Bank robbery suspect had lengthy criminal history

Reporter: Peter Fleischer
Published: Updated:
Bell Tower Shops
Sterling Ramon Alavache, 36. CREDIT: LCSO

As soon as the sheriff’s office released a suspect’s name in a bank hostage situation that ended with him dead, WINK News started looking into his past.

We found a lengthy criminal background and reports of disturbing behavior. Court records indicate Sterling Ramon Alavache lived in Charlotte County and was 36 years old.

According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, Alavache has an extensive criminal history, which includes drug trafficking, aggravated assault and carrying a concealed firearm from several states.

Alavache was a convicted felon.

We found four arrest reports in Charlotte County dating back to January 2017.

According to his first arrest report, witnesses said Alavache was chasing cars with a knife.

That was at the Circle K on U.S. 41 at Tarpon Boulevard in Port Charlotte.

In April 2021, the state dropped those charges against him. We have not confirmed whether Alavache ever spent time in jail.

We also searched online and appeared to find his social media pages.

On his TikTok account, a video includes text saying, “Do not test my patience. Never put me in a position to show you just how cruel and ruthless I can be.”

We’ll keep digging into his past and work to find out more about what happened in that bank.

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