A South Carolina man wanted in connection with two bank heists last week in Toccoa and Gainesville has been arrested in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and now faces extradition to Georgia, according to reports.
Sidney Alan McCollum is accused of robbing the Northeast Georgia Bank in Toccoa on Aug. 11 and the Wells Fargo Bank in Gainesville on Aug. 13, the Gainesville Times reported.
He was taken into custody Saturday at a Chattanooga restaurant after police issued a bulletin for a possible drunk driver in the area, according to Fox Carolina.
The 42-year-old from Pickens County faces felony charges of robbery and theft by taking, Gainesville Police Cpl. Jessica Van told the Times. He also faces charges in South Carolina for theft and domestic violence, according to Fox Carolina.
It was unclear when McCollum would be brought back to Georgia to face charges.
The first of the two robberies occurred last Wednesday when a man walked into the Northeast Georgia Bank on Big A Road in Toccoa and passed the teller a note demanding money, Fox Carolina reported. The teller complied, and the suspect escaped.
Two days later, the same suspect resurfaced 40 miles away at a Wells Fargo bank on Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville, police say.
There, a masked bandit entered the building about noon and allegedly gave a note to a teller demanding cash, reports said.
The man, who said he was armed, took the loot and fled behind a Publix on Enota Avenue, where a stolen getaway truck awaited, the Times reported.
No one was injured in either incident.
Police have not revealed how much money was stolen.
In the Wells Fargo robbery, the suspect managed to escape despite the bank triggering an alarm minutes into the hold-up. The man was, however, photographed on bank surveillance wearing Khaki shorts, a hat, and a dark-colored T-shirt.
Later, Stephens County Emergency Management in Toccoa identified the suspect as McCollum, Fox Carolina reported.
On the day of his arrest, McCollum was spotted driving a white 1997 Ford F-350 four-door truck that had been stolen the previous week in Pickens County, South Carolina, according to the Times.
An investigation continues and involves multiple jurisdictions, including the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
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