The public has helped put more than a few criminals — including many in the D.C. region — behind bars, through tips to law enforcement. A few cases:
» Cell Phone Bandit: Candice R. Martinez, a Chantilly woman who robbed four Northern Virginia banks in 2005 while gabbing on her cell phone, was taken into custody after a tip came in following extensive coverage of the crime spree.
» Granddad Bandit: Michael Francis Mara, who held up 25 banks in 14 states, including Virginia, between December 2008 and July 2010, was apprehended last year from a tip that followed a natiownwide campaign to apprehend him. He was sentenced earlier this year to 25 years in prison.
» East Coast Rapist: Aaron H. Thomas was arrested in March after a tipster in Prince George’s County called Crime Solvers days after the FBI began a digital media blitz about the case. He is suspected in up to 17 attacks along the East Coast between 1997 and 2009.
» Most Wanted: Tips from readers of The Washington Examiner have led to the capture of 39 wanted fugitives since 2008, including murderers, kidnappers and bank robbers.
— Emily Babay
