FBI: Fish hat led to robbers

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BOYNTON BEACH, Fla., Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Authorities said a fish hat worn by a Florida suspect led to the arrests of two suspects who pleaded guilty to three bank robberies.

The FBI said Christopher Eugene Nichols, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to four counts stemming from the 2011 robberies, was arrested alongside accomplice Damon James Davison after a Boynton Beach code compliance officer found a fish-themed baseball cap worn during the robberies Sept. 7 of last year and notified police of the hat's location, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Thursday.

Police discovered a Volkswagen Beetle matching the description of a car used by the robbers near the site where the hat was found, and FBI agents arrested Nichols and Davison as they were preparing to rob a fourth bank, court records state.

The men were accused of robbing three banks in Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Palm Beach Gardens from Aug. 12 to Sept. 14, 2011.

Davison pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced to more than five years in prison.

Nichols faces a possible 65 years in prison when he is sentenced.