Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 11, 1995                   TAG: 9501110079
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE AND MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ROANOKE BANK ROBBERY SUSPECT HAD ROBBED 5 BEFORE

Braze Gilmore Jr., 39, appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday afternoon on three new federal charges of bank robbery.

FBI Agent David Burch said Gilmore was the suspect in two other Roanoke-area bank robberies: the Crestar branch at Cave Spring Corners on Dec.30, and a First Virginia branch on Virginia 419 on Jan.3.

The FBI - working with Roanoke and Roanoke County police - obtained a federal warrant for Gilmore on Friday. He was arrested three hours after Monday's robbery.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Eckert said Gilmore should not be released on bond because he is on parole.

``He has ample reason to flee and not stay in the area,'' Eckert told U.S. Magistrate Glen Conrad.

Conrad ordered that Gilmore be held without bond at the Roanoke City Jail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan.24.

After the hearing, Eckert said he didn't know details of Gilmore's previous bank robbery convictions, or exactly when he was paroled. A federal parole officer said he plans to file papers to have Gilmore's parole revoked.

Roanoke County Detective Clay Sturgill said that, after the Dec. 30 and Jan. 3 robberies, all leads on a suspect resulted in dead ends.

``Finally, on January6, we received information that corroborated with things we'd heard before. It was the first consistent information we'd gotten,'' Sturgill said.

That information, and pictures taken by the banks' surveillance cameras, led to Gilmore.

Police had been searching for a car rented by Gilmore. Shortly after Monday's robbery, a Roanoke police officer saw the car on Salem Turnpike Northwest and arrested Gilmore.

Sturgill said Gilmore has lived all across the country, but has family in Roanoke.

Gilmore appeared relaxed at his initial appearance in court Tuesday.

He joked with his court-appointed attorney, David Walker, about how the surveillance pictures - normally blurry - had clearly caught him in the act.

``You're right, I have never seen a bank picture like that in my life,'' Walker said right before the hearing.

If he is convicted, Gilmore faces up to 20 years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each count.