Ann Mayers, 74, had been scammed out of money and also owed her sister $5,000 and a friend $65,000 after the two women supplied her with loans, according to police. In need of cash, she decided to rob a bank at gunpoint, police said.
A manhunt for the individual who robbed an Ohio bank at gunpoint earlier this week ended with the arrest of a surprising suspect.
Ann Mayers, 74, allegedly told investigators with the Fairfield Township Police Department (FTPD) that she was the person who walked into the AurGroup Financial Credit Union Bank and demanded a teller turn over some of the bank's cash while brandishing a gun, according to a copy of the complaint obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
Bodycam footage taken at the time of her arrest shows that it only took Mayers a few seconds to allegedly confess, as she immediately tells the arresting officers: "I did whatever you’re here for."
The officers then ask Mayers to be more specific, at which time the footage shows her saying: "The robbery."
Police have now charged Mayers with one count of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and one count of tampering with evidence, according to a copy of the arrest warrant obtained by Inside Edition Digital.
That second charge stems from Mayers' decision to toss her clothing out the car window while making her way home after the robbery, according to the complaint.
If convicted, Mayers could face up to 15 years in prison.
In the end, Mayers walked away with $500 from her bank heist, according to police.
The septuagenarian is currently in custody at the Butler County Jail and will likely stay there unless she can post $100,000 bail.
Mayers has no criminal record, according to police, who said that she may have decided to break the law after falling victim to an online scammer.
Sgt. Brandon McCroskey of the FTPD said after the arrest that Mayers had recently been scammed by an individual claiming to need money for U.S. Customs. She also allegedly told family members about possibly robbing a bank in the week before the incident, McCroskey said.
Those family members did not take Mayers seriously when she allegedly told them about her plan McCroskey said.
Mayers also owed her sister $5,000 and another friend $65,000 after the two women supplied her with loans, said McCroskey.
"In that aspect, some may see her as a 'victim.' Unfortunately, Ann chose to victimize several other people in the bank by robbing it with a firearm as a remedy for her situation," McCroskey said in an interview with USA Today.
McCrockey also said that Mayers replaced the license plate of her car and removed a bumper sticker that would have made her vehicle easier to identify before committing the robbery, saying that it showed premeditation on her part.
She is now in jail awaiting her first court appearance and has applied for indigent status, claiming she cannot afford a lawyer for her defense. To date, no public defender has been assigned to represent Mayers.
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