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LOUISIANA ATTORNEY ARRESTED AS SERIAL BANK ROBBER
A Louisiana attorney suspected of robbing at least five Mississippi banks and one bank in Alabama has been arrested after a joint investigation by the Louisiana State Police, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI. SCOTT EASON MEECE, 31, a private practice attorney from Hammond, Louisiana was detained Wednesday by the Louisiana State Police following a traffic stop on Interstate 12 in Tangipahoa Parish.
Louisiana State Police Detectives received a tip that a person matching a surveillance photograph from a robbery at Trustmark National Bank in Wesson, Mississippi was possibly living in the Hammond, Louisiana area. The tip led Louisiana State Troopers and Special Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation to a residence near Hammond. Investigators spotted a blue Volvo and a red Nissan, which were similar to the getaway cars used in several bank robberies in Mississippi, in the driveway of MEECE's residence. When MEECE left his residence in a red Nissan, Louisiana State Troopers stopped him for questioning.
"This arrest serves as an excellent example of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies working across state lines to stop serious crimes before anyone was injured," said Major Adam White of the Louisiana State Police.
Louisiana State Police South District Detectives and MBI agents executed search warrants on both of MEECE's vehicles and his residence, searching for additional items of evidence as other agents questioned MEECE. He was then transported to Jackson by FBI Safe Streets Task Force Agents and charged via criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court with one count of violating Title 18, United States Code Section 2113 (bank robbery). MEECE is scheduled for an initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson Friday afternoon in U. S. District Court.
"The Bureau extends its deepest thanks for the excellent work of the Louisiana State Police, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, and all of the local law enforcement agencies in the communities where the robberies occurred," said Frederick T. Brink, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Mississippi.
The Jackson Safe Streets Task Force is comprised of local police officers and sheriff's deputies from local and state law enforcement agencies, including the RANKIN and HINDS County Sheriffs' Departments and the JACKSON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
If convicted, MEECE faces a maximum 20 years in prison. The investigation is continuing and additional charges could be filed at a later date.
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