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Woman suspected in series of Central Texas bank robberies

11:12 AM CST on Wednesday, January 7, 2009

By AMY JOHNSTON
KVUE News

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KVUE's Amy Johnston reports

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A series of bank robberies -- starting in New Braunfels, then Kyle and Cedar Park -- has one thing in common. The suspect is a woman.

Cedar Park police say the thief walked into the Cedar Park Community State Bank off RM 620 in the afternoon Monday when only two employees were there, and demanded money.

Forensic Psychiatrist Joy Fogelman says it's fairly rare to see female bank robbers, but not extremely rare.

"We know that 46 percent to 50 percent of people who do bank robberies are addicted to alcohol or drugs -- so it's essentially a way to support a habit," said Fogelman.

If that's true in this case, the habit may be taking this thief all over Central Texas.

The picture from Monday's robbery in Cedar Park shows a white woman in her 40s with dark hair and about 5'5" to 5'6" tall. Witnesses say she drove off in a red Pontiac.

That description is strikingly similar to a woman suspected in two other Central Texas bank robberies. On December 29, a woman robbed a bank in New Braunfels. Police believe the same woman robbed another bank in Kyle on January 3, and the similarities with the Cedar Park case don't end there.

"I believe that there were not weapons displayed at either this case of the other two bank robberies," said Lt. Darlene Brown of Cedar Park Police Department.

What is different, though, is that in the first two robberies, the thief went inside HEB grocery stores to rob IBC Banks.

"Certainly it's an impulsive act, but it's also a risky act. So we're talking about a desperate person for sure," said Fogelman.

And many who live near the Cedar Park bank say they are praying she's caught soon.

But right now, Cedar Park Police say they have no leads and will need the public's help to solve these cases.

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