Arrests made in ‘Pink Lady Bandit’ bank robberies
Yesterday, FBI’s Charlotte Division in North Carolina announced two arrests in the “Pink Lady Bandit” bank robberies. The Pink Lady Bandit is believed to be responsible for hitting and robbing four financial institutions in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and North Carolina.
The alleged Pink Bandit, Circe Baez, 35, and her alleged accomplice, Alexis Morales, 28, were taken into custody on July 28 in Charlotte. Law enforcement officials believe the pair is responsible for the following four bank robberies:
- Orrstown Bank, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on July 20, 2019;
- M&T Bank, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on July 23, 2019;
- Southern Bank, Ayden, North Carolina, on July 24, 2019; and
- BB&T, Hamlet, North Carolina, on July 26, 2019.
Evidence gathered during the course of the investigation by the FBI and the various police departments in the above localities led agents and police to identify Circe Baez as the woman who robbed those four banks. Agents and officers uncovered additional evidence after the robbery in Hamlet to identify Morales as an accomplice to the crimes.
On Sunday, investigators located Baez and Morales at the Charlotte Speedway Inn & Suites in Charlotte. Members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Violent Criminal Apprehension Team took the suspects into custody without incident.
The pair was transported to Pitt County where they went before a local magistrate judge and were booked into the Pitt County Detention Center. The suspects are currently being held at the Pitt County Detention Center in Greenville, North Carolina, on $4 million bond each.
At this time, the two are charged in connection with the two North Carolina bank robberies.
According to arrest warrants shared by WITN, Baez walked into Southern Bank in Ayden and implied to the bank teller that she had a handgun before taking off with the money.
Baez and Morales are both charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon.
Baez has also been charged by the Carlisle Police Department. Both suspects are likely facing additional charges from other state agencies and perhaps federal charges in connection to the cases. The investigations are ongoing.
Those agencies working alongside FBI Charlotte in apprehending Baez and Morales include the Delaware State Police, Carlisle Police Department, Ayden Police Department, Hamlet Police Department, Greenville Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, FBI Baltimore and FBI Philadelphia.
(Source: FBI Charlotte)
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
