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1980s punk-band guitarist charged in bank robbery

Posted at 6:52 PM, Feb 27, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-28 06:48:51-05

Vernon Guinn, guitar player for the 1980s punk-rock band "Antic Hay," was charged Wednesday with robbing a bank in Virginia Beach on his 50th birthday.

Guinn and some of his "Antic Hay" bandmates were featured in the 2011 documentary, "Norfolk Hardcore: A Story of Rock N' Roll Survival," a film that chronicled the Norfolk rock scene that bloomed along Hampton Boulevard in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Debra Persons, the documentary's producer, told NewsChannel 3 Guinn stayed busy in Norfolk after "Antic Hay," working in the film industry.

Vernon Eugene Guinn, 50

Vernon Eugene Guinn, 50

In court financial records, Guinn said he earned between $70,000 and $80,000 last year, but lost his job in December. He listed no income and $2,000 monthly in alimony. Police said people recognized him from the bank surveillance photographs broadcast Wednesday.

Contractors working on the Colley Avenue property Guinn called home until recently said he lived in the upstairs apartment. The contractors said in the past two or three days, all of Guinn's belongings ended up outside. His clothes are still in bags on the side of the building, along with boxes of books and trinkets.

Most of his belongings were piled on the curb. The contractors said a trash truck hauled it all away. Left behind, smashed CDs, baseball cards, a cassette tape, and an electric-guitar plug. Also left, an old black and white picture from Guinn's musical heyday.

Virginia Beach court records list Guinn as homeless. He told a magistrate he was staying with friends on couches.

A judge appointed him a public defender Thursday. He could have a bond hearing next week.

Related:

Norfolk man arrested for Virginia Beach bank robbery