By Chris Caraveo

Independent Newsmedia

A person believed to be the Grimace Bandit, responsible for robbing multiple Valley banks including in Goodyear, was arrested late last month, according to the FBI.

On Dec. 23, 2017, officers from the Gulfport Police Department in Mississippi, along with FBI agents, arrested 33-year-old Miranda Maloney on suspicion of robberies in the Valley.

According to a Gulfport police press release, patrol units located Ms. Maloney after responding to a panhandling report. Officers contacted her and while verifying her information discovered that she was wanted out of Phoenix for numerous bank robberies.

Ms. Maloney is also suspected of other bank robberies in Alabama and Louisiana, the Gulfport release stated.

According to the FBI, Ms. Maloney allegedly robbed the MidFirst Bank near Indian School and Litchfield roads on the night of Oct. 9, 2017.

Miranda Maloney (Gulfport Police Dept.- Mississippi)

She is also alleged to have robbed three banks in Phoenix, and one each in Yuma, Tucson and Marana.

The “Grimace Bandit” earned the nickname because the suspect wore a purple shirt and a purple scarf during some of the robberies.

The FBI said no one was physically injured during the bank robberies.

Authorities charged Ms. Maloney in a criminal complaint filed in federal court.

According to court documents, the first robbery occurred Sept. 30, 2017 at a Chase Bank near 27th and Peoria avenues in Phoenix. The last robbery occurred Nov. 4 at a Wells Fargo Bank in Yuma.

Ms. Maloney is accused of robbing almost $15,000 from Arizona banks.

It was previously reported that during the Goodyear incident, the suspect left a suspicious package inside the bank. The Glendale Police Department’s bomb squad responded and found an empty CD case inside, according to documents.

In an Oct. 18 incident in Phoenix, the bank robber was reported to have cried and said her life was a mess while placing money into her purse. The robber had also left a bag behind, in which officials found a water bottle filled with an unknown amber-colored liquid. The item turned out non-explosive.

On Nov. 1, a Goodyear Police Department detective contacted a Phoenix Police Department detective, saying an Arizona Department of Public Safety laboratory recovered a fingerprint from the robbery note in the Goodyear incident in early October. The prints matched that of Ms. Maloney.

Investigators obtained photographs of Ms. Maloney, and matched her physical appearance to that of the suspect in the robberies. They also learned Ms. Maloney had recently moved out of an apartment in Phoenix.

Ms. Maloney was arrested in Gulfport, Mississippi by the local police department. She was then extradited back to Arizona, where she is in custody.