Bank robbery suspect in custody, police say

Less than 24 hours after the crime, officials with the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department learned that their suspect in an bank robbery case had been caught by Alabama authorities.

According to Fort Oglethorpe Police Chief Mike Helton, the suspect could potentially be connected to multiple robberies in Georgia and Alabama.

“We were notified that the man we believe to be our suspect is in custody in Hoover, Ala.,”

Helton said. “He was stopped overnight in Alabama, and we’re working with the authorities there, the GBI, and the FBI on this case.”

The suspect, 56-year-old John Cameron, allegedly held up the Fort Oglethorpe branch of Wells Fargo Bank at 739 Battlefield Parkway just before 5 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Dec. 8.

Helton says Cameron entered the bank and held it up, ultimately making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

“The 911 call was received at 4:44 p.m. yesterday, so he entered the bank a couple of minutes before that,” Helton explained.

“A lot of banks don’t have their lobbies open because of the pandemic, but this one actually had theirs open. The good thing is that no one was hurt during the incident.”

After the robbery, Helton said, his staff was able to gather photos of Cameron and his vehicle from an incident involving another agency. Those photos were then posted on the department’s Facebook page to assist with the search.

Helton added that Cameron has ties to the area. “We were able to establish that he had a previous address in the area a few years ago, so he has a Walker/catoosa County connection,” Helton said. “So, he was familiar with the area, having lived nearby at one time.”

Helton said his agency is still gathering evidence and working diligently with the other agencies to build the best case possible.

“The investigation is ongoing, but we feel like we have good evidence that this is our suspect,” Helton said. “We feel like we have a strong case.”