78-year-old woman arrested for bank robbery, her third such offence

Police in Missouri have arrested Bonnie Gooch, a 78-year-old woman with two prior convictions for bank robbery, for a third heist. According to court documents, Gooch entered the Goppert Financial Bank wearing a black N95 mask, black sunglasses, and plastic gloves.

She then handed a note to the teller demanding thousands of dollars in cash and left another note saying, “Thank you sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Prosecutors allege that she banged on the counter and demanded a speedier delivery of the cash before leaving in her Buick Enclave with its handicap registration displayed.

Police responded to calls of a “robbery in progress” and found Gooch in her vehicle smelling strongly of alcohol, with cash strewn across the floor. She has been charged with one count of stealing or attempting to steal from a financial institution and is being held in jail on a $25,000 bond.

Chief Tommy Wright of the Pleasant Hill Missouri Police Department said that Gooch had no diagnosed ailments, but due to her age, they were trying to determine if any underlying health factors could have contributed to the incident.

Gooch was previously convicted of robbery in California in 1977 and bank robbery in 2020, during which she reportedly handed the teller a birthday card with “this is a robbery” written on it. Her probation for the 2020 robbery ended in November 2021.