Three Facing Federal Charges After Carthage Bank Robbery

Police Pursuit by Multiple Agencies Leads to Arrests

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – September 26, 2019 – Three mid-state individuals are facing federal bank robbery charges following the Tuesday afternoon robbery of the Citizen’s Bank of Carthage, announced U.S. Attorney Don Cochran for the Middle District of Tennessee.

David Reynolds, 28, Joe Betty, 22, and Tiffany Garcia, 27, all of Gallatin, Tennessee, were charged yesterday in a criminal complaint following their arrests Tuesday afternoon on Interstate 40, near Lebanon, Tennessee.

According to the complaint, on Tuesday afternoon, three individuals entered the Citizen’s Bank on Dixon Springs Highway in Carthage, Tennessee and one of the individuals handed a teller a note demanding $15,000.  The robber motioned to his waist indicating a gun.  When the teller told the robber that there was not enough cash in the drawer to fulfill the demand, the robber asked where additional cash was.  The teller then motioned toward the vault behind the teller counter.  The robber then went behind the counter, pushed the teller out of the way and began taking cash from the vault and instructed the other two suspects to help him.

The suspects then fled the bank in a red Chevrolet Impala and a bank teller notified police.  Officers from the Smith County Sheriff’s Department and the Carthage Police Department observed the suspects fleeing the bank and attempted to stop them but the suspects continued to flee.  Multiple law enforcement agencies became involved as the suspects fled.   The vehicle was subsequently stopped on Interstate 40, near Lebanon and four individuals were apprehended including Reynolds, Betty and Garcia, along with $65,000 cash.  The other individual was a juvenile and was taken into custody by the Smith County Sheriff’s Department.

After reviewing the bank surveillance video, FBI agents determined that approximately five minutes before the robbery, Tiffany Garcia entered the bank and spoke to a teller.  The complaint alleges that Garcia was “casing” the premises immediately before the robbery. 

If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison.

This case is being investigated by the FBI.  Other agencies involved in the pursuit and apprehension include the Tennessee Highway Patrol; the Wilson County Sheriff’s Department; and the Lebanon Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire is prosecuting the case.

The charge is merely an accusation.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.