Asheville serial bank robber sentenced; used 'toxic gas,' 'motion sensor;' hit 3 states
A Georgia man charged in a six-month, three-state bank robbing spree that included two banks in Asheville ― during which he said he used toxic gas and a motion sensor ― has been convicted and sentenced.
Johnny Jermaine Davis, 40, of Kennesaw, Georgia, was sentenced Aug. 7 to 22 years in prison by Judge Max Cogburn in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. He was also ordered to serve five years under court supervision after he completes his prison term and to pay over $65,000 in restitution.
As of Aug. 8, Davis was still in federal custody and had not yet been transferred to a prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons database.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, "between January and May 2021, Davis robbed seven banks in three states, including two banks in Asheville, N.C. Davis brandished a firearm during each of these robberies and discharged a firearm during one robbery," said an announcement from Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for N.C.'s Western District, and Robert M. DeWitt, special agent in charge of the FBI in the state.
After being apprehended, in September, Davis through his attorney Federal Defender Mary Ellen Coleman, entered a plea agreement with the prosecution led by U.S. Assistant Attorney Don Gast to six counts of bank robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.
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Charges against him were filed in different districts of North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia and compiled in N.C.'s Western District. Here are details of the heists, according to prosecutors:
The bank robbery in East Ridge, Tennessee
Court records show that on Jan. 6, 2021, at approximately 3 p.m., Davis robbed a Regions Bank in East Ridge near Chattanooga. After he entered the bank, Davis approached the bank teller and asked to cash a check. Davis then drew a firearm and vaulted over the counter. Davis demanded money from the bank tellers and discharged the firearm, which caused a window to shatter. Davis then took money from the teller drawers and fled the scene.
The first bank robbery in Asheville
On Feb. 25, 2021, at approximately 3:02 p.m., Davis entered the BB&T bank at 1653 Hendersonville Road. Davis was wearing a blue and white baseball cap, sunglasses and a surgical mask. Davis walked toward the teller area of the bank and pretended to cash a check. Court documents show that Davis put on a black glove and pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, pointed the firearm at a teller and yelled, “Don’t move.” Davis then jumped over the counter, ordered the bank employees to lay on the ground and began to grab cash from the teller drawers. Davis also told the bank employees he had planted a device that would release toxic gas if they moved before two minutes passed. Davis finished emptying the cash drawers and exited the bank.
The bank robbery in Chapel Hill
On April 3, 2021, at approximately 12:40 p.m., Davis robbed a PNC bank located at 841 Willow Drive, in Chapel Hill. According to court records, Davis entered the bank wearing a UNC baseball cap, a mask, sunglasses and surgical gloves. He approached a teller and, as with previous bank robberies, he inquired about cashing a check. After he was told he needed two forms of identification, Davis left the bank. He returned soon thereafter and jumped over the counter while brandishing a semiautomatic pistol. Davis then ordered two tellers to step away from the counter and lie face-down on the floor. He then ordered one of the tellers to unlock the drawers. The teller complied, and Davis ordered her back to the floor. Davis took cash from the teller drawers and fled the scene.
The bank robbery in Spring Hill, Tennessee
On April 9, 2021, at approximately 12:06 p.m., Davis entered the First Citizens National Bank at 2035 Wall St. in Spring Hill south of Nashville, wearing a UNC baseball cap, a surgical mask, sunglasses and blue surgical gloves. Once again, Davis approached the teller and asked for a pen so that he could cash a check. Davis then drew a semiautomatic pistol, grabbed a teller by the wrist and pointed the gun directly at her. Davis then ordered all the tellers to lie down on the floor and demanded money. A bank teller opened the bank vault and Davis took cash. Davis then moved two bank employees into a utility room and closed the door, before exiting the bank.
The bank robbery in Fayetteville, North Carolina
On May 8, 2021, at approximately 12:08 p.m., Davis entered the First Horizon Bank at 929 S. McPherson Church Road, in Fayetteville wearing a baseball hat, sunglasses, black gloves and a mask. Upon entering the bank, Davis approached a teller and asked him if he could cash a Wells Fargo check. The teller said that he could not and began to search for nearby Wells Fargo bank locations in an effort to assist. According to court documents, Davis then drew a black semiautomatic pistol and whispered to the teller that he did not want to hurt anyone. Davis ordered the teller to move behind the teller stations and then pointed the gun at another teller and ordered them both to lie down on the floor. Davis demanded access to a cash machine, then the safe and then the vault; but each time the tellers explained that they did not have ready access to any of those storage areas. Davis moved the two tellers at gunpoint to a nearby room and ordered them to stay put. Davis then found a bank employee working in another office, pointed the gun at her and demanded to know how to access the safe. When the employee told Davis she did not know, he moved the bank employee into the room with the other tellers. Davis took cash from a desk drawer before he left the bank.
The second bank robbery in Asheville
On May 20, 2021, at approximately 4:42 p.m., Davis entered the Wells Fargo bank at 800 Merrimon Ave., in Asheville. According to court records, Davis was wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses and a surgical mask. As in previous bank robberies, Davis walked to the counter and told the teller he wanted to cash a check. When the teller asked for identification, Davis left the bank purportedly to retrieve his ID. Davis returned a short time later, approached the counter and drew a semi-automatic handgun and pointed it at the teller. Davis then jumped over the counter and told all four bank employees to get down on the ground. Once all four bank employees were on the floor, Davis emptied the cash drawers, slammed the counter and ordered the employees not to move for two minutes because he had placed a motion sensor. Davis then fled the scene.
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The bank robbery in Rome, Georgia
According to court documents, on May 28, 2021, at approximately 10:50 a.m., Davis entered the SunTrust (now Truist) bank at 2401 Shorter Ave., in Rome, 70 miles northwest of Atlanta, wearing a hat, sunglasses and a mask. After he entered the bank, Davis approached a teller and inquired about opening an account but then left the bank. At approximately 11:21 a.m., Davis re-entered the bank, walked into an occupied office and at gunpoint walked the bank employee out of the office and toward the teller counter. Davis then ordered the tellers to lie down on the floor and vaulted over the counter while brandishing the firearm. Another bank employee entered the room and Davis pointed the gun at her and ordered her to get on the floor before he took cash from the bank and fled the scene.
It was not clear from information from the U.S. Attorney's Office as to whether the gas device or motion sense Davis said he had were real or a ruse.
On June 9, 2021, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Davis’s Georgia home, where he was arrested at the scene. Agents seized shoes, a hat, pants and jacket consistent with what Davis was seen wearing in surveillance footage. Agents also found a firearm that appeared to be the one he used.
Participating in the investigation were FBI agents in multiple states, as well as the Asheville Police Department and Hendersonville Police Department.
Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville serial bank robber sentenced; used 'toxic gas'; hit 3 states
