Serial Bank Burglar Breaks In, Leaves Empty Handed

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help to identify a bank burglar they say breaks in after-hours and then leaves without taking anything from his crime scenes.

The serial burglar has so far been connected to nine burglaries in three separate counties. In the two Hillsborough cases, the man broke into his target banks and left without anything to show for his efforts.

“It’s really unusual that someone would break into a bank after hours,” said Debbie Carter, spokeswoman for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. “They (detectives) have not been able to determine that there was anything taken.”

Carter said the suspect has been connected to the Dec. 22 burglary at Bay City Bank, 18315 U.S. Highway 41, in Lutz. This burglary took place at 3 a.m.

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On Christmas Eve, the man struck the Bank of Tampa, 15302 Amberly Drive, between 4 and 7 a.m. He struck again Dec. 24 in the same time period. This time, however, he crossed over into Pasco County and hit the Heritage Bank at 28909 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel.

In addition to the burglaries being investigated by the Tampa Police Department and the Hillsborough and Pasco County sheriff’s offices, the suspect has also been tied to six similar burglaries in Hernando County.

The suspect is believed to be a black male between the age of 17 and 25 years. He’s between 5 feet, 8 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches in height and has a thin build. The man was wearing a hoodie type sweatshirt in surveillance footage and dark pants. He possibly wore dark gloves in the burglaries, as well.

Anyone with any information about the suspect is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 813-247-8200. Tips can also be passed along to Crime Stoppers for a potential cash reward. Just call  1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or text "CSTB plus your tip" to C-R-I-M-E-S (274637).