Authorities arrested a Florida couple in connection to the robberies of 15 banks, including the Trinity Bank branch in Dothan.
Dothan police confirmed authorities arrested 28-year-old Cara Lee Williams in connection to the robbery of the Trinity Bank branch on West Main Street earlier this week.
Dothan Police Lt. Will Benny said the arrest in the bank robbery is part of a "multi-state crime spree."
"We're working closely with the FBI right now to try and get everything sorted out," Benny said.
According to a statement from Dothan Police Sgt. Maurice "Mac" Eggleston, authorities arrested Williams, of Tampa, Fla., and charged her with felony first-degree robbery.
Federal court records show both Williams and her 28-year-old husband, Immanuel Lee Williams, were arrested Thursday and booked into the Hillsborough County Jail in Tampa, Fla.
According the county jail website, the couple was released to the custody of the FBI on federal conspiracy to commit bank robbery charges.
Federal court records show a criminal complaint has been filed against the couple in connection to 15 bank robberies over an 11-month period.
The conspiracy to commit bank robbery complaint filed in Florida federal court charged them in connection to 13 bank robberies in Florida, all in the Tampa area, along with two in Alabama.
According to the complaint, the conspiracy allegedly has the husband, Immanuel Lee Williams, primarily involved as the assailant or robber to go inside all but one of the banks, the Dothan bank.
The complaint alleges Cara Lee Williams actually went inside only one of the banks, the Trinity Bank branch in Dothan, earlier this week.
The FBI investigation revealed Cara Lee Williams is from Alabama, which is also where her parents currently live.
Witnesses from the Trinity Bank robbery described the robber as a white female who wore a disguise. The disguised woman reportedly passed a teller a note with similar content to the notes used in the other Florida bank robberies.
The note, which was handwritten in black ink, with all capital letters, read "THIS IS A BANK ROBBERY! I HAVE A GUN SO BE QUIET & FAST & NO ONE GETS HURT! HAND ME ALL YOUR 20s, 100s, & 50s! BE FAST & NO ALARMS!!"
The complaint stated investigators believe the woman to be Cara Lee Williams.
A second bank robbery in Alabama happened two days later at an Alabama Credit Union in Gulf Shores.
The complaint said the total amount of money stolen during the bank robberies came to $54,740, with the largest sum taken during the Aug. 28, 2013, robbery at the MidFlorida Credit Union in Davenport, Fla., where $9,880 was taken by the suspects. Some of the victim banks include Chase Bank, SunTrust Bank, Bank of America and BBVA Compass, which all have branches in multiple states.
The complaint also showed Care Lee Williams formerly worked at a JPMorgan Chase Bank branch. Several of her vacation or unapproved sick days coincided with the same days Tampa area Chase Bank branches, along with a separate third bank, were robbed.
The complaint also said Cara Lee Williams gave birth to a child on Dec. 15, 2012.
Immanuel Lee Williams was a part-time, temporary employee of the U.S. Postal Service. The complaint stated he started work there in March 2013, but hasn't worked since August 2013. There were no bank robberies linked to these suspects between Feb. 22 and Aug. 21, 2013, which coincides with the time period in which Immanuel Lee Williams was employed.
Federal court records show Cara Lee Williams has a bail hearing scheduled for next Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
Copyright 2013 - Dothan Eagle, Ala.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
