Urbandale man could be responsible for string of bank robberies

A 57-year-old Urbandale man appeared in federal court in Des Moines Monday, charged with robbing a Davenport credit union in May of last year. But the FBI’s Larry Holmquist says it’s likely the case against Richard Matzke will be much bigger than one bank job. Matzke may be linked to 25 robberies in eight states since October 2000. Holmquist says similarities in the holdups had investigators putting many cases together right from the start. Holmquist says Matzke would come in wearing a ballcap, glasses and nice clothes, hand the teller a note and show a semi-automatic handgun in his belt. There were attempts in North and South Dakota in the same day, then a third successful holdup at another South Dakota bank, still that same day. Holmquist says 80-percent of bank robberies are solved and the robbers don’t even get much money, so it’s puzzling so many bank heists are committed. Holmquist says federal authorities have a lot of work putting together what may be a huge case including two-dozen bank robberies in a year and-a-half.He’s charged with one bank robbery in Davenport, using a gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Court documents show evidence was found in the man’s car, his apartment, and a storage locker rented by the suspect’s girlfriend.Holmquist says a specially marked “bait bill” found in Matzke’s apartment had been taken in a March 21st holdup in Norfolk, Nebraska.