An accused serial bank robber from Missouri is in custody in Alabama, accused of three holdups here and many more outside of the state.
Homewood police on Friday announced the arrest of Monte Clayton Lynch. The 49-year-old is charged with first-degree robbery in the Aug. 3 holdup at the Wells Fargo on West Valley Avenue and accused of another the same day in Birmingham.
Lynch – believed to be behind a string of bank robberies in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee – was taken into custody last week in Montgomery County. Authorities there say he was captured after a robbery at First Community Bank on East Main Street in Prattville.
The first Alabama holdup happened just before 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Wells Fargo Bank at 301 Summit Boulevard. The suspect entered the bank and presented the teller with a note demanding money, said Birmingham police Sgt. Johnny Williams. He fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. There were no injuries.
About an hour later, authorities said he robbed the Wells Fargo Bank on West Valley Avenue, Carr said. In both Alabama cases he presented the teller a note that read, “All $$$, No GAMES.”
The suspect was wearing a grey v-neck pullover, a ball cap and sunglasses. There was no gun shown.
Authorities say next he went to Georgia where he robbed a bank in Marietta on Aug. 5, and another one in Tyrone, Ga. on Aug. 6. He managed to get away with at least $5,000 in the Tyrone holdup, according to published reports.
Lynch is no stranger to crime. In 2016, he was arrested in St. Louis on charges he robbed two banks there by giving notes to tellers demanding money. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he led lawmen on a chase through multiple jurisdictions for more than 20 miles and, at one point, tried to escape into oncoming traffic on the wrong side of a busy interstate.
The publication said at the time of Lynch’s 2016, he had prior convictions for auto theft, non-support and wildlife poaching. The outcome of the Missouri robbery charges wasn’t immediately available.
Lynch is being held in the Montgomery County Jail. Carr said the FBI and multiple other law enforcement agencies took part in identifying him. He is facing additional charges.