“Tall, Dark, and Now Handcuffed”

John “Steven” Stark is in Custody

John “Steven” Stark was arrested this morning by agents of the FBI, as well as task force officers with the Beaumont Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Port Arthur Police, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. At approximately 11:15 a.m., he was arrested as he attempted to get into a taxi outside the Parkdale Mall in Beaumont, Texas.

A law enforcement hunt for Stark was initiated after a bank robbery was reported earlier at the Prosperity Bank, located at 6150 Eastex Freeway in Beaumont Texas. The bank robber fit Stark’s description and the getaway car matched the description of the vehicle Stark was believed to have been driving.

Tips from the public have helped investigators identify and charge the so-called “Tall, Dark, and Handsome Bandit” earlier this week. He was given the moniker after some witnesses described him as tall and handsome.

Stark is charged federally with bank robbery in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas. He’s charged with robbing the Bank of America, located at 2625 Calder in Beaumont, Texas, on January 30, 2012. He was also wanted for questioning in the robbery of the Comerica Bank, address 3135 Southwest Freeway in Houston, Texas, on Thursday, February 2, 2012.

During the Beaumont bank robbery, Stark is alleged to have passed a threatening note to tellers, and never spoke. In the more recent Houston robbery, the bank robber also handed a teller a threatening note which demanded money. No one was physically hurt during either robbery.

Stark was featured as a wanted fugitive on Clear Channel Outdoor digital billboards in the Houston area. Clear Channel Outdoor donated the space as a public service to the community.