The fake beard--shown off in surveillance video of an August 2012 Family Dollar robbery.
The gun he brought along to all his exploits--held while he stood behind a Dollar General employee in a November 2011 hit.
It was an unstoppable combination for more than two years, as the “Fake Bearded Bandit” made the rounds of more than 30 Peninsula businesses, according to police.
It all started with the Family Dollar robbery on Jefferson Avenue in Newport News back in December of 2010.
Store video captured the beginning of the “Fake Bearded Bandit” crime spree--taking his time, herding store employees behind a counter, and getting them to fill bags full of cash and valuables.
His visits soon extended into Hampton and York County...like at a AutoZone on Hampton Highway in the Tabb neighborhood, hit twice this past fall.
The second time, the “Fake Bearded Bandit” got more than he bargained for.
“When he went to the front of the store, I ran out of the restroom, out the back door to my truck where I keep my personal weapon,” said Devin McClean, an employee at that AutoZone that was the first to confront the bandit during a robbery.“When I yelled “freeze” and told him to stop and drop the weapon, he threw his hands up with his gun still in his hand and then started running. I felt like it was my responsibility to step in.”
Devin McClean became a hero in many people's eyes...and he must have scared the bearded bandit.
The AutoZone hit was the last time we saw him... before the arrest of Ronald Wayne Carr Thursday night by Newport News Police.
