'Ray Bandit' captured, FBI says
A man dubbed the "Ray Bandit" for the distinctive Ray-Ban sunglasses authorities say he wore during a string of 17 bank robberies in seven states—including one in Janesville—has been captured, the FBI said.
Jeremy Evans, 30, of Carol Stream, Ill., was arrested Jan. 15 in a car matching the description of one used during a holdup moments earlier at a bank in Elgin, near Chicago. Elgin police found $4,812 taken from the bank and a BB gun inside the Toyota Camry, FBI Special Agent Anthony Reeves wrote in an affidavit. Evans is being held without bond. Evans is accused of robbing the First National Bank, 2636 S. Highway 51, Janesville, on Aug. 23. The robber handed a teller a note demanding money but did not display a weapon.
He left the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and drove away in a tan compact car. When police arrived, they were unable to locate the vehicle. At that time, Evans was believed to be connected with a bank robbery in Kenosha.
Evans has been charged in Chicago with one federal count of bank robbery and ordered held by U.S. marshals pending a detention hearing today. He is suspected in robberies from Virginia to California, and additional charges are expected as FBI agents track Evans’ recent travels and sort through unsolved bank heists, said Robert Ramsey, a senior supervisory special agent with the FBI’s northern Indiana district.
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