Man convicted of bank robbery in 1995 charged with same crime in 2024: Crestview Police Department

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) — Crestview Police say a man convicted of bank robbery nearly 30 years ago did the same thing again Friday. According to the Crestview Police Department’s Facebook post, James Keith Johnson, 66, robbed Regions Bank on South Ferndon Avenue around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Police said he was wearing a fluorescent yellow safety vest and a large straw hat with a face mask, claimed to be carrying a gun and demanded money. Johnson drove away and was arrested at his home in Pensacola. Jail records show he was arrested Saturday morning.

Crestview Police said Johnson was arrested in 1995 for two separate bank robberies in Florida and was caught after trying to launder stolen money at a casino in Mississippi. Following his conviction in 1995, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

The post states that Johnson adopted the name “Thunder Eagle Ghost Dancer” after his 1995 bank robbery conviction. After the Friday robbery, police said he went to a Native American event in the Niceville area but was only seen there briefly.

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