Masked man accused of robbing two Pinellas banks

David Sartin, 40, stole less than $3,000 from a St. Petersburg bank on Sept. 15, ending a two-month spree that included a hit on a Largo branch. The suspect is now in the Pinellas County Jail facing federal bank robbery charges.

Sartin allegedly wore a mask with wrinkled cheeks and a bulbous nose to disguise his face during both crimes. He carried a black bag with a cross strap and passed notes demanding cash from tellers.

The first robbery occurred on Aug. 24 at Valley Bank in Largo. Sartin arrived by bicycle, which he parked near a fence line after riding from a RaceTrac gas station. He wore a straw hat, sport jacket, green shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. Inside, he demanded all the money and warned tellers not to use dye packs. He left with $2,900, including five bills with recorded serial numbers, and wedged a yellow wet floor sign in the doors as he exited.

Police tracked a black Toyota FJ Cruiser with a white top to a RaceTrac where a man with tattooed arms and a ponytail used the restroom about 90 minutes before the robbery. The SUV was later seen near Largo Central Park Nature Preserve. A Flock camera at 66th Street North and Bryan Dairy Road captured the vehicle’s plate, which was registered to Sartin’s father, David Sartin Sr.

The second strike happened on Sept. 15 at a Truist branch off 62nd Street between Central Avenue and First Avenue South in St. Petersburg. Sartin again used a note and sprinted away with the cash. Fifty minutes later, a covert camera near his girlfriend’s house on 62nd Street North recorded him returning in the SUV. He removed the bicycle from the rear hatch. The next day, agents watched him remove the roof rack and spray-paint the roof black.

Investigators searched two homes in St. Petersburg and seized clothing matching the robber’s attire. They found a journal titled “God’s Best friend is a Bank Robber!” in a bedroom. The journal, dated Jan. 1, 2021, contained a drawing of a character holding a mask. A storage unit search also yielded an old-man mask and more similar clothing.

Sartin has a history of bank heists. At age 20, he pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery in Mississippi and served more than three years in federal prison. In 2016, he was part of a five-bank spree in San Antonio, Texas, stealing more than $30,000. He received a 10-year sentence. He completed that sentence in May 2025.

Sartin was on federal probation when he committed the Pinellas County robberies. He had been arrested for theft in South Carolina and cited for speeding in July, both violations of his release conditions. He was arrested on Sept. 19. In an email, Sartin wrote, “I deff have a story,” adding that there is something human and beautiful in his narrative.