A modern-day Ma Barker? 78-year-old Bonnie Gooch, who was previously convicted of two prior bank robberies, was arrested and accused of robbing a bank in Missouri after slipping the teller an apologetic note.
Granny attempts her third bank robbery
Apparently, age has no limit when it comes to crime. Sharing a first name and bank-robbing penchant with notorious outlaw Bonnie Parker (of Bonnie and Clyde), 78-year-old Bonnie Gooch was arrested this week after she attempted what was now her third bank robbery.
Bonnie walked into Goppert Financial Bank in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, and allegedly handed a note to the teller demanding thousands in cash, Sunday World reported.
Gooch was wearing a pair of black sunglasses, an N95 mask, and all-gray clothing when she allegedly passed the teller a note, the Kansas City Star reports.
The note allegedly read: “This is a robbery. I need 13,000 small bills.”
The kind septuagenarian’s note added an apologetic air of concern for the teller: “Thank you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” People reported.
Surveillance video captured Bonnie banging on the counter, asking the teller to hurry, according to Cass County prosecutors, NBC News reported.
Bonnie allegedly left the scene in a Buick Enclave with its handicap registration plainly displayed.
Cops shocked after making traffic stop and discovering “little old lady”
After the alleged robbery, officers caught Gooch at a traffic stop less than two miles away. They found the floorboard of her vehicle scattered with cash, and she smelled strongly of alcohol, according to prosecutors.
“When officers first approached her, they were kind of confused,” said Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright. “It’s a little old lady who steps out.”
“We weren’t sure initially that we had the right person,” Wright continued. “It’s just sad.”
Wright called the incident “unusual,” and added that, due to Bonnie’s age, law enforcement was working “to figure out what the next steps are.”
Wright said Gooch had no “diagnosed” ailments, but due to her age, the department was trying to determine if any underlying health factors could have contributed to the incident, BBC reported.
Citing court documents, WDAF-TV stated that Gooch was previously convicted of a Kansas City bank robbery in 2020 and a California bank robbery in 1977. In the 2020 robbery, Bonnie had reportedly handed the teller a birthday card that had “this is a robbery” written into it.
Gooch’s probation for the second robbery reportedly ended in November 2021.
Bonnie Gooch is scheduled to appear in court May 25.
