Aiken confesses to robbing south Fort Myers bank to buy tires for mistress’ car

A man accused of robbing a south Fort Myers bank said he did it to pay for new tires for his mistress’ car, a probable cause statement shows, and the tipster who led deputies to the suspect recognized one key feature.

Glenn Michael Aiken, 36, was released from the Lee County Jail late Wednesday after posting a $30,000 bond. He is facing charges of robbery without a firearm or weapon and possession of a bulletproof vest during certain offenses.

Investigators say Aiken slid a bank teller a note at a MidWestOne Bank last Friday, demanded money and then took off. They say he was also acting suspicious at a Fifth Third Bank. Both were in south Fort Myers.

The probable cause statement shows that Aiken confessed to the MidWestOne Bank robbery and said he went to the Fifth Third Bank and other banks on Friday to case them. He said he robbed the bank to get money for his mistress’ tires and that she had no knowledge of the robbery.

He also said he was wearing a Kevlar vest during the robbery because of the “high probability of getting shot during the commission of the robbery.” He told detectives he discarded the robbery note at a gas station and threw the clothes and vest into a canal in Cape Coral.

Authorities were seen Wednesday at a canal along Shelby Parkway in Cape Coral and were at the scene again Thursday morning, but the sheriff’s office has not confirmed the reason they are there.

Over the weekend, Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers received a tip from the manager of an auto service center, advising them he believed a recent customer may be the suspect in the bank robbery.

The manager said he saw a picture of the bank robbery suspect on the news and immediately believed it to be Aiken due to the robber’s “hands, hat, and pants.” The report states the manager “noticed Aiken’s hands were very large,” referring to them as “Popeye hands.”

The manager also stated Aiken was “dirty, sweating, and appeared to be nervous.”

According to the affidavit, Aiken’s mistress said she saw news reports of the bank robbery and recognized the suspect to be Aiken, but he denied any involvement when she confronted him.

While he is out of jail, Aiken does not have to wear an electronic monitoring device, but a judge ordered him to stay away from the banks and have no contact with any of the bank employees.

He’s scheduled to appear in court in January.