Alabama bank robbery suspects picked up in Destin (UPDATE)

DESTIN — A man and a woman wanted by the FBI as people of interest in three bank robberies in Alabama were arrested Thursday night.

Jerry Hover Tinsley, 30, of Rutherfordton, N.C., and Rhianna Marie Jones, 30, of California, were wanted for questioning in connection with three recent holdups in Alabama, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

Deputies learned Thursday that Tinsley and Jones were staying at the Motel 6 on U.S. Highway 98 in Destin. Deputies saw them leave the motel about 11:15 p.m. in a gold 2004 Chevrolet Impala and tried to pull them over, the report said.

Tinsley sped west on U.S. 98 at more than 80 mph, weaving around and between other vehicles to get away, the report said. The chase continued onto Stahlman Avenue and Azalea Avenue, where speeds topped 90 mph, according to the report.

Tinsley, who goes by a street name of Prison Ink, eventually turned down Sea Hills Drive, a dead end road, according to the report. He and Jones then got out of the car and ran off. A deputy found and arrested Tinsley later in a sandlot.

Jones fled into some nearby woods. She was ordered to surrender but refused, the report said. She was caught hiding under some brush in a backyard.

Deputies found two grams of cocaine and three OxyContin pills when they searched Tinsley, the report said.

The Sheriff’s Office charged him with fleeing and eluding law enforcement at high speed, resisting an officer without violence, and possession of a controlled substance. Jones was also charged with resisting an officer without violence.

Jones has a felony warrant out for her arrest from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Tinsley is suspected of being in violation of his probation, according to the report.

Both were being held without bond Friday at the Okaloosa County Jail.

Douglas Astralaga, a spokesman for the FBI, said more information and possible charges are pending the agency’s investigation. He would not confirm where and when the three bank robberies occurred.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office fugitive warrants unit assisted the FBI’s Mobile, Ala., office in the investigation.