A GPS tracker embedded in money led Hot Springs police and Garland County sheriff's deputies and investigators straight to a man who allegedly robbed Simmons First Bank, 515 W. Grand Ave., Friday afternoon and left behind a fake bomb.
Richard Gale Cotton, 48, was taken into custody Friday afternoon after the GPS tracker was traced to a 1997 Toyota Camry, which was swarmed by officers on Broadway near the Malvern Avenue intersection shortly after the robbery.
Cotton was charged with aggravated robbery, a felony punishable by up to life in prison, theft of property more than $1000 by force and use of a hoax substance. He was being held on zero bond.
A female occupant in his vehicle was questioned and later released, after she was surrounded by officers on Broadway, guns drawn, and handcuffed.
According to a news release from police, a white male, later identified as Cotton, entered Simmons Bank at approximately 2:10 p.m. and approached a bank teller. He handed the teller a note stating he had a bomb concealed in his backpack and demanded money.
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 and alerted police of the exact location of the money after Cotton fled the bank, leaving his backpack behind.
Officers responded to the scene and evacuated the bank while other officers, assisted by sheriff's investigators and deputies, responded to the location of the GPS tracker. HSPD dispatch monitored the GPS location and relayed the information to responding officers, the release said.
The vehicle was located via the tracker, and police officers conducted a traffic stop on the white Camry.
The Arkansas State Police Bomb Squad responded to Simmons Bank and, after examining the backpack, determined there was no bomb inside. No one was injured in the incident.
Local on 04/30/2016