Bail Blog
02/04/2013
A woman taking a car on a test drive used its elderly owner as unwitting getaway car driver after she tried to rob a bank.
Gail Castle, 51, asked an elderly man who was selling his 1987 Chrysler 5th Avenue to ride along with her for a spin.
After driving down the block, Castle asked the man to take her to the bank, where she would get the $2,200 to buy the car.
The bank was crowded, so the man says he was surprised when Castle came out just a few minutes later, with a purse stuffed with bills.
They were heading back to his home to seal the deal, when sirens went off and six police units were following them.
Police ordered the two passengers to get out of the car.
“She said, ‘Don’t open that door, I’ve got a gun,’” the man said.
Castle attempted to flee and was shot by a taser.
Castle allegedly stole more than $2,000 from the bank. She showed the teller a note that read: ‘This is a robbery and I don’t want anybody to get hurt.’
Police say they never recovered a weapon from Castle. She was later charged with bank robbery, resisting arrest, and elder abuse.