Alleged thief SAN FRANCISCO >> The lead air traffic controller at San Francisco International Airport was to appear in court today for a bail hearing on charges that he robbed nine banks.
has kids in Hawaii
An air traffic controller may
have robbed 9 banks to pay for
their flights to San FranciscoAssociated Press
Rick Lee Davis, who earns $120,000 a year, told detectives he robbed the banks to fly his children to and from Hawaii to visit him and also to pay child support.
Davis is accused of being the "robust robber," a thief with a stocky build who is suspected in nine bank robberies since October 17, 2000. He could face 180 years in prison if convicted.
Davis, 43, was arrested a week ago when a Concord officer spotted him in a Bank of America branch passing a note to a teller. The robber left the bank with $3,199, and was arrested a short time later.
"This is the furthest from the classic bank robber profile I have ever seen," said Andrew Black, San Francisco spokesman for the FBI. "Usually these people are desperate substance abusers or alcoholics from the street. This guy appeared to have it all together."
Davis is one of the nation's leading spokesmen for air traffic controllers. He has been an employee of the Federal Aviation Administration since 1986. He worked in Hawaii before moving to San Francisco, where he represents the tower's 50 FAA employees with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.