The helmet-wearing bank robber who held up the same BB&T Bank branch twice in the last two weeks struck again Monday at a new location–but saw his spree come to an end when he was arrested later that day.
Lee Roy Peters, 35, of Fallston faces charges of Armed Robbery, Robbery, 1st Degree Assault, 2nd Degree Assault, Theft over $1,000, Reckless Endangerment and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony in connection with the three robberies, according to Harford County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Monica Worrell.
Police said Peters held up the BB&T branch on the 2400 block of Baldwin Mill Road in Baldwin at approximately 12:45 p.m. Monday. Initials reports indicated that the suspect’s description matched that of the person who held up the BB&T Bank branch in the 3800 block of Jarrettsville Pike twice in the last two weeks, on Dec. 17 and again on Dec. 21.
Worrell said Peters was detained and questioned by police after a search of the area turned up a vehicle matching the description of that used as a getaway vehicle in one of the earlier robberies. A search of Peters’ home turned up the jacket worn by the suspect in both robberies, as well as the motorcycle helmet worn and the shotgun with scope carried in both robberies. A bag with an indeterminate amount of money was also found.
In the first heist, the suspect fled the scene in a red Nissan pickup truck, and in the second, used a blue or black Chevrolet/GMC S-10 truck with a white truck cap. Both vehicles were found at Peter’s home Monday.
The release from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office follows:
(Harford County, MD – December 27, 2010) – A cooperative effort between the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and Maryland State Police has resulted in the arrest of Lee Roy Peters Jr, age 35, of Jarrettsville, MD, in connection with three bank robberies that occurred at local branches of two BB&T banks over the last ten days. The third robbery occurred today, Monday December 27, 2010, shortly before 1pm.
The first robbery took place on Friday, December 17, 2010 at approximately 4:10pm, at the BB&T bank located in the 3800 block of Jarrettsville Pike, Jarrettsville, MD. The second robbery took place on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at approximately 3:00pm at the same BB&T bank. The third robbery occurred today, Monday, December 27, 2010 at approximately 12:45pm at the BB&T bank located in the 2400 block of Baldwin Mill Road in Fallston, MD. In each of the robberies, the suspect was described at a white male, weighing between 150-180lbs, 5’7” – 5’9” tall wearing a brown jacket and green motorcycle helmet while carrying a long gun with a scope. In the first robbery, the suspect was seen fleeing the scene in a red Nissan Pickup truck with a red cap. In the second two robberies, the suspect fled the scenes in a dark blue/black pickup truck with a white cap.
Following today’s robbery, December 27, 2010, a thorough search of the area conducted by Harford County Sheriff’s Office patrol deputies revealed a dark blue Chevy S-10 pickup truck with a white cap parked in the driveway of the 1800 block of Trout Farm Road in Jarrettsville, MD. In addition, there was a second vehicle in the driveway, a Red Nissan Frontier with a red cap, which matched the description of the vehicle used in the first robbery. Patrol deputies made contact with a resident of the home and detained him as a possible suspect in the multiple bank robberies. While executing a search and seizure warrant on the residence and vehicles, Maryland State Police and Harford County Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to locate the following items that connected the suspect to the robberies. Discovered was the jacket worn in today’s robbery, the helmet used in all three robberies; a shotgun with a scope and a bag of money connected with the December 27th robbery.
Lee Roy Peters Jr., age 35, was arrested at this evening and charged with Armed Robbery, Robbery, 1st Degree Assault, 2nd Degree Assault, Theft over $ 1,000, Reckless Endangerment and Use of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony. His bail review hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, December 28, 2010 at 1:15pm in District Court.
got to be more to this story
Maybe he’s an ex BB&T employee familiar with their procedures, since he kept robbing the same bank. It sounds like a movie…why would he pick the same bank each time…
I just realized I got carried away–why would he think it a good idea to rob any bank? He must have a history of crime to be out robbing banks, that’s got to be considered bold for a criminal. I’m glad he got caught.
i know this guy. i do not know what was goin thru his mind, buthe is a good guy, just made a huge bad judgement
Yes, he definitely was a good guy. You can’t help but wonder if something happened to him, and he just self-destructed.
Nice job HSCO patrol Deputies for finding the suspect vehicle . . . Good job on the follow-up by HCSO / MSP Detectives. One for the good guys.
Now this is we pay taxes for. Some good police work, kudos to all involved. Now if someone can just explain why he failed to appear in 2004 for a traffic charge and he was never picked up on that?
A scope on a shotgun?
I know, seems weird, right? But I double-checked with HCSO before posting this story and they confirmed that detail.
Maybe for shooting slugs in deer season?
It’s obvious this guy’s an idiot. Description of both vehicles and he has them parked in his driveway…I don’t think he’s an ex-employee, he’s just plain dumb. I think the HCSO did a good job, but this guy was begging to get caught. Oh, and you can’t depend on the MD Judiciary website being updated and accurate as far as that FTA.
Dude wanted to be caught. 3 hots and cot for at least the next 10 years. No financial worries now, it’s all on us taxpayers.
Few folks dislike a bank robber because many folks dislike banks.
I wouldnt have ever expected this from Lee but i also know he has had some problems. He comes from a great family and hope he can get his life together in the future.
Otto Smidlap, that’s is the stupidest thing anyone has ever written on this website, and there are a lot of stupid comments on this site. You get 1st prize Otto!
I know the family well and they are a great family. Lee had a serious accident a number of years ago and caused brain damage and other serious injuries. This is the only reason that he could have done this. I noticed a great difference in him since that accident. This is not the Lee I know.
A plausible reason for a guy who some have described as a “good guy” though he resorted to crime–not once, but three times–would rob banks. When I read those those responses I questioned the character of the 2 posters, because it didn’t seem believable in any way to me. If he suffered brain damage this whole situation is extremely and deeply unfortunate. I have to wonder if he had financial problems and the state wasn’t providing the assistance he needed (financial and therapy, etc.). It seems that people who suffer from mental health deficiencies often don’t receive the various forms of support they need and it really is a shame, as you hear this sort of thing time and time again in the news. Conversely, there are individuals who’ve suffered brain damage who aren’t out robbing banks or committing various crimes. It’s unfortunate it apparently has affected his behavior in such a manner…
Well, he has been an addict of prescription meds for years. Figure he was robbing to get money for more drugs. I feel sorry for the family, but he caused his own problems.
Lee is a good guy with a big heart and some serious problems with severe bipolar disorder. He had also gone through 3 major surgeries over past several years. 2 for a broken neck sustained after a fall and 1 to repair a brain anuerism. He was on pain killers prescribed by a pain management specialist, as well as medication for his depression and anxiety.
I don’t know why he did this as they won’t let me see him. I believe he wanted to get caught so he no longer had to deal with the pain of dealing with life. What he did was wrong, but he is my friend and I’ll stick by him through thick and thin.
Thank God no one was hurt.