That's what happened, however, in the arrest of a suspect in the case of the so-called "Covered Girl" bandit. Police allege a woman they arrested yesterday has pulled off nearly a dozen bank jobs in Mississauga and Oakville over the past five months.
Peel Regional Police Det. Marty Pollock said yesterday that investigators caught a break leading to the arrest of a suspect when a woman fitting the description of the serial bandit signed into a homeless shelter on March 22, the day of the Covered Girl's last heist.
Pollock told The Toronto Sun that police had earlier received information that the suspect may have spent time in homeless shelters last summer. That caused them to check with local organizations that serve the homeless and that legwork ultimately led to a break in the case.
Peel Police already knew that much of the money taken in the robberies had been spent on hotel rooms.
More than $30,000 was taken in the string of robberies, nine of which took place in Mississauga. But, the woman arrested yesterday was broke.
"She had absolutely no money on her," Pollock told The Sun. "Other than, basically, the clothes on her back, she had absolutely nothing."
The suspect had been working at two jobs until mid-January, police believe.
Christine Bartlett, 38, of no fixed address, faces 11 counts of robbery. Police say she is a divorced woman with no family in the immediate area.
Anyone with information about the Covered Girl bank robberies is urged to call 905-453-2121, ext. 3410 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
jstewart@mississauga.net
