Soft-Spoken Bank Robber Busted After Tips Poured In

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL — The man believed responsible for robbing New Port Richey’s TD Bank Tuesday afternoon is behind bars after eight different people, including six tipsters, identified him from surveillance photos.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the robbery that led to the arrest of Brian Wayne Sutherlin, 36, occurred just before 2 p.m. Dec. 6. Deputies say a white man went into the 8928 Old County Road 54 bank and walked up to a teller. Once at the counter, “the suspect spoke softly and mentioned $2,000, then displayed a handwritten note,” the arrest report states.

Realizing she was being robbed, deputies say the teller opened her drawer and removed an undisclosed amount of money. The man took the cash and left the bank, heading eastbound across Little Road.

The bank’s surveillance captured the robbery in action, including an image of the suspect’s face that was “clearly visible.” With that image in hand, the sheriff’s office turned to the public for help identifying the suspect.

The arrest report noted it didn’t take long for several tips to come in.

“I spoke with six different subjects who personally know Brian Sutherlin and they all advised he was the suspect from the video surveillance,” the arrest report said. The teller also identified him from a photo pack, the report noted.

Sutherlin was tracked down to a motel room Tuesday evening. He was with a female at the time, the report said. The woman with him also “identified Brian from the video surveillance footage,” the arrest reported added.

Sutherlin was charged with robbery and booked into the Land O’ Lakes Jail Tuesday night.

Booking photo courtesy of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office