Suspect arrested in string of bank robberies

By ALYSE KNORR

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

An Atlanta FBI task force has arrested a man suspected in at least three bank robberies in metro Atlanta.

David Conn, 30, was arrested on July 14 in Decatur by the FBI-led Atlanta Metropolitan Major Offenders unit in conjunction with investigations by Sandy Springs and Atlanta police, FBI spokesman Steve Emmett said.

Conn was arrested for the July 1 robbery of a Wachovia bank at the Birmingham Crossroads in North Fulton, the June 25 attempted robbery of a Bank of America on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs and the June 10 robbery of a Wachovia on Northside Parkway in Atlanta, said Sandy Springs spokesman Lt. Steve Rose.

Sandy Springs police and AMMO officers located Conn, whose last known residence was in Canton, by following leads from a note he used to rob one of the banks and left at the scene, Rose said.

The suspect wrote a note saying he had placed a bomb in the building and demanded money, Rose said. When he fled the scene, he left the note behind.

The note had been written on a loan-for-title document from Title Max, and investigators were able to contact the company and form a short list of potential suspects.

Investigators then narrowed down the list and identified Conn by comparing bank surveillance photos with photos of the potential suspects.

Conn, who is in Fulton County jail, has been charged with criminal attempt to commit armed robbery by Sandy Springs police and two counts of armed robbery by Milton and Atlanta police, Rose said. Investigative holds have been placed on Conn by Alpharetta police and Cherokee County, according to Fulton County jail records.

Because the robberies were a “note job” and involved no weapons, prosecution is being left to local jurisdictions and no federal charges have been pressed, Emmett said.

The FBI became involved in the case because the money taken is federally insured, Emmett said.