Elderly Bank Robber Apologizes To The Teller During Heist: “I Didn’t Mean To Scare You”

A 78-year-old bank robber demonstrates proper etiquette in the field after apologizing to staff she may have startled.

Bonnie Gooch is making headlines following her most recent stick-up in Missouri. The elderly woman entered a Goppert Financial Bank in Pleasant Hill on Wednesday, April 5th. She handed the teller a note demanding $13,000 in small bills and a nice message that read, “Thank you, sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Surveillance footage showed Gooch knocking on the counter as she tried to get the teller to move faster.

When police caught up with Gooch a few miles away from the bank, they found money scattered in her vehicle. They also reported she smelled like alcohol. Gooch was still wearing her robber disguise: an N95 mask, sunglasses, and gloves. Pleasant Hill Police Chief Tommy Wright said the situation is sad.

In the meantime, this is not Gooch’s first rodeo. She was first convicted of robbing a California bank in 1977. She returned to her life as a stick-up woman in 2020 when she robbed another bank in Kansas City. Gooch remained on probation for a year after that conviction. After it ended in November 2021, she apparently stayed out of trouble until this latest arrest.

It’s unknown why Gooch resorted to a life of stealing. She has now racked up a new charge, a single count of stealing or attempting to steal from a financial institution. Her bond has been set to $25,000. Gooch has since pleaded not guilty.