KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A 65-year-old robber sought in seven heists pleaded guilty to four of them yesterday – including two at the same branch of Tennessee Members First FCU last November.
Police said Bobby Joe Phillips, dubbed the “Grandpa Bandit,” gave himself away during one of the hold ups when he handed the teller a demand note. A slip of paper accompanying the note fell out of his pocket, identifying an acquaintance. The acquaintance subsequently identified Phillips from surveillance photos taken during the robberies.
Phillips confessed to robbing First Tennessee Bank twice in October, then the credit union twice the following month. Three other charges are pending against him in Georgia.
Phillips never changed his clothing, appearance or approach as police in two states searched for him. He kept driving a red pickup, which ultimately brought him down when a local police officer spotted the truck in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn, then watched Phillips walk up to it.
His total take in the four Tennessee robberies was more than $18,000.
