Man Charged In Bank Heist Down On His Luck, Girlfriend Says

Jeffrey Merritt is unemployed with three young children at home, and without much money left, he got desperate, his girlfriend said.

The Tampa man was arrested Friday, charged with robbing a Valrico bank. Investigators say he also robbed two in Pinellas County.

Amanda Smith, his girlfriend of five years, said people might not understand his actions but that he had tried everything else to get money and nothing had worked.

Smith said Merritt is a good man who is remorseful for his actions but was just trying to pay for diapers and provide a roof for his family. Merritt's children range in age from 7 months to 2 years.

"They wake up and ask for Daddy, and I don't know what to tell them," she said. "All I tell them is, 'Daddy had to go bye-bye.' "

On Friday, a waitress at DaSilva's Coffee House, at 15282 FishHawk Blvd., chased Merritt after he robbed nearby Valrico State Bank, authorities said. The waitress was unarmed but told him to freeze or she would shoot him. The woman, a former law enforcement officer, made a citizen's arrest.

The two Pinellas County banks were robbed in September. One was Sept. 16 at Anderen Bank, 3412 East Lake Road, Palm Harbor. The other was Sept. 27 at Fifth Third Bank, 1703 McMullen-Booth Road, Safety Harbor.

Merritt, 44, remains in Orient Road Jail today. His bail was set at $90,000.

Smith said she can't even come close to paying his bail. She said the $200 or so she has left needs to be spent on diapers and on baby formula and that she has nothing that could be put up for collateral.

The family's problems started in April when its Tampa mobile home caught fire because of a short in an outlet, she said.

The family moved to a Tampa apartment. Smith said Merritt spent about $2,000 to get life back in order.

Merritt lost his job as a pool repairman about a month ago. Even before then, the family had been living paycheck to paycheck. Smith doesn't work because she is home raising the children.

The family applied for government assistance and was denied, Smith said. They couldn't get approved for credit cards. Merritt filled out several job applications but didn't have any luck getting a job, Smith said.

On Friday, Smith said, Merritt called her to say he had been arrested after robbing some banks. She said she hopes that the legal system goes easy on him.

"He said he was sorry," Smith said. "He said he didn't know what else to do."

Smith is 21. Although she was about 16 when her relationship with Merritt began five years ago, she said her mother was in favor of the relationship. Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Debbie Carter said it is legal for a 16-year-old to date an adult with parental consent so long as they don't have sex.