Double Hat Bandit Arrested, Sept. 25

On Thursday, September 21, 2017, the Indianapolis FBI Violent Crimes Task Force, along with the Whiteland Police Department, arrested Shayne Carson, 54, who is believed to be the “Double Hat Bandit.” Carson was arrested without incident in the parking lot of a motel in Whiteland, Indiana. Carson has been charged in a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Salt Lake City with the December 19, 2016, armed robbery of the U.S. Bank in West Valley City, Utah. According to the complaint, he is also a suspect in 13 other bank robberies throughout Utah, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho from December 19, 2016 to July 22, 2017. In these cases, the robber wore two hats. Since then, Carson has also been identified as a suspect in additional bank robberies in Colorado, Iowa and Ohio. Those cases remain under investigation. (The Oregon robberies included one each in Milwaukie, Portland and Eugene.) On Friday, September 22, 2017 at 1:30pm EST, Carson had his initial appearance and arraignment on the criminal complaint before the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. It is anticipated he will be transferred to Utah to face the bank robbery charge filed in Salt Lake City. The FBI would like to thank our law enforcement partners in Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Iowa and Ohio who worked this case. The Indianapolis FBI Violent Crime Task Force includes members from the FBI, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Carmel Police Department and Fishers Police Department. A complaint is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.