 100,000-square-foot sports complex may require public investment to pencil out.

Logo for news use featuring Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Snohomish County Board of Health looking to fill vacancy

The county is accepting applications until the board seat is filled.

A recently finished log jam is visible along the Pilchuck River as a helicopter hovers in the distance to pick up a tree for another log jam up river on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 in Granite Falls, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tulalip Tribes and DNR team up on salmon restoration project along the Pilchuck River

Tulalip Tribes and the state Department of Natural Resources are creating 30 log jams on the Upper Pilchuck River for salmon habitat.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.