David Sartin Jr. has been arrested in connection with two bank robberies in Largo and St. Petersburg. Sartin Jr. is a serial bank robber who was on supervised release for prior bank robberies, FOX13 reports. But the fascinating part of the case is not that Sartin Jr. managed to carry out two more robberies; it’s that he did them wearing a realistic old-man mask.
David Sartin Jr. Arrested After Robbing Bank with ‘Old Man’ Mask
The first robbery was in Largo on August 24, and the second in St. Petersburg on September 15. Both times, Sartin was wearing a prosthetic mask that transformed his appearance and made him look like an “old man.” Photos show a prosthetic mask with a large nose, grey facial hair, and bushy eyebrows.
Sartin Jr. carried out his robberies by demanding cash from the teller and instructing them not to include dye packs. He then rode a bicycle away from the bank to a nearby parked vehicle, which he left at a gas station. The vehicle was later seen heading toward Sartin Jr.’s residence, a press release from The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida reports. Before the second robbery, a vehicle was seen leaving and returning to Sartin Jr.’s residence. He also tried to alter the car’s appearance, spray-painting the white roof black.
Authorities searched Sartin Jr.’s storage unit, which contained a backpack and a laptop with the items he used to disguise himself in the bank robberies. According to the press release, this included “the old‑man mask with grey facial hair, dark‑framed glasses, and work gloves with black paint on them. The bags also contained a fake handgun and clothing consistent with the disguise worn during the second robbery, including a white dress shirt with black studs, a pinstriped sports coat, a dark blue flat cap, and black dress shoes and pants.”
A Repeat Offender
A residence where Sartin Jr. had spent time was searched, and a different prosthetic mask was found, along with a journal titled, “God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber! Uncle Henry Cops and Robbers the world through the eyes of a Bank Robber.” The journal stated it was “written by Sartin Jr.” and dated “Jan 1, 2021.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida reported the journal also included a drawing holding a mask, with the words, “My face holding up uncle Henry, looking at it, Face to Face.”
As a repeat offender, Sartin Jr. is facing up to 40 years behind bars, 20 years on each count. Prior to these robberies, he was convicted in 2018 for robbing five banks in Texas. He was on supervised release after a 10-year and one-month federal prison sentence, FOX13 reports. In his previous robberies, Sartin Jr. had a similar modus operandi, using Halloween masks to conceal his identity.
It is unclear if there were any injuries during Sartin Jr.’s latest robberies, and the full amount of money stolen has not been disclosed.
Police Say a Serial Bank Robber Wore a Realistic ‘Old Man’ Mask to Pull Off His Latest Heists