A 22-year veteran of the Conroe Police Department was arrested Tuesday, accused of robbing a Montgomery County bank where he also worked as a security guard.
Michael Edward Tindall allegedly stole more than $28,000 from the First Bank of Conroe last August, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He is charged with one count of bank robbery.
Investigators say co-workers from the bank and the Police Department recognized Tindall as the thief on surveillance videotapes that captured the robbery. Tindall was off-duty when the bank was robbed, police said.
He was arrested Tuesday in Conroe and taken to the federal detention center in downtown Houston.
“It’s very difficult to understand that we have one of our own who has betrayed us,” said Andrew Bland, FBI special agent in charge. “But at the end of the day we will police ourselves.”
Conroe Police Chief Charlie Ray says he has known Tindall for at least 20 years and considers him a personal friend. At one point, he served as the department’s public information officer, a high-profile position requiring him to work with the media. The chief said there was nothing in Tindall’s demeanor that would suggest he’d break the law in such a public way.
“It’s a sad day,” Ray said.
Citing the ongoing investigation, authorities declined to discuss specifics about the case, but a criminal complaint filed against Tindall suggests that co-workers at the bank recognized him immediately.
Reply With Quote
3 Member(s) thanked for this post
Bookmarks