Photo: CBS 12
A former state Department of Corrections officer is charged with robbing a bank.
47-year-old Mary Adolphus of Port St. Lucie was arrested at Miami International Airport while police say she was attempting to flee the country.
Police Chief Leo Niemczyk says the woman robbed a PNC Bank on Gatlin Blvd. in Port St. Lucie last June, passing a note to a teller that indicated she had a weapon, before fleeing with about $2,000.
"It was a bb gun. We did recover that gun yesterday. It was in that large white bag that she was carrying."
The chief says Adolphus was difficult to pin down for an interview, even though she was a suspect early on. That's because she kept leaving the country for Jamaica during the investigative phase.
Meanwhile, he says that she was pulled over for potential traffic infractions a couple of times after the robbery and officers noticed something.
"On one of the traffic stops, the bodycam footage when the detectives went back and reviewed, she was wearing some of the same clothing that were in the photograph at the bank."
The Chief says Adolphus confessed to the crime, saying she needed money for rent and was in the middle of a move.
During her first court appearance today, her bond was set at $55,000 and Adolphus will have to hand over her passport.
Niemczyk says the woman worked at Martin Correctional Institution for about five years, up until 2023 when she parted ways with the state-run jail. He believes it was due to some form of misconduct.