'Lollipop Bandit' Gets 25 Years In Cobb Bank Heist

MARIETTA, GA -- A thief known as the "Lollipop Bandit" is going to prison, Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds announced Tuesday.

Ralfeal Anton White, 29, got his moniker after he was seen on security camera in July 2015 entering a Regions Bank in Kennesaw wearing a brown wig, dark sunglasses -- and a lollipop in his mouth.

"White intended to rob the bank, but unbeknownst to him, the branch had been robbed just a month earlier and all employees were on high alert," the Cobb District Attorney's Office said in a statement. "His suspicious appearance and demeanor drew special attention from several employees and he ended up merely asking for the location of another bank."

Half an hour later, White entered a Bank of America in Kennesaw and hopped over the counter. He held up a teller, who screamed before opening a cash drawer. White fled with the money, but was caught in Marietta behind a garbage bin. The money was nowhere in sight.

Law enforcement officers checked his vehicle and found White's "identification, clothing worn during the robbery, a Charms blow pop, and a cellular telephone."

“This is a defendant whose criminal endeavors have escalated from robbing a pizza delivery employee in 2005, to serving as the getaway driver in a bank robbery in 2013, to now being the sole perpetrator and counter jumper wherein he intimidated bank employees and frightened customers,” Assistant District Attorney Patricia Hull said in a statement. “This is an individual who simply takes from the community. Luckily, bank customers thought quickly on July 9, 2015 when calling 911 and assisted law enforcement with quickly apprehending this defendant.”

White demanded the case be brought in front of a jury, but before jurors could be assembled on Feb. 13, he pleaded guilty to robbery and criminal attempt to commit a felony.

White was sentenced to 25 years -- 15 behind bars and 10 on probation. He was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Image courtesy of Cobb County DA's Office