Man fails first bank robbery, succeeds in second attempt

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (WPEC) — A man tried robbing two banks in the span of mere hours in Seminole County, failing at the first attempt, succeeding in his second then was arrested later the same day.

The suspect, 35-year-old Duwane Edward Gilmore of Leesburg, surprisingly has two other bank robbery arrests from 2014 and is now held with no bond for the Wednesday incidents.

Around 1:15 p.m., Seminole County Sheriff's Office (SCSO) deputies responded to calls of an attempted robbery at a SeaCoast Bank in Altamonte Springs. About an hour and a half later, deputies were alerted to a robbery at a Bank of America in Sanford -- about a 30-minute drive from the first incident.

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In his first attempt at the SeaCoast Bank, Gilmore handed the teller an envelope, demanding "$10,000 dollars" while grabbing at his waistband.

This move startled the employee, who thought the robber was reaching for a gun. The teller ducked and pressed the panic button.

The bank teller's actions deterred Gilmore who quickly left.

At about 2:40 p.m., another call regarding a robbery came in, but this time it was at a Bank of America. When deputies arrived, witnesses described the encounter to them.

The robber stuck with the same strategy by passing the bank teller an envelope and demanding money. But this time, Gilmore ordered the employee not to push any buttons or "do anything stupid," the arrest report said.

"Give me the f***ing money," the robber told the teller.

Gilmore left the Bank of America with $3,410.

The SCSO deputies began drawing similarities from the two incidents Wednesday. According to records, the man from video surveillance at the SeaCoast Bank and Bank of America had similar features.

But, two bank tellers were shown photo lineups and neither could identify Gilmore.

A Publix store adjacent to the second bank caught Gilmore on tape. He parked a Ford Escape outside the grocery store, walked towards the Bank of America, came running back moments later then drove off, the footage showed.

Another camera at a neighborhood guard shack caught the Ford's license plate.

Deputies ran the number, and the owner came back as Akeria Copeland, who has a child with Gilmore and appeared to be in a relationship with him.

Later the same day, SCSO deputies found the vehicle at a Microtel Inn and Suites in Lake County. They surveyed the hotel, and Gilmore was seen exiting a room with a young child.

Authorities confronted their suspect Wednesday night and took the child back to the hotel room where a family member agreed to watch her.

A search of the Ford Escape did not turn up the stolen money, the arrest report said.

When questioned, Gilmore said he did drive the car around Wednesday but claimed to have never entered Seminole County where both banks are located.

After looking into the suspect's criminal history, deputies saw the two previous bank robbery charges from 2014.

According to court records, he had the same exact strategy as he did for the robbery and attempted robbery Wednesday: He passed the teller an envelope and demanded money.

Gilmore was arrested in both 2014 cases and charged with robbery without a firearm in each. Due to this pattern that seemed to emerge, an SCSO deputy requested in the 35-year-old's affidavit that he be held without bond.

This time, he is charged with robbery without a firearm, attempted robbery without a firearm and grand theft, his arrest report said.

As of Thursday afternoon, Gilmore remains at the John E. Polk Correctional Facility.

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