# Woman Chats On Cell Phone While Robbing Bank



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Police: Woman Robs Four Banks In Several Jurisdictions*

November 11, 2005

*FAIRFAX, Va. -- *Some people just can't stop yakking on their cell phones.

Police in the Washington, D.C., suburbs are looking for a woman who chats on her phone while robbing banks.

Four Northern Virginia branches of Wachovia bank have been hit in recent weeks, including one last Friday. In three of the holdups, the woman kept talking on her phone, or at least pretended to talk, while holding a box that had the hold-up note attached to it.

A spokesman for the Loudoun County sheriff's office told The Washington Post that it's apparently the first case they've ever had of a person committing a crime while continuing a conversation on a cell phone. He said investigators would love to know who's on the other end.

The robberies occurred Oct. 12 in Vienna, Va., Oct. 21 in Prince William County, Va., and Oct. 22 in Fairfax County, Va.

The woman has been described as a Hispanic woman in her early to mid-20s, about 5 feet 2 inches to 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 120-130 pounds.

The latest robbery happened Nov. 4, in Loudoun County, Va. In that case detectives said she did not have a box, but did display a handgun and handed the teller a note.

Anyone with information should call Crime Solvers at (866) 411-TIPS or the police non-emergency number at (703) 691-2131. _Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*So-Called 'Cell Phone Bandit' Suspect Caught*

*FBI Agent Spots Suspect's Car*

POSTED: 6:42 am EST November 15, 2005
UPDATED: 7:03 am EST November 15, 2005

*CENTREVILLE, Va. -- *An FBI spokeswoman said agents have arrested the 19-year-old woman suspected of robbing four banks in northern Virginia while talking on her cell phone.

FBI spokeswoman Debbie Weirman told WRC-TV that Candice Martinez, the so-called "cell phone bandit" suspect, was arrested just before 4 a.m. in Centreville, Va.

Weirman said an agent noticed a parked car with a license plate number they had been searching for. Martinez is in custody of the Fairfax County Police Department.

"He noticed two individuals in the car. He went to the vehicle, got the two people out of the car and then called for backup with the Fairfax County Police Department," Weirman said. "Fairfax County police then arrived on the scene, and together they were able to arrest Miss Martinez without incident."

Federal charges are pending in the case.

In three of the robbery cases, a woman entered the bank talking on a cell phone and holding a box that had the hold-up note attached to it. In the fourth robbery, detectives said she did not have a box but did display a handgun in her purse and handed the teller a note.

Weirman said she doesn't know who Martinez was talking to on her cell phone when she allegedly walked up to tellers at several Wachovia Bank branches and demanded cash.

Weirman said the arrest was a lucky break and a result of collaboration among several police agencies.

Police said the Fairfax County tip line had received more than 30 calls since Thursday, when the bank robber's photo was released.

According to authorities, a confidential informant came forward with a photo of Martinez and a concerned citizen positively identified Martinez, who is from Santa Fe, N.M.

Weirman said Martinez is now at Fairfax County police headquarters.

*Previous Stories:* 

November 14, 2005: Police ID Suspect In 'Cell Phone Bandit' Robberies
November 11, 2005: Woman Chats On Cell Phone While Robbing Bank

_Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed._​


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