Shortly after the FBI asked the public for help in catching a bank robbed dubbed the "I-55 Bandit," 19-year-old Andrew Maberry turned himself in, the Belleville News-Democrat reported.
Maberry, of O'Fallon, Ill., surrendered to the FBI on Wednesday in St. Louis. He was charged with robbing a federally insured institution and arraigned at a federal courthouse in the city, according to Dean C. Bryant, special agent in charge of the FBI St. Louis Division.
"We want to thank the news media and digital billboard companies for providing coverage on the I-55 Bandit," Bryant said. "We have no doubt Maberry's surrender was a direct result of the extensive media attention. We also appreciate the dozens of solid tips we were provided by the public. The FBI has long relied on the public to help identify and capture criminals."
His criminal nickname "I-55 Bandit" was coined because every bank he robbed ran along Interstate 55.
The 19-year-old robber surrendered to authorities on the same day they released security camera photos of him and asked the public for their assistance. Federal officials believe he robbed a total of 10 banks and attempted to rob two more in Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, West Virginia, and Tennessee.
Maberry began robbing banks in May, with his first stop at a bank in Crystal City, Mo., and is believed to be responsible for the May 6 robbery of Scott Credit Union in Edwardsville, Ill.
The FBI received helpful tips once they released their request for help. Former classmates of Maberry came into the FBI office and someone mentioned his mother lives in Maryland, where a bank was robbed during his robbery spree. Authorities also said he was staying with his mother during the time of the robbery.
His robbery in West Virginia allegedly happened on his way back to Illinois from Maryland and the Tennessee robbery occurred while he was visiting a friend in the state.
