Hold Up: Dallasite Arrested And Charged With Bank Robbery

Dallas TX

06 May, 2021

10:54 PM

Description

DALLAS — Dallas resident Michael Wilmer Wilson has been arrested and faces charges of bank robbery, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah. The allegations say that the 34-year old appeared February 9 at a Dallas bank presented a note which read, "This is a robbery. I have a gun." Authorities say that after the startled teller surrendered several thousand dollars to the suspect, he got away with both the demand note and his loot — but accidentally left behind a deposit slip on the counter containing a fingerprint. While the fingerprint image was able to be copied and run through databases, no match was initially found. In true Bonnie and Clyde-like fashion, the robber struck again on April 29, this time brandishing a note that read, "DON'T BE A HERO" and demanded $30 thousand dollars from the bank teller. After instructing that the cash be put into a folder, the robber then disappeared in the direction of a local grocery. Sign up to support local journalism and you may receive coupons valued at up to $100 or more every month for use at local Dallas, TX businesses. Existing surveillance video of the parking lot pinpointed a silver Dodge Challenger leaving the scene moments after the incident, investigators say. What's more, footage later revealed the same Challenger encountered a police vehicle, which captured the auto's license plate on camera. A license plate trace found Wilson to be the registered owner, and subsequent searches of DMV records found a driver's permit photo of Wilson, which victims say match their recollections of the bandit's appearance. Ultimately, the fingerprint sample inadvertently left during the first heist was matched by a forensic specialist, who compared the February robbery print to a print from March of 2020, when Wilson voluntarily provided his print while applying for a driver's license. Wilson's first federal court appearance is slated for Friday, and authorities' criminal complaint states that the alleged bandit can be tied to a series of bank robberies across the region — which were repeatedly recorded on camera. Conviction on the charges could lead to a prison sentence of 20 years. Looking for more Dallas news? Subscribe.