Robber Apprehended 3 Hours After West OC Bank Holdup; Charging Documents Recount Timeline

WEST OCEAN CITY — A local woman, arrested this week after allegedly holding up a West Ocean City bank on Monday, had a busy morning in the hours leading up to the crime including changing clothes before and after in a nearby fast-food restaurant.

Shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday, the Maryland State Police (MSP) Berlin barrack received a 911 call from the Farmers Bank of Willards branch in the White Marlin Mall in West Ocean City reporting a robbery. A bank employee told police a white female had entered the bank and demanded money.

The MSP, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) and allied local law enforcement agencies responded and a search for the suspect was launched including police aviation and K-9 units. Around 12:15 p.m. on Monday, MSP troopers located and arrested the suspect, identified as Bonnie Gay Bozman Taylor, 56, of West Ocean City.

According to charging documents, Taylor entered the bank shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday dressed all in black and wearing a knit hat. Taylor handed the bank teller a hand-written note stating, “I have a gun, I will kill you,” according to police reports. The teller who was handed the note then handed over a significant amount of currency including “bait money” with serial numbers recorded. Taylor then fled the scene on foot.

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