Cowboy Bob: The Unlikely Bank Robber

Cowboy Bob knocked off bank after bank for a one-year period beginning in 1991. Wearing an oversized, 10-gallon hat and pair of black sunglasses, the bank robber with the thick mustache and Santa-like beard committed five bank robberies without a trace before leads led police to Peggy Jo Tallas, a middle-aged woman described as grandmotherly by loved ones. Police never suspected a woman was underneath the disguise. Peggy Jo spent time in prison and went under the radar for years until 2005 when she struck again, this time ending the story of Cowboy Bob after she died by suicide by cop.

Story-

In May 1991, a bank robber walked into the American Federal Bank in Irving, CA and handed the teller a note reading “This is a bank robbery. Give me your money. No marked bills or dye packs.” The teller did as the note instructed. The robber tipped his 10-gallon hat to thank her, turned, and casually and calmly walked out of the bank.

The robber police named Cowboy Bob committed four more robberies the very same way as the first.

Cowboy Bob never fit the stereotypical picture of a bank robber. There was never a weapon involved in the robberies. The robber was polite, always tipping the brim of the hat as a way of saying thank you to the teller before calmly walking toward the door and exiting the bank, never looking back.

Cowboy Bob always placed a new, stolen license plate on the back of the Pontiac Grand Prix before a robbery. This helped Cowboy Bob elude police for so long.

A Careless Mistake Sends Cowboy Bob to Prison

Then one day in 1992, Cowboy Bob made a careless mistake, forgetting to remove the car’s real license plate before a bank robbery. FBI agents traced the plat toe a car dealer in Dallas named Pete Tallas. They took him into custody, only to learn he bought the car as a gift for his sister, Peggy Jo Tallas.

Pete helped police find Peggy Jo. As they drove to her home, police expected to encounter a Bonnie and Clyde type of situation. They were looking for a man, after all, and imagined Peggy Jo was the getaway driver for a boyfriend or husband.

Boy were they wrong.

The middle-aged woman lived in a two-bedroom house with her mother. After asking Peggy Jo if she had a boyfriend and getting a shocking “no” answer, they asked if she heard about recent bank robberies. She again replied no.

It's Cowboy Bob

Police found the 10-gallon hat, leather jacket, and sunglasses Cowboy Bob wore during the bank robberies after searching the home. Still, Peggy Jo insisted she was single. Former FBI agent Steve Powell then noticed a thin line of glue above her upper lip. Powell then realized Peggy Jo was Cowboy Bob.

He later told Texas Monthly, “She knew how to get in and out of a bank in 60-seconds. She was very skilled and very efficient, as good as any man I’ve ever come across.”

Peggy Jo was arrested and convicted of three bank robberies. She was hauled off to prison to serve a three-year sentence. Police thought it would be the last time they ever heard from Cowboy Bob or Peggy Jo Tallas.

Peggy's New Beginning

Peggy Jo’s mother had passed away while she was in prison. Now in her 60s and alone, Peggy Jo relocated to a small town where she began working at a marina. She was well-liked at the marina, always playing with the kids and helping out however she could.

Years passed when in 2004, Peggy Jo grew bored of her simple life. She decided to rob one more bank for old times sake. Hell, maybe she’d pull off a heist and use the money to cross the border of Mexico, the place she dreamed of living one day.

Another Bank Robbery

Peggy Jo no longer cared for the elaborate disguise. This time, she wore a wide-brimmed sunhat and pair of sunglasses as she walked into the Guaranty Bank politely telling the teller she wanted the money. Peggy Jo thanked the teller as she walked out with $11,000 in hand, headed to the RV she parked across the street.

Red dye suddenly spatters over Peggy Jo’s body as red smoke fills the air. The teller had slipped in a dye pack. She kept walking and drove away as Tyler police gave chase to the RV, now blowing smoke out of the exhaust as it struggled up a hill.

As the RV came to a stop on a cul-de-sac, police jumped out of their vehicles with guns pointed. A female stood up from the driver’s seat, pulled the shades on the driver’s side of the RV and sat on the couch for 10 minutes. A policeman said Peggy Jo used the time to smoke a cigarette.

Although Peggy Jo kept a .357 Magnum under her pillow, she picked up a toy gun and pushed open the door to the RV. “I’m not coming with you. I’m not going back,” the middle-aged woman said as she waved the toy gun in the air. “You’re going to have to kill me,” she finished.

Peggy Jo pointed the toy gun -which officers said looked real- at officers who then opened fire, instantly killing the 60-year-old woman. It was only then officers realized they had just shot and killed the notorious Cowboy Bob.