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Thai police nab U.S. "Ponytail Bandit" bankrobber


    BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police have arrested an American woman, dubbed the "Ponytail Bandit" for her alleged role in a string of bank robberies in the United States, and will hand her over to U.S. custody on Friday, a police spokesman said.

    Morgan Michelle Hoke, the 21-year-old suspect, was caughtby immigration police in an area of Bangkok popular withbackpackers on Wednesday after an FBI tip-off that she was inthe Thai capital, Police Major-General Prawut Thavornsiri toldReuters.

    Hoke is accused of staging at least three bank robberies inTexas, California and Washington since May 2007. The FBI saysshe was caught on security cameras walking into the bankswearing a baseball cap and with a blond ponytail.

    Hoke's 26-year-old husband, Stuart Michael Romine, is alsobelieved to be on the run in Thailand. Prawut said Thai policehad no information on Romine.

    Romine, who married Hoke last year in Las Vegas, is wantedin connection with at least four Texas bank robberies,including one as recent as January 14, ABC News reported.

    (Reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Ed Cropley)