James Cozine, who was arrested after robbing the SunTrust bank on Ga. Highway 138 last Thursday was in jail from 2005-07 on a bank robbery conviction in Covington.
He also robbed a First National Bank on 278 just before after Conyers Police saw a suspicious vehicle in a motel parking lot with bank robbery plans.
According to Conyers Police Lt. Jack Dunn, in 2005, a police sergeant ran the tag on the vehicle in question, discovering it was stolen. While making an arrest of the tag, police found “very detailed bank robbery plans,” whereupon they arrested Cozine, who was going to rob a BB&T on Hwy 138 the next day.
The case was handed over to the FBI, and Cozine was charged with the Covington robbery and was given 2 ½ years prison time by the judge. According to Dunn, the typical prison time an armed robbery receives is “10 years or more.”
“When they interviewed him, he was basically homeless, living out of his car,” Dunn said.
Cozine, 26, was recently found hiding in kudzu and overgrown vegetation at the end of Northlake Drive about an hour after allegedly robbing the bank at 3:30 p.m. The weapon used in the robbery, which was purported to be a firearm, was a B.B. gun.
Cozine resisted arrest and was shot with a Taser.
According to a released statement, officers also found next to the suspect a black duffle bag that contained the white pillow case with loose and banded money, a sealed deposit bag, a black pellet gun designed to look like a semi-auto handgun, a dust mask, black and gray gloves, black sunglasses, and a beanie-style cap. All these items were used by the suspect during the robbery.
Cozine was interviewed and reportedly made a confession to the armed robbery. He was charged with armed robbery and terroristic threats.
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(May 6, 11:51 a.m.) Conyers city spokesperson Jennifer Edwards confirmed investigators are not looking for a second suspect in Thursday's bank robbery.
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(May 5, 5:20 p.m.) Police caught a suspect on the run connected with an armed robbery at the SunTrust branch on Ga. Highway 138.
The 22-year-old white male suspect, James Cozine, was found hiding in the underbrush behind PepBoys.
Conyers Police received an armed robbery call at 3:32 p.m. Witnesses provided police with a detailed description of the suspect, who was spotted running on foot from SunTrust to the rear of the PepBoys located nearby on Northside Drive.
Police quickly set up a perimeter with the help of Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office deputies and their K-9 unit. The K-9 was not able to detect anything, however.
About an hour after the robbery, officers discovered the suspect hiding in the wooded area behind PepBoys. The suspect resisted and was shot with a Taser. He was then taken into custody.
Investigators recovered evidence at the scene, are interviewing the suspect and conducting their investigation at this time.
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(May 5, 5:12 p.m.) After a search in the woods behind PeBoys that extended to the subdivisions between Ga. Highway 138 and Old Salem Road, Conyers Police officers placed a male suspect in custody in a patrol car.
The Suntrust Bank on Ga. Highway 138 was robbed around 3:30 p.m.
Check back to www.rockdalenews.com for more on this developing story.
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(May 5, 4:02 p.m.) Conyers Police officers, Rockdale County Sheriff's Office deputies, and K-9 units are reportedly searching for a suspect off of Ga. Highway 138 behind Bank of America.
A crime scene investigation unit is located outside the Suntrust Bank on Ga. Highway 138.
Check back to www.rockdalenews.com for more on this developing story.
