Woman, 78, Pulls Third Bank Job

A 78-year-old woman has been arrested after robbing a bank just yards from the heist as she tried to get away.

Bonnie Gooch, 78, from the city of Pleasant Hill, Missouri State, USA, poses in undated photo. She was arrested and charged for attempting to rob a bank on Wednesday, April 5, 2023. (Pleasant Hill Missouri Police Department/Newsflash)

Suspect Bonnie Gooch – from the city of Pleasant Hill, in the US state of Missouri – wore a face mask, sunglasses and plastic gloves for the hold-up on Wednesday, 5th April.

The police later described her as “very wily”.

Police Chief Thomas Wright said it was “a little shocking” when officers realised the age of the suspect.

A statement from the Pleasant Hill Missouri Police Department obtained by Newsflash on Thursday, 6th April, said: “Today, 78-year-old Bonnie Gooch, of Pleasant Hill, was charged by the Cass County Prosecutors Office with stealing or attempted stealing from a Financial Institution, related to the April 5th bank robbery at Goppert Bank.

“Gooch is currently in custody and has a bond of USD 25,000 [GBP 20,100] cash only.”

Veteran stick-up artist Gooch was last arrested three years ago, again for bank robbery.

She was charged with stealing and convicted, with her jail sentence suspended.

Gooch was also ordered to have supervised probation, which expired in November 2021.

She first got a taste for bank robberies in 1977 when she robbed a bank in California, according to local media.

It is currently unclear how much money Gooch allegedly stole this week (5th April) and whether she was armed.

The police also said they will look into Gooch’s financial situation to discover if she needs social assistance.