Robbing one bank in a day is apparently not enough.

On Sept. 28 at noon, a man that police describe as either white or Hispanic, ranging from 40 to 50 years old, walked into the Woodforest Bank in the Kroger grocery store at the intersection of FM 1488 and FM 2978, handed the teller a note notifying her he had a gun and demanded money from the drawer. He left the store without brandishing a weapon and with an undisclosed amount of money.

A little more than an hour later, the same suspect entered the Compass Bank on Main Street in Tomball, handed a teller there a similar note, and left with more money.

However, according to Capt. Ricky Doerre of the Tomball Police Department, rather than jumping into a getaway vehicle and speeding off, the suspect walked to the Texaco convenience store across the street, purchased a beer, drank it, disposed of it and fled on foot south towards Barbara Street.

As of press time last week, the suspect had yet to be found. However, his bravado and desire for a quick drink may be his undoing.

Doerre explained that a witness at the Texaco saw the suspect drink the beer and throw the can away into a trash can. Detectives recovered the can and sent it to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Crime Lab in the hopes of finding an identifiable finger print.

In yet another twist to the story, Doerre said security cameras from the Compass Bank in Tomball recorded the suspect entering the bank at about 11:15 a.m., 45 minutes before he robbed the bank in Magnolia.

Doerre explained the suspect was inside the bank for a few minutes and wore the same shirt he wore during the Magnolia robbery.

“Apparently something spooked him,” Doerre said. “The tellers smelled a very strong odor of alcohol.”

The suspect left the store and went to Magnolia to rob the Woodforest Bank, then apparently returned to Tomball an hour later to rob the Compass Bank.

It is unclear how much money the suspect may have made off with.

During the Magnolia robbery, the suspect wore a long-sleeved, multi-colored western style shirt, glasses and a red baseball cap. During the Tomball robbery, he changed into a long-sleeved, button down beige shirt.

Anyone with more information about this case is asked to call either the Tomball Police Department at 281-290-1390 or Montgomery County CrimeStoppers at 800-392-STOP. Anonymous tips may be sent to tomballpd.com or montgomerycountycrimestoppers.org.

Pictured, at top, a white or Hispanic male is caught on surveillance cameras robbing the Woodforest Bank in Magnolia on Sept. 28. At bottom, the same suspect is seen on camera just over an hour later robbing the Compass Bank in Tomball.

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