Craigslist ad linked to Brinks heist in Monroe

MONROE — He posed as a gardener, used pepper spray to grab a bag of money from a Brinks guard and then made a getaway down Woods Creek.

He also may have used an Internet site to set up an elaborate ruse where he offered nearly $30 an hour for gardening jobs with the intent of luring applicants as unwitting decoys to distract police.

“There’s nothing about this case that’s run of the mill,” FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs said.

Monroe police and the FBI are looking into a posting on Craigs­list, an Internet classified ad site, that appeared to recruit workers to help with a city cleanup project, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said. People who responded to the ad were told to arrive late Tuesday morning in the parking lot next to the Bank of America near Old Owens Road and U.S. 2 wearing work clothing, similar to what witnesses told police the robbery suspect wore.

“We don’t know if it was tied to the robbery, however there was not a cleanup project,” Willis said. “Workers showed up and there was nobody to report to.”

The ad may have been part of a carefully planned heist, with the goal of distracting police by having many men in the area who resembled the suspect’s description.

“If, in fact, that is what happened, I have never heard of it happening before,” said Burroughs, who has investigated bank robberies for 15 years as an FBI agent.

A similar ploy was used in the 1999 version of the movie, “The Thomas Crown Affair,” when an art thief wore a trench coat and bowler hat into a museum to nab a priceless masterpiece. In the movie, the character hired several look-a-likes who distracted security guards as the real crook slipped away.

On Tuesday, witnesses saw the path the robber took for his escape, Willis said. Police weren’t drawn off course by the men wearing work clothing waiting in the nearby parking lot.

The robbery began around 11 a.m. when the suspect assaulted the guard with pepper spray as he was delivering cash to the bank. Police believe he grabbed a bag of loot and ran toward Woods Creek.

About 200 yards downstream from where they believe the man got into the water, detectives seized an inflatable inner tube as evidence, Willis said.

Detectives believe the inner tube was a part of the robbery, but they’re not sure if the man floated on it or if was there for backup, she said.

“We do know that he got into the (water),” Willis said. “Where he exited and how he got there, we still don’t know.”

Police said there may have been an accomplice keeping watch at the bank and driving a getaway vehicle, she said.

The Craigslist ad, one of which was posted on Saturday, offered $28.50 an hour for workers in excellent physical condition to help on a nine-day cleanup job starting Tuesday, the day of the robbery.

The ad contained specific instructions for prospective workers. They were told to bring safety glasses or other eye protection, a ventilator mask, a yellow safety vest, and wear a blue long-sleeved shirt.

Police don’t know how many people responded to the ad. That’s something the FBI is investigating.

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.