$2,500 stolen in South Carolina case of James Lee Bowers
By PATRICK CROWLEY
11/20/2003

The bills were piling up at the rented home of South Carolina mortgage loan officer James Lee Bowers.

The 41-year-old father of three had fallen behind on payments due for his water, light, phone, rent and car.

But on Monday, Nov. 17, he came home and told his wife he had been "paid." They caught up on all their bills.

And then police caught up with Bowers.

Bowers, who had been working as a loan officer for a Mount Pleasant, S.C., mortgage company, was arrested by North Charleston, S.C., police Nov. 18 for robbing the First Citizens Bank, also in North Charleston.

North Charleston police capt. Sam Tillman said in an interview that Bowers needed the money to pay bills.

"He was having a lot of bill problems," Tillman said. "We believe he got away with $2,000 to $2,500, but when we arrested him he only had about $600 left.

"We believe he used the rest to pay his water bill, light bill, phone bill, a couple of car payments and the November rent on his house, which he had fallen behind on," Tillman said.

Bowers was charged with entering a bank with intent to steal, a crime in South Carolina punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Tillman said he was being held on a $100,000 bond.

A resident of Summerville, S.C., Bowers has a "small time" criminal record that included drug-related arrests and not paying traffic tickets, Tillman said.

According to Tillman, Bowers walked into the bank branch on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 17. He was well-dressed as he approached a teller and demanded money. Bowers was unarmed, Tillman said.

Bowers placed a bag on the counter in front of the teller. Inside was a note demanding bills in denominations of $20, $50 and $100.

He also told the teller not to use dye packs, which are filled with ink and explode after a robber flees a bank. The ink makes the perpetrator easier to identify.

A surveillance camera captured Bower's image. The photo proved to be instrumental in his arrest.

After it was broadcast on Charleston, S.C. television stations, police were "pummeled" with calls, Tillman said.

"The photo was very good," Tillman said.

Police quickly identified Bowers, obtained search warrants from a local judge, and arrested Bowers at his Summerville home without incident the day after the robbery.

They also found evidence linking Bowers to the crime, including clothing seen in the surveillance photo and handwritten notes.

When Bowers showed up at home with the cash, "he told his wife he got paid," Tillman said.

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