"Pony-Tail" Bandit Bank Robber Arrested In Thailand

[taxexile]

PUBLIC SAFETY

Police say 'ponytail bandit,' husband have fled to Thailand

Couple charged in series of bank robberies in Austin, elsewhere.

By Claire Osborn

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Police said that the woman known as the "ponytail bandit" and her husband have fled to Thailand after committing a series of bank robberies in Austin and elsewhere in Texas and the West Coast, according to arrest warrants issued Friday and made available today.

Austin police have charged Stuart Michael Romine, 26, and his wife, Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, with robbery by threat. Investigators think that the couple, acting separately, are responsible for three robberies at Wachovia Bank at 8045 Mesa Drive — on Nov. 1, 2006, on May 7, 2007, and Jan. 14, according to arrest affidavits.

The identity of the couple eluded investigators until a confidential source who contacted police in Roseville, Calif., on Jan. 17 identified Hoke as the "ponytail bandit," according to an arrest affidavit. The source also told police that Hoke was traveling with a man who might be directing her to rob banks, the affidavit said.

Austin police determined that Hoke had a Texas driver's license and got a photo of her from it, the affidavit said. The photo matched the description of a woman who had robbed the Wachovia Bank in May 2007, the affidavit said. She also may have robbed a bank in Lynnwood, Wash., and a bank in Roseville in May 2007, the affidavit said.

Austin police also identified Romine as an "associate" of Hoke's and found a photo of him in police files, the affidavit said. Romine's photo matched the description of the man who robbed the Wachovia Bank on Mesa Drive on Nov. 1, 2006, police said. He also may have robbed a Washington Mutual Bank in Sugar Land on Jan. 10 and the Wachovia Bank on Mesa Drive on Jan. 14, according to the warrants.

Investigators also discovered that Hoke and Romine were married in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, 2006, the warrants said. The couple left the United States on Jan. 18, flying out of Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea, and then catching a plane to Bangkok, Thailand, according to the warrants. Police said they have not returned to the United States.

[lopburi3]

http://austinist.com/

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/brief.cfm?id=45550

[lopburi3]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=125887

[Scott]

I hope she looks into the camera at the airport! From what I've heard, I think I'd rather be in a Thai jail than a Texas one!

[Big A]

Maybe they'll be applying for a Non Imm 'ED' (Escaping Detention) Visa?

Thank you, thank you. You've been wonderful. Good night, Bangkok

Edited February 13, 2008 by Big A

[KK-Mike]

I hope she looks into the camera at the airport! From what I've heard, I think I'd rather be in a Thai jail than a Texas one!

Does that mean that you have been in both prisons and choose Thailand as the better of the two? Or you know some people that have been in the two prisons. From what I read you would NEVER pick Thailand prison over one in the states.

[sriracha john]

Follow-up of the OP article with the first pics of "him".... frickin' Yankees fan...

The man who robbed Wachovia Bank last month might be Stuart Michael Romine, police say.

AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT

The woman who robbed a Wachovia Bank might be Morgan Michelle Hoke, police say.

FBI

Police say 'ponytail bandit,' husband have fled to Thailand

Couple charged in series of bank robberies in Austin, elsewhere

By Claire Osborn

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

< any repetitions in the articles snipped for brevity >

"Based on our investigation, their pattern was after they were committing some of these bank robberies to fly off to exotic lands and then to come back," Austin police Sgt. Art Arevalo said. "We've confirmed through various sources that this is what they've done this time around."

"Will they be back? I don't know," Arevalo said. "We're hoping that when they do come back, they're in our custody."

Edited February 13, 2008 by sriracha john

[Seneque]

How about Mr. Bouton the chairman of french's bank Societe generale ..... he just robbed the bank of 5 billions euros .... and will still enjoy a bonus of a mere 40 mil (6 months salary) .... these are the real robbers ... those 2 are survivors and it shows the (once more) incompetence of the FBI ....

[Deesurin]

Dam !! Why didn't I think of bank robbery,instead of working in construction, in this oppressed country, for the last year and a half, to get back to my wife

[sriracha john]

Update.....the wife-half of the team is caught

Thailand nabs American 'Ponytail Bandit'

The American woman known in Texas as the Ponytail Bandit was arrested in Bangkok on Wednesday, only hours after authorities of the two countries got together to solve the case. Morgan Michelle Hoke was arrested by Thai Immigration Bureau authorities. She has been linked to at least seven robberies in the United States. She had outstanding US warrants for bank robbery and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. She is being detained by Thai officials until she can be extradited to the US, likely to happen immediately. Hoke's husband, Stuart Michael Romine, is still at large. His last known location was also Bangkok. Authorities hope he will turn himself in.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=125909

[CosmicSurfer]

FOX News just announced the arrest of the "Pony-Tail Bandit" - a Female Bank Robber.

Of course.. she has been hiding-out in Thailand.

Another example of how Farangs have been corrupting Thai society and another excuse for increased vigilance, lest Thai Morals and the Youth be led astray by all these Dark, Bad outside influences.

Do I sense another Crack-down coming?

CS

*** PS: Yes, I know that watching FOX NEWS will rot my Brain, but it's all my building provides... I've learned to Un-Spin their "No-Spin" and find the truth out of what they say.. and of course it helps me formulate my opposition arguments.

[samran]

moved to news section...

[sayitaintso]

FOX News just announced the arrest of the "Pony-Tail Bandit" - a Female Bank Robber.

Of course.. she has been hiding-out in Thailand.

Another example of how Farangs have been corrupting Thai society and another excuse for increased vigilance, lest Thai Morals and the Youth be led astray by all these Dark, Bad outside influences.

Do I sense another Crack-down coming?

CS

*** PS: Yes, I know that watching FOX NEWS will rot my Brain, but it's all my building provides... I've learned to Un-Spin their "No-Spin" and find the truth out of what they say.. and of course it helps me formulate my opposition arguments.

hopefully if they crack down on anything it will be the western, cnn watching liberal apologists that get the boot first.

[IMA_FARANG]

PUBLIC SAFETY

Police say 'ponytail bandit,' husband have fled to Thailand

Couple charged in series of bank robberies in Austin, elsewhere.

By Claire Osborn

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Police said that the woman known as the "ponytail bandit" and her husband have fled to Thailand after committing a series of bank robberies in Austin and elsewhere in Texas and the West Coast, according to arrest warrants issued Friday and made available today.

Austin police have charged Stuart Michael Romine, 26, and his wife, Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, with robbery by threat. Investigators think that the couple, acting separately, are responsible for three robberies at Wachovia Bank at 8045 Mesa Drive — on Nov. 1, 2006, on May 7, 2007, and Jan. 14, according to arrest affidavits.

The identity of the couple eluded investigators until a confidential source who contacted police in Roseville, Calif., on Jan. 17 identified Hoke as the "ponytail bandit," according to an arrest affidavit. The source also told police that Hoke was traveling with a man who might be directing her to rob banks, the affidavit said.

Austin police determined that Hoke had a Texas driver's license and got a photo of her from it, the affidavit said. The photo matched the description of a woman who had robbed the Wachovia Bank in May 2007, the affidavit said. She also may have robbed a bank in Lynnwood, Wash., and a bank in Roseville in May 2007, the affidavit said.

Austin police also identified Romine as an "associate" of Hoke's and found a photo of him in police files, the affidavit said. Romine's photo matched the description of the man who robbed the Wachovia Bank on Mesa Drive on Nov. 1, 2006, police said. He also may have robbed a Washington Mutual Bank in Sugar Land on Jan. 10 and the Wachovia Bank on Mesa Drive on Jan. 14, according to the warrants.

Investigators also discovered that Hoke and Romine were married in Las Vegas on Nov. 5, 2006, the warrants said. The couple left the United States on Jan. 18, flying out of Atlanta to Seoul, South Korea, and then catching a plane to Bangkok, Thailand, according to the warrants. Police said they have not returned to the United States.

Real amatuers.....they flew out of the U.S. to Thailand using their real U.S. passports with their real names. Seems they didn't think that the Thai authorities were smart enough to know who they were. As though Interpol doesn't have world-wide contacts.

[sriracha john]

Thai police arrest suspected American dubbed "ponytail bandit"

BANGKOK, Thailand — An American woman dubbed "the ponytail bandit" and suspected in a string of bank robberies in the United States has been arrested in Thailand, police said Thursday.

Immigration police caught Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, at a Bangkok hotel following an FBI tip-off, Police Maj.-Gen. Prawut Thavornsiri said.

Her husband and alleged accomplice, 26-year-old Stuart Michael Romine, remained on the run in the Southeast Asia nation.

Hoke earned her nickname after bank surveillance video from a Texas robbery surfaced, purportedly showing her donning a University of Texas baseball cap with her ponytail hanging down her back.

Austin police say she might have robbed a bank in Lynnwood, Wash., and a bank in Roseville, Calif., in May.

Hoke was arrested at 1 p.m. Wednesday in Bangkok after the FBI notified Thai police, said Sgt. Art Arevalo of the Austin Police Department. Authorities say she and Romine flew to Thailand on Jan. 18, after a confidential informant identified Hoke to investigators in California.

"It's been a heck of a case and a heck of a chase," Arevalo told the Austin American-Statesman.

Hoke was expected to be handed to American authorities later Thursday, then extradited to the United States, Prawut and U.S. Embassy officials said.

After the first of three robberies in Texas, Hoke and Romine dashed off to Las Vegas where they were married, the newspaper reported.

- Associated Press

========================================

Perhaps the FBI can get an airfare discount if she flies back to the USA on the same extradition flight as Earl Bonds:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1818913

[shotover]

Saw one news article that said Hoke was arrested in a Bangkok tourist area known popular with backpackers.

Khao San Road?

[sriracha john]

"Ponytail Bandit" suspect shown in Thai police photos

Morgan Michelle Hoke in a Thailand police detention center.

APTN-Thailand Police

The woman dubbed the "Ponytail Bandit," who's suspected of being involved in a string of bank robberies in the United States is awaiting extradition from Thailand on Thursday.

Hoke is expected to be handed to American authorities later on Thursday and then extradited to the US, according to local and US Embassy officials.

Her husband, 26-year-old Stuart Michael Romine, remained on the run in Thailand, authorities said.

- CBS Television Channel 42 (Austin, Texas, USA)

===============================================================================

and now she's gone...

AUSTIN, Texas - An American woman dubbed "the ponytail bandit" has been put on a flight from Thailand to the U.S. to face multiple bank robbery charges.

Austin police say 21-year-old Morgan Michelle Hoke was flying to Los Angeles to await extradition to Texas, where she's a suspect in three bank robberies.

- Associated Press

[taxexile]

why has the title of this thread changed , i didnt label the title "another reason to crackdown on farangs again" .

what has the search for a fugitive in thailand got to do with any crackdown on foriegners here , who put that stupid title in anyway ????

[Maestro]

I am impressed by the uncomplicated way in which Thailand handles extraditions. In other countries, arrested criminals have to be housed and fed for months at the taxpayers’ expense until they are finally shipped out.

--

Maestro

[lopburi3]

Your thread was combined with an updated report of arrest so posts became a part of that.

[Jai Dee]

'Ponytail Bandit' being extradited back to Austin

The accused bank robber known as “the Ponytail Bandit” is being extradited back to Austin from Thailand.

New photos released Thursday showed 21-year-old Morgan Michelle Hoke at a Bangkok police station following her arrest.

Hoke is accused of robbing the Wachovia Bank in northwest Austin last May. Her husband, and partner in crime, Stuart Romine, is still on the run.

Source: KVUE News - 15 February 2008

[A_Traveller]

One would assume she agreed to extradition{?}, rather the stay within the Thai penal system during a legal process, hm.., I know I would. I note that, in the majority of cases, the first thing Thailand does is revoke the visa for the individual thereby ensuring that whatever happens they are faced with IDC, which is famous for its hospitality. On balance though, what if the deportee was more political the criminal, would everyone feel so comfortable about the compliance to external requests I wonder?

Regards

PS I recall, maybe incorrectly, there was the tale about the passport guy who disappeared amid rumours of payments, anyone else remember that one?

Edited February 15, 2008 by A_Traveller

[sriracha john]

Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, is shown in this police booking photo, Feb. 15, 2008.

Los Angeles Police Department

Stuart Michael Romine is being sought by police in connection with several bank robberies.

Austin Police Department

Ponytail Bandit suspect arrives in Los Angeles

Austin police say depending on Morgan Hoke's fighting of extradition from California to Texas, it might take several weeks before the accused "Ponytail Bandit" is in Travis County's custody. Her husband, Stuart Romine, is still on the run.

Austin police say the alleged bank bandits hit the Wachovia Bank on Mesa Road at Spicewood Springs not once, but three times. The trail of trouble Hoke is accused of ends with her arrest in Thailand.

Gone is the trademark blonde ponytail. Her hair is darker and appears shorter.

Hoke and her husband, 26-year-old Stuart Michael Romine, allegedly robbed banks in Austin, Washington state and California. According to detectives, after the bold bandits robbed the North Austin Wachovia, they flew to Las Vegas, were they got married, and according to police, that was their thing. Law enforcement officials explain the pair often went on vacation with money they allegedly stole from banks.

The suspected, repeat robbers are charged with hitting three banks in Austin and four others around the country.

Investigators say this is an usual duo. Austin Police Sgt. Art Arevalo says it's "…not what we normally see in regards to a bank robbery suspect. They normally offend once, then they leave to get out of town so they won't be recognized. In this case Mr. Romine not only hit the bank here twice, but hit the bank in Houston twice. That in itself is very odd. But then again to commit an act of robbery is odd nature for humans."

Stuart Romine is on the run police say, so they've issued a "Be on the Lookout" hoping someone will tell them where to find the brash bandit.

Police are mum about when they expect Hoke to be back in the Capital City. But when she gets here, she faces a number of charges.

- KEYE Television News (Austin, Texas, USA)

[Viper]

Almost bound to be in Pattaya! Isnt that where most criminal end up?

[Tony Clifton]

Looking at members of the newly elected Thai government, these two are both worthy of a ministry!

[siamesekitty]

Investigators think that the couple, acting separately, are responsible for three robberies at Wachovia Bank at 8045 Mesa Drive — on Nov. 1, 2006, on May 7, 2007, and Jan. 14, according to arrest affidavits.

You'd have thought that after a robbery once or twice they'd have done whatever possible to prevent another!

[sriracha john]

A lonely life abroad for suspect in bank thefts

Austin bank robbery suspect spent her final days in Bangkok with her mother and cat

BANGKOK, Thailand — During the days before her arrest, Morgan Michelle Hoke — the woman accused of being "the ponytail bandit" — was traveling with her mother and her cat.

Her husband, 26-year-old Stuart Michael Romine, who remains free, had left this Southeast Asian nation to fly to India, and Hoke, 21, spent her last free night with her mother in a small hotel popular with backpackers, Thai police said Saturday.

Hoke and Romine are accused of committing a series of bank robberies in Austin and elsewhere in Texas, as well as on the West Coast. Austin police have charged them with robbery by threat. Hoke was arrested Wednesday in Thailand and extradited to Los Angeles.

The details about her final days in Bangkok painted a picture of a troubled woman who sought solace in things closer to home.

Her mother, whom Thai police identified as Margaret Hoke of Texas, arrived in Bangkok with her daughter's cat in late January, according to police and hotel records.

Morgan Hoke "missed her cat," said Prawut Thavornsiri, a spokesman for the Thailand Immigration Police force. "She was a very lonely girl."

According to arrest warrants in Austin, Hoke and Romine, acting separately, robbed the Wachovia Bank at 8045 Mesa Drive three times: on Nov. 1, 2006, May 7, 2007, and Jan. 14.

According to arrest warrants, Hoke also might have robbed a bank in Lynnwood, Wash., and a bank in Roseville, Calif., in May, and Romine might be responsible for robbing a Washington Mutual bank in Sugar Land on Jan. 10.

Acting on information provided by the FBI on Wednesday, Thai police tracked Hoke to the Villa Cha-Cha, a 70-room guesthouse in downtown Bangkok and detained her. She was taken to an immigration detention center before Thai police passed her to U.S. authorities for a Thursday flight to Los Angeles, where she was awaiting extradition to Texas.

Prawut said that while in Thai custody, Hoke said she didn't want to talk about the charges without a lawyer present. But Hoke's mother told police that it wasn't her daughter's idea to rob banks, Prawut said. "She said it was (Romine's) idea," he said.

The identity of the couple eluded investigators until a confidential source contacted police in Roseville, Calif., on Jan. 17 and identified Hoke as the "ponytail bandit," an arrest affidavit said. The source told police that Hoke was traveling with a man who might be directing her to rob banks, the affidavit said.

The "ponytail bandit" moniker has its origins in a bank surveillance video from a Texas robbery, which showed a robber donning a baseball cap with a dangling ponytail.

Villa Cha-Cha staff members said Hoke and her mother checked into the hotel Tuesday. "She seemed quiet," Sitwadee Booutrakarn, the receptionist who signed them in, said of Hoke.

Sitwadee and hotel guests said Thai police approached Hoke while she was using the Internet and detained her after a brief struggle.

"A guy who was very, very low-key came up and tapped her on the shoulder and asked to speak to her," said Mark Barnsley, a Canadian tourist staying at the hotel.

When Hoke reached the hotel door, she tried to run but was caught by officers outside, Barnsley said.

Thai police said Romine flew from Bangkok to India on Feb. 10.

In custody, Hoke took comfort in her cat, Prawut said. "After she found her cat, she was just like a kid, like a baby," he said. "She was very nice." But in a park near the Villa Cha-Cha, Bangkok residents expressed relief that Hoke had been extradited and Romine had left Thailand.

Prajuk Naeuna, a 34-year-old engineer, said he was surprised the couple had been in Bangkok. "It's dangerous," he said. "Criminals shouldn't have a chance to come to Thailand."

- The American Statesman newspaper (Austion, Texas, USA)

[sriracha john]

Update: Tip leads to $1,000 reward

Officials from Roseville Crime Stoppers report that they have mailed a $1,000 check to a person in Austin, Texas, who provided information that led to the arrest of Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, otherwise known as the bank robbing "Ponytail Bandit."

Here's the Feb. 14 report about the arrest:

A young woman thought to be the "Ponytail Bandit" who robbed three banks in May, including one in Roseville, has been arrested in Thailand, authorities announced.

Morgan Michelle Hoke, 21, was detained by Thai immigration officials after an arrest warrant was issued by the FBI and police in Austin, Texas, where the first bank robbery by the "Ponytail Bandit" occurred May 7.

The robber, who got her nickname because she wore a baseball cap with her ponytail sticking out of the back, hit the Wells Fargo Bank branch at 2000 Douglas Blvd., Roseville, on May 23.

Seven days later, the "Ponytail Bandit" robbed the First Heritage Bank in Lynnwood, Wash.

Austin police said a tipster from Roseville identified Hoke as a potential suspect.

Police said arrangements are being made with Thai officials to extradite Hoke to the United States.

Hoke's husband, Stuart Michael Romine, 26, also is wanted in connection with at least three Texas bank robberies, according to Austin police. His whereabouts are unknown.

More details about the reward, from Roseville Crime Stoppers:

The arrest of Hoke in Bangkok, Thailand in February 2008 resolved a string of seven bank robberies that stretched from Roseville to Washington State and Texas. Hoke's husband, 26-year-old Stuart Michael Romine, remains at large.

Nick Alexander, president of Roseville Crime Stoppers, said, "We are very pleased that our offer of a reward led to the arrest of this bank robber. Our goal is to make crimes such as this less and less attractive to would-be perpetrators."

The trail had grown cold for investigators attempting to solve this serial crime. The FBI had dubbed Hoke the Ponytail Bandit because she wore a baseball cap with her ponytail protruding from the back, but all they knew was what she looked like. A manhunt for Hoke included a feature on America's Most Wanted.

A news release asking for help in identifying her caught the attention of a person in Austin who recognized the bandit. That individual checked online for more information and followed a link to the Roseville Police Department website that displays the phone number for Roseville Crime Stoppers. The tipster called the Crime Stoppers line and spoke to a detective.

Using information from the caller, Roseville detectives identified the Ponytail Bandit as Hoke. The FBI used the same information to link Hoke to seven bank robberies in three states. Additional information from the Austin informant led the FBI to Thailand where Hoke was located, arrested by Thai police, and extradited to the United States to stand trial.

Roseville Crime Stoppers encourages anyone with information on serious crimes to call them. The caller will be assigned a number to remain anonymous and will be asked to call back in a few days to see if an arrest has been made. If the information was instrumental in an arrest, a cash reward up to $1,000 will be paid.

- Sacremento Bee (Sacremento, California, USA) / April 21, 2008