'Comicon' Bandit Suspect Charged In 5 Bank Robberies
LITTLETON, Colo. (CBS4)- Surveillance video captured from Chatfield Time Rentals and Sales in Littleton helped police catch a serial bank robber who allegedly wore a Darth Vader mask during some of his heists.
The Jefferson County District Attorney's Office charged Gary Crider in connection with five bank robberies between December and January.
"I'm happy anytime some thief gets caught," said Chatfield Time Rentals owner Gary Birkholz. "It seems like it's getting worse and worse."
Investigators say the "Comic Con Bandit" wore Darth Vader and Black Panther masks during most of the robberies in Adams, Boulder, and Jefferson Counties.
Bank of the West off Ken Caryl Avenue in Littleton was just one of his targets.
Birkholz says cameras placed around his property helped in the investigation.
"They had a description of the vehicle and license plate number, and that's where they got the license plate number was off my camera," Birkholz said.
Authority say Crider, 49, got away with at least $26,000.
Birkholz is glad surveillance cameras he uses to protect his business help solve a string of crimes.
"I hope they catch a bunch more," Birkholz said.
Crider has been charged with 12 felony counts, including two counts of aggravated robbery, nine counts of robbery, and one count of theft.
The arrest of Crider resulted from a collaborative effort of the FBI's Rocky Mountain Safe Streets Task Force (RMSSTF), the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Corrections Fugitive Apprehension Unit, Westminster Police Department and SWAT, and the Louisville Police Department.
Crider was arrested at a motel in Westminster on Jan. 11. He was on parole in Colorado and on federal probation at the time of his arrest.
He remains in custody at the Jefferson County jail on $250,000 bond.
Andrea Flores is a reporter for CBS4. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @AndreaFloresTV.