Deputies arrest suspect in two bank robberies

Deputies arrest a suspect in connection to a bank robbery in Collier County Tuesday afternoon and last week.

The suspect, Richard Paul Cote, 51, faces charges of two counts of Unarmed Bank Robbery and two counts of Grand Theft.

Collier County Sheriff’s Office said that there was a robbery at the Lake Michigan Credit Union on Collier Blvd. Tuesday. It was the suspect’s second robbery. The first was on June 11 at the Bank of America branch on Collier Blvd.

In each case, the suspect approached a teller and presented a note demanding money. No weapon was displayed and nobody was injured, according to the CCSO press release.

After the robbery at Lake Michigan Credit Union detectives developed information that led them to a suspect and vehicle description. The vehicle was located at the Super 8 Motel on Tollgate Blvd., per the press release. The suspect was taken into custody without incident.

“I live in the area,” said Dulce Pinto, a Collier County resident. “It’s kind of scary that something like that is going on.”

Pinto told WINK News, several years ago, she experienced armed robbery herself at her own bank in New Jersey. She knows the gravity of the situation when these crimes happen.

“It’s scary being management,” Pinto said. “You want to protect your employees as well, so you feel like you’re not in control of the situation.”

Jennifer Licciardi, who lives near where the second bank robbery took place, said she is going to clutch her bag a bit tighter when she walks around.

“It’s really disturbing actually,” Licciardi said. “It’s a shame that they have to come down here, obviously.”