"Granddad Bandit" Suspect was a Smart, Kindhearted Man Who Liked Bologna Sandwiches, Says Wife

BATON ROUGE, La. (CBS/AP) Patsy Mara doesn't doubt that the man the FBI dubbed the "Granddad Bandit," suspected in a string of bank robberies across the country, is her husband Michael Mara.

PICTURES: Most Outrageous Bank Robbers

However, the 61-year-old woman still has trouble reconciling the image of a holdup man who snatched money from more than two dozen banks with the gentle, loving husband she married just a year ago.

Michael Mara, 52, was arrested Wednesday after police and FBI agents acting on a tip surrounded their modest home in Baton Rouge. He surrendered peacefully after a nearly six-hour standoff.

"Did my husband who I was married to do that? Of course not. Did Michael Mara, the guy who walked out this door with police do it? Yes," Patsy Mara said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The Michael Mara she knew was smart and kindhearted, loved trips to New Orleans' French Quarter and liked bologna sandwiches and macaroni-and-cheese dinners.

She said she knows nothing about the crimes he's accused of, beyond what she's now seen in TV newscasts.

"The Granddad Bandit'" AKA Michael Mara, is suspected of robbing 25 banks in 13 states, dating back to a December 2008 holdup of SunTrust Bank in downtown Richmond, Virginia, authorities said.

PICTURES: Most Outrageous Bank Robbers

According to court documents, the FBI received a tip from someone who identified Michael Mara as the robber and gave authorities photographs to match to bank surveillance videos.

In the robberies, the suspect waited patiently in line and handed the teller a note demanding a specific amount of money.

In an exclusive interview with the first victim of the "Granddad Bandit," the SunTrust Bank Teller in Richmond says he looked just as scared as she was.

"He gave me a note and he was very nervous," Annette Kizzie told CBS affiliate WTVR. "I don't know who was shaking more, he or myself."

Sometimes, he made gestures indicating he had a weapon, although agents said there was no indication he ever used one.

Now Patsy mara says she's only sure of a few things, that her husband treated her well, that her family loved him and that she had a happy life with him. As she described him with tears in her eyes, Patsy Mara sat in a home filled with family photos that show Michael Mara with her children and grandchildren.

She also knows that during Wednesday's standoff he said he worried about her. Patsy Mara sat in a car only a few houses away from home, getting updates from officials as they negotiated with her husband to give himself up.

"When he was talking to people yesterday, his concern was for me. His concern was that I'm going to be angry. I'm not angry. I'm sad," she said. "I cannot be angry and throw him in the garbage."

Michael Mara waived extradition to Virginia Friday to face trial on the armed robbery charge there.

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August 11, 2010 - "Granddad Bandit" Captured in Louisiana, Says FBI; Wanted in 25 Bank Heists in 13 States