14 DAY TRIAL // A teenager has surrendered to law enforcement officers, turning himself in and admitting that he is the I-55 bandit.
19-year-old Andrew Maberry of O’Fallon, Illinois contacted the St. Louis FBI office after billboards popped up with messages about his capture.
Local media also reported about the man dubbed the I-55 bandit hitting 10 banks across five states.
“We have seen cases, it’s more rare, when the bank robber goes across the country and different states,” FBI spokeswoman Rebecca Wu discusses in an interview with ABC News.
Ex-FBI agent Brad Garrett describes the scenario of a typical robbery carried out by Maberry – he walks up to a bank teller and gives her a note, asking for money. As the note suggests that the man has a weapon on him, the cashier complies.
“Whatever the instructions may be by the bad guy, they’re instructed to follow,” Garrett says.
Maberry would use a hat and a pair of shades to perpetrate the robberies. He has been active in Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, West Virginia and Tennessee.
Dean C. Bryant, heading the Bureau's St. Louis office, informs that he has been charged for one count of bank robbery.
The suspect has been arraigned for the bank robbery at Commerce Bank in Arnold, Missouri, The Telegraph writes. He used the same MO during the July 2 robbery.
Bryant credits Maberry's desire to confess to interest shown by media outlets and signage sponsors.
“Billboards are extremely effective because it gives you a broad audience view of your bad guy. [...] We have no doubt Maberry’s surrender was a direct result of the extensive media attention. We also appreciate the dozens of solid tips we were provided by the public,” Garrett adds.
“The FBI has long relied on the public to help identify and capture criminals,” he notes in a press conference.