INDIANAPOLIS — A woman arrested in connection with a string of bank robberies this month was previously charged in several other robberies at different banks back in April, court documents reveal.
Sierra Hunt, 55, was out on $50,000 surety bond ahead of a Nov. 28 jury trial when she robbed three different banks across Marion County from Oct. 7 to Oct. 25, a probable cause affidavit alleges.
Court records show that her bond was initially set at $120,000 surety before the presiding judge — Grant Hawkins, who retired last month — lowered it to $50,000 surety.
An affidavit alleges that back in April, Sierra Hunt stole a total of $26,665 from four different Chase Bank locations. She was later charged with four counts of robbery, all as a level 5 felony, according to court documents.
Documents allege that she stole more than $3,300 this month.
Police said that in October, Sierra Hunt's daughter, 36-year-old Shamiya Hunt, participated in an attempted robbery at the Chase Bank at 2302 Cunningham Road in Speedway and a confirmed robbery at the Regions Bank at 1250 E. 86th St. in Indianapolis.
Sierra Hunt had robbed the Chase bank on Cunningham Road in April, documents allege.
Court documents tie Sierra Hunt to the following robberies:
- April 9: Chase Bank, 6910 W. 38th St., Indianapolis — $6,500 stolen
- April 11: Chase Bank, 2302 Cunningham Road, Speedway — $7,255 stolen
- April 13: Chase Bank, 8751 N. Michigan Rd., Indianapolis — $3,000 stolen
- April 15: Chase Bank, 3721 S. East St., Indianapolis — $9,900 stolen
- Oct. 7: FORUM Credit Union, 7023 Corporate Drive — $2,000 stolen
- Oct. 8: Chase Bank, 5601 Castle Creek Parkway Drive North — $580 stolen
- Oct. 25: Regions Bank, 1250 E. 86th St., Indianapolis — $750 stolen
There was also an attempted robbery Oct. 8 at the Chase Bank at 702 E. 86th St. in Indianapolis, but no money was stolen in that case, according to the affidavit.
Documents state that Sierra Hunt on more than one occasion handed notes to bank tellers which read "NO DYE PACKS," referring to a radio-controlled incendiary device used by banks to intercept robberies. It causes stolen cash to be marked with dye shortly after a robbery.
The notes also included statements such as "ONLY 100s, 50s and 20s", "BOTH HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM", and "DO NOT GET ANYONE HURT," according to court documents.
Indianapolis police were able to identify Sierra Hunt as a suspect in the April robberies because one of the notes she left was written on a Family Dollar receipt and included her debit card information. The FBI assisted in the investigation.
After her arrest in April, Sierra Hunt told police she was robbing banks to pay for her medical bills and to help her family and that she "never thought that she would do something like this." She also said she didn't have a gun during the robberies and hadn't planned to hurt anyone.
When she was arrested again in October, she admitted to her involvement in at least one of the robberies before changing her story, documents allege.
WRTV has contacted the Marion County Prosecutor's Office for comment. In an email, spokesman Michael Leffler told WRTV he could not comment "due to the pendency of both cases and investigations."
Leffler, however, provided the following statement to WRTV:
"I would note that bond and is not set or determined by our agency. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Courts. You will see in the case chronology that bond was initially set at $120K Surety for the outright arrest and the presiding judge ultimately set the bond at $50K surety the following day and the defendant posted it."
WRTV also reached out to officials at Marion Superior Court 31 and was told the court cannot comment on pending cases.
On Oct. 31, formal charges of robbery were filed against Sierra and Shamiya Hunt. The court set their bond at $200,000 surety and ordered that the two of them be subject to GPS monitoring.
Both are scheduled to appear before a jury on Nov. 28 at Marion Superior Court.
IMPD has asked that anyone with more information in the case contact its detectives at 317-327-3475. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 (TIPS) or online.
WRTV Reporter Adam Schumes contributed to this report.
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