Hot Springs police have charged Richard Gale Cotton, 48, with aggravated robbery, theft of property over $1,000 by force and use of a hoax substance.
Cotton entered Simmons Bank at 515 W. Grand Ave. this afternoon, wearing a backpack, and handed a teller a note indicating he had a bomb and demanding money, according to the Hot Springs Police Department.
"The teller complied with Cotton’s demand and provided Cotton with an undisclosed amount of money. A GPS tracker was embedded in the money given to Cotton. Cotton fled the bank, leaving his backpack inside the bank. As soon as Cotton exited the bank, the GPS tracker alerted the Hot
Springs Police Department of the robbery and the exact location of the money," Hot Springs police said in a news release.
"Officers responded to Simmons bank and evacuated the bank while other officers responded to the location of the GPS tracker embedded in the bank money. The GPS location with the money was being monitored real time by Hot Springs Police Dispatch and relayed to officers. HSPD officers located and conducted a felony traffic stop on a white 1997 Toyota Camry, which coordinated with the exact location of the embedded GPS device. The suspect vehicle was located and stopped at Broadway Street and Malvern Avenue."
An occupant in the 1997 Toyota Camry was interviewed and later released.
The Arkansas State Police Bomb Squad responded to Simmons Bank and after examining the backpack determined there was no bomb.