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78-year-old woman charged in 2nd Kansas City-area bank robbery

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A 78-year-old woman is charged with robbing a Pleasant Hill bank three years after allegedly robbing a bank in Lee's Summit.

Bonnie Gooch was charged April 6 with stealing or attempting to steal from a financial institution after allegedly robbing Goppert Financial Bank in Pleasant Hill.

Camera footage from the bank allegedly shows Gooch walking to the counter wearing gloves and an N95-style mask with black sunglasses. The video depicts Gooch handing a note to the teller and banging on the desk.

The teller claims Gooch handed her a note informing her a robbery was occurring and that she needed $13,000. When the teller was counting the money back, Gooch said she made an error and only needed $1,300, so it was unnecessary to count all of the money, per court documents.

Gooch then left with the cash and entered a vehicle, according to the footage.

Pleasant Hill police say officers were informed an elderly woman in a gray Buick Enclave robbed the bank. Shortly after, police located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of Pleasant Hill Animal Clinic.

Officers claim Gooch appeared to be heavily intoxicated.

Police obtained a warrant to search the Buick and found a black N95-style mask, plastic gloves and $1,613 in cash.

They also found a note, which read: “Is is a robbery I need 13,000 small bills no! dye pack! 5 @10$bills no uppotton thank you sorry I didn’t mean to scare you."

Gooch allegedly told FBI agents she did not remember anything that occurred.

Court documents say the Pleasant Hill Police Department arrested Gooch and transported her to be booked at the Cass County Sheriff's Office on a $25,000 bond.

She is scheduled to make a court appearance May 25.

Gooch was previously convicted of a Class D felony of stealing $750 or more after a Lee's Summit bank in 2020 and was convicted for a bank robbery in California in 1977.

For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.