Tighue Thompson Shields, a Phoenix golf consultant who was reportedly consulting "on new projects" in Florida, was arrested in a bizarre bank robbery here Tuesday. For anyone who may know of him, I thought it would be an interesting read — I have only heard of him and understood he worked for some developers as a consultant:
POLICE NAB MAN IN BANK ROBBERIES
Scottsdale Consultant Lived Well
by Emily Bittner
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 18, 2003
SCOTTSDALE - Tighue Thompson Shields, 53, a Scottsdale golf consultant, had a Monday morning ritual as regular as a tee time.
Wearing a fly-fishing hat, a long-sleeved flannel shirt and fake explosives around his waist, he would rob a different bank in his north Scottsdale neighborhood and then hop a plane to Florida to help design golf courses, authorities said.
Police arrested Shields on Monday as he left Bank One at 8737 E. Pinnacle Peak Road with a bag of money. He was charged in federal court with three counts of armed robbery in connection the robbery as well as a June 2 robbery at the same Bank One branch and a June 9 robbery at Compass Bank, 23305 N. Pima Road. He is being held in Florence, said Susan Herskovits, a spokeswoman for the FBI in Phoenix.
Hounded by creditors but unwilling to relinquish his lavish lifestyle, Shields' habit started earlier this month, said Scottsdale police Detective Tom Van Meter, who was on the stakeout that led to his arrest.
"Creditors were jumping and screaming at him, and he didn't want to change or lose his lifestyle," Van Meter said.
Shields lives near the Desert Highlands Golf Course near Jomax and Pima roads in north Scottsdale. His house is assessed at $410,500, according to the Maricopa County Assessor's Office.
Shields' arrest Monday came after police decided to stake out two banks in the same area, near Pinnacle Peak and Pima roads, where they believed he might strike.
Their hunch proved correct.
Getaway SUV
Police said Shields pulled up to the Bank One branch in a GMC Yukon Denali, the same vehicle that was used in the first two robberies, Van Meter said. White hospital tape covered the license plate.
He donned his fishing hat and went into the bank carrying a white bag. A few minutes later, after it was robbed, he left briskly and tried to get into his car, Van Meter said. Police Detective Pete Salazar said he grabbed Shields by his collar and ordered him to the ground.
Flares looked like bomb
Police found an undisclosed amount of money on the passenger seat in a mesh laundry bag that had been used in all three robberies, Van Meter said. They also found three flares in Shield's pants that were rigged with a wiring device, he said.
Shields displayed the device in the first two robberies but not in the third, Van Meter said. Shields told police that if tellers challenged him, he would show it "as an intimidator to get away," police said.
Police said that Shields told them he was involved in all three robberies.
Firsthand action
Van Meter described Monday's robbery as one of the most exciting crimes he has investigated in 25 years of policing, in part because he watched it unfold in front of him.
"We saw him go in the building, we saw him leave," he said.