A Florida man did some light research before successfully robbing a bank…
William Joe Johnson, 26, googled "how to rob a bank" just before sticking up the Achieva Credit Union in Pinellas Park, Florida, late last week. He’s currently booked and held on a $100,000 bail for the robbery.
According to a release from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Johnson suggested he had a gun, and demanded cash from a teller at the counter. He took off sprinting after being handed the loot. This all happened before noon on Thursday. Police arrested him late on Monday.
Police say that Johnson spent the funds he stole on utilities, rent, and a large drug binge.
After an investigation, deputies found him at a nearby hotel. In an interview, detectives said Johnson told them he needed money and simply searched the easiest way to steal money from a bank.
The top results to appear when you search this is Deadspin's "How To Rob A Bank, As Told By An Actual Bank Robber," the IMDB page for the 2007 comedy "How to Rob a Bank" and a Time magazine article titled "Thinking About Robbing a Bank? Read This First".
Obviously, Johnson did not get to the third article, which basically says the payoff is lower than you’d expect. Time mentions that the payoff usually is around $4,000, and that’s if you don’t get thrown into the slammer.
According to the New York Daily News, Johnson is being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bond “due to an outstanding warrant for failing to appear on a prior sexual assault case”.