Illinois man charged; may be 'I-55 Bandit'

ST. LOUIS -- An O'Fallon, Ill., man faces a federal bank robbery charge after an FBI campaign to find the suspect in a string of bank robberies, the agency reported Wednesday.

Andrew Maberry, 19, surrendered to the St. Louis FBI office Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the agency launched a campaign seeking public assistance in finding the man agents dubbed the "I-55 Bandit," the FBI reported.

Maberry was charged with one count of bank robbery in connection with a July 2 robbery at Commerce Bank in Arnold, Mo., according to a news release from the FBI.

The agency is investigating whether Maberry is linked to 11 other attempted or successful robberies in five states, including Missouri and Illinois, the release stated.

In an affidavit filed Wednesday in federal court, FBI Special Agent David Herr mentioned a May 21 robbery at First State Community Bank in Cape Girardeau as one of the crimes authorities believe the I-55 Bandit committed.

In that case, a man wearing a long-sleeved green shirt, jeans, dark shoes and a light-colored ball cap entered the bank at 1602 N. Kingshighway, handed a teller a note and demanded money before running out the door and fleeing north on foot, Cape Girardeau police reported at the time.

No one was hurt in the robbery, and the suspect did not display a weapon, police said.

A security camera captured an image of the suspect.

Through a review of bank security camera photographs, federal authorities determined the suspect in all the robberies appeared to be the same person, Herr wrote in the affidavit.

The suspect was dubbed the "I-55 Bandit" because all four of the banks robbed in the St. Louis region were along Interstate 55, the FBI reported.

On Tuesday, the FBI issued a news release and bank security camera photographs to media outlets in several states, prompting tips from several people who said they knew Maberry, Herr wrote in the affidavit.

A source told FBI agents Wednesday that he called Maberry after seeing a photograph from a bank robbery in Jackson, Tenn., and told him he needed to turn himself in, Herr wrote.

The source said the images were fuzzy, but the suspect looked like Maberry, who owned a hat and bracelet like the suspect wore in some of the photos, Herr wrote.

The source also confirmed Maberry was visiting his mother in Maryland at the time of the robberies there, was on his way home to Illinois at the time of the West Virginia robbery, and was visiting a friend in Tennessee when the robbery there occurred, Herr wrote.

Maberry surrendered at the FBI St. Louis field office about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Herr wrote.

In the news release Wednesday, Dean C. Bryant, special agent in charge of the FBI's St. Louis division, credited the campaign -- which included news releases and digital billboards displaying the suspect's picture -- with Maberry's arrest.

"We have no doubt Maberry's surrender was a direct result of the extensive media attention," Bryant said.

epriddy@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

1602 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO