Knoxville — The maximum reward to catch a Tennessee bank robber whose holdups date to at least 2009 is now $15,000, the FBI announced Monday.
Authorities have dubbed the man the "Too Tall Bandit." He's described as being white, about 40 years old, 6 feet 3 inches to 6 feet 6 inches and 210 to 250 pounds. He may have brown eyes, speaks with a deep voice and walks with a limp or pronounced gait that affects his right leg.
He typically covers his face or uses a Halloween mask to disguise his looks.
The FBI Knoxville's Safe Streets Task Force.thinks his robbery string dates back nearly 10 years - to the Volunteer State Bank holdup in November 2009 in White House, Tenn.
The same man is thought to have held up banks -- and one pharmacy in Farragut -- in the Knoxville area.
Several robberies linked to him occurred from 2009-12 in Middle Tennessee. He then shifted to East Tennessee, according to the FBI.
The most recent holdup attributed to him occurred in November 2017 at the Citizens National Bank in Knoxville.
In each robbery, the man walked behind or jumped over the teller counter and threatened employees with a pistol in his right hand. He demanded workers help him put cash either from the vault or teller drawers into a bag or backpack.
"The suspect then instructs bank employees to identify monetary security measures," a news release from the FBI states.
He's made employees get on the floor as he fled.
In the December 2014 Farragut pharmacy robbery, he ordered workers to give him prescription opioids.
Robberies he's suspected in:
*Nov. 27, 2009: Volunteer State Bank, White House, Tenn.
*Nov. 12, 2010: Sumner Bank & Trust, Gallatin, Tenn.
*Nov. 9, 2012: SunTrust Bank, Franklin, Tenn.
*March 31, 2014: First Tennessee Bank, Farragut.
*Nov. 24, 2014: Tri-Summit Bank, Jefferson City.
*Dec. 18, 2014: Farragut Pharmacy, Farragut.
*Nov. 13, 2015: Home Federal Bank, Pigeon Forge.
*Oct. 27, 2016: Capital Bank, Farragut.
*Nov. 17, 2017: BB&T Bank, Jefferson City.
*Nov. 24, 2017: Citizen's National Bank, Knoxville.
The FBI said there's a science to the naming conventions they use for criminals such as the "Too Tall Bandit."
"The bottom line here is catchy names catch criminals," FBI spokesperson Jason Pack said. "So for instance, when we have a suspect who we think has a unique characteristic, or some scar or something, we'll attach a moniker to them just to help the public remember these specific features."
Each field office can help choose those names. Their ultimate goal is to make sure it's something that easily sticks in peoples' memories.