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66-year-old Pensacola man arrested in Crestview bank robbery

A 66-year-old man who went to federal prison for previous bank robberies was arrested Friday in connection with a robbery at Regions Bank in Crestview, Florida.
Suspect shown wearing a fluorescent yellow safety vest and large straw hat with face mask during the alleged robbery of Regions Bank on South Ferdon Boulevard in Crestview on Friday, November 1, 2024. (Photo courtesy of Crestview Police Department)

A suspect wearing a fluorescent safety vest, straw hat, and face mask reportedly robbed a Regions Bank in Crestview Friday afternoon before being arrested hours later at his Pensacola home.

  • James Keith Johnson, 66, was charged with robbery after allegedly demanding money from tellers at the South Ferdon Boulevard branch while indicating he had a weapon in his pocket. The incident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. on November 1.

Witnesses reported seeing the suspect, still wearing the distinctive safety vest, flee on foot to a nearby shopping plaza before driving away erratically in a white SUV.

Following the robbery, Johnson reportedly attended a Native American event in Niceville but left before law enforcement arrived. Johnson, who goes by the name Thunder Eagle Ghost Dancer, adopted this moniker after his 1995 bank robbery conviction.

  • Johnson’s criminal history includes two Florida bank robberies in March 1995. He was caught after attempting to launder dye-stained bills through a Mississippi casino token machine. That conviction resulted in a 327-month federal prison sentence.

The Crestview Police Department attributed the swift arrest to citizen tips, investigative work, and cooperation with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, who assisted in locating and arresting Johnson at his West Bay Point Drive residence.

Johnson was booked into the Escambia County Jail pending his first court appearance and extradition to Okaloosa County.

4 Responses

  1. I take it that he only did half of 27 years which is 13 1/2 years .He apparently missed his inmate friends. What made him think he could get away with it this time? Hell, what did he have to lose?

  2. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I seriously question the integrity of the yellow media and low-intelligence commenters for spewing such damagaing rhetoric before this case has even been investigated. Shame, shame, shame on you hateful people of no integrity.

  3. One of the most important issue regarding this matter is: was this x-con provided with an opportunity to learn a trade while locked up for 327 months or was he made to cut grass and pickup trash alongside the roads. Then released back into society to make a living as an x-con? We need to do better. Most businesses don’t hire x-cons, how is he expected to eat and meet his living expenses? He’s being setup to fail and we look down our noses at him.

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