Wachovia robber pleads guilty

A Blakely, Ga., man has pleaded guilty to the robbery of a Dothan Wachovia bank last summer.

Documents filed in federal court on Friday show Randy Peterson, 47, has entered a guilty plea in the case.

He was charged with the Aug. 11, 2008 robbery of the Wachovia located at the intersection of West Main Street and Park Avenue. Court documents show he took approximately $2,350 during the robbery.

Peterson passed the bank teller a note with written instructions to count out $3,000 in cash with out dye packs or tracking devices. He kept his hands inside his pockets during the robbery, according to the surveillance video.

The day after the robbery, police arrested Peterson in Blakely, Ga., after they received a Crime Stoppers tip. Police found him with assistance from Georgia authorities at a hotel in Blakely, where they also recovered the money. The note used was not recovered.

Peterson initially denied committing the robbery, but later confessed.

His arrest was not his first brush with the law. He was convicted of rape in 1980. Six years later he was convicted of sodomy of a child. He was also released from a Georgia prison for a burglary-related charge.