Fugitive featured on TV caught

Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Naomi Betts

SIKESTON -- As first reported in Sunday's edition of the Standard Democrat, an area woman was arrested in Sikeston after her crime was featured on "America's Most Wanted."

Naomi Betts, 22, of 416 Branum St. in Sikeston, was arrested Thursday night and is currently awaiting extradition proceedings from Sikeston to Indiana.

The arrest stems from a May 22 segment of Fox TV's "America's Most Wanted" which featured a female bank robbery suspect in Indiana.

According to the show, on Oct. 9, 2003, shortly after 10 a.m. a male and female entered the Fifth Third Bank on the Eastside of Indianapolis. The woman approached the teller counter and got in line while the male stood in the back and pretended to fill out a deposit slip.

When the woman approached the teller, the man left the bank and returned to the vehicle. The female handed the teller a note saying "I have a gun, give me the money, no dye pack."

Police say when she got the money, she ran to a car parked on the far side of the parking lot. She and the male fled from the bank in a mid-1980, dark colored, four-door Cadillac and have not been since.

After the show, several calls were made reporting a possible identity of the person in the Sikeston/Charleston area to "America's Most Wanted" officials. Sikeston DPS and the Indianapolis Police Department were then contacted.

Crews with the television show arrived last week and spoke with area officials in Charleston and Sikeston. The crew stated they would like to film the capture to air on a future show.

The last known address of the suspect was at a Sikeston residence, so officers and detectives began identifying all information and occupants in case more than one suspect was at the residence or in the Sikeston area.

Information was exchanged with Indianapolis detectives, including photos and relatives of the suspect. An Indianapolis detective arrived Thursday afternoon to work with DPS detectives.

After checking residences in both Sikeston and Charleston, they located Betts at a relative's residence on Jackson Street in Sikeston.

The "America's Most Wanted" Web site stated that Betts' mother denied Betts was at home originally but some children pointed officers to a room where she was hiding.

She was taken into custody without incident on a Miner City warrant for failure to appear on a traffic charge as well as the investigation of the bank robbery. A search warrant was also served on the residence to look for any items related to the robbery in Indianapolis, where Betts has relatives. The stolen money has not yet been recovered.

Several other persons in Sikeston were also questioned and indicated knowledge of the bank robbery. During questioning by the Indianapolis and DPS detectives, Betts admitted she was involved in the bank robbery. Indianapolis officials worked most of the day Friday to obtain warrants on Betts. She has yet to name her accomplice who is still wanted by police.

According to John Turchin of "America's Most Wanted," the capture of Betts will be featured on the June 12 show.

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