Bainbridge Man Pleads Guilty To Bank Robbery

Ryan O. Harris, age 22, of Bainbridge, Georgia, pled guilty October 13, 2015 to one count of bank robbery before Honorable Leslie J. Abrams in Albany, Georgia, United States District Judge, Albany, Georgia.

The following facts supported the plea of guilty: On July 16, 2015, at about 9:45 a.m., the defendant, Ryan O. Harris, entered the Family Bank, a federally insured financial institution, located on E. College Street, in Bainbridge, Georgia. Harris went to a customer island and began writing something. One of the tellers then asked Harris if he needed any assistance.  Thereafter Harris turned and left the bank without conducting any banking business. This incident was recorded on the video surveillance tape in the bank.

At about 1:30 p.m., Harris re-entered Family Bank, dressed in the same clothes and carrying a black backpack.  Harris approached the teller counter and stated, “Fill it up, I ain’t got all day,” to the teller. He stated to another teller, “You, too,” meaning for the second teller to assist filling the back pack with money. Harris then displayed a pistol to the tellers. This pistol was later recovered and determined to be a spray painted BB gun.

The tellers filled the backpack with currency, and in addition with bait money and dye packs. Harris then ran out of the bank. All of the above was captured on surveillance video.

The bank employees called 911. Law enforcement responded and began looking for a suspect in the vicinity. A Bainbridge Public Safety Officer spotted Harris fleeing on foot and gave chase briefly before Harris eluded him.

Harris was apprehended a short time later by other officers and taken into custody. The officers read Harris his Miranda rights. One officer asked Harris why he robbed the bank, to which Harris replied that he was tired of being broke. An officer then asked, “So you decided to rob a bank?” Harris replied, “Yeah.”

Officers recovered the black backpack containing the money, now-exploded dye packs and bait bills, and the BB pistol all in close vicinity to the place where Harris was apprehended.                      

The case was investigated by the Bainbridge Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jim Crane prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.

Questions concerning this case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603.