East Nashville Commercial Serial Robber Caught

[Anthony D]

Good news folks, Metro Police caught the serial robber.

Here is more info:

Accused serial robber Bobby Reece Putman's luck finally ran out
Wednesday night
after he held up a Waffle House restaurant on McGavock Pike near the
Opryland
Hotel.


Putman, 58, has admitted to being the Waffle House robber and to being
responsible for a series of business robberies in the East and Madison
Precincts
since last November.
On Wednesday at 6:15 p.m., Putman entered the Waffle House at 2727
McGavock Pike wearing a hood, dark ski mask and gloves. In his sleeve
was what
witnesses thought to be a short barrel shotgun. Putman demanded cash.
When an
employee couldn't get the drawer open, Putman took the entire cash
register and
fled the premises in a Honda Accord.
Minutes later, a Metro Parks officer reported that he had just seen
the Honda in the area of McGavock and Lebanon Pikes. Hermitage
Precinct
officers began searching neighborhoods in the immediate area. Sergeant
Noah
Smith drove onto Crestline Drive and spotted the Honda on the side of
the road
near Bermuda Drive. Putman was taken into custody without incident.
During an interview at the Hermitage Precinct Wednesday night, Putman
confessed to the Waffle House robbery as well as robberies of the
Subway
restaurant at 3860 Dickerson Pike on February 8th and February 13th.
Warrants
charging Putman with three counts of aggravated robbery were issued
for those
cases last night. Today, based on Putman's admissions, East Precinct
detectives
charged Putnam with robbing Value Vet at 4602 Gallatin Pike on January
16th and
Madison Inglewood Market at 4702 Gallatin Pike on December 13th.


In addition, Putman admitted to the robberies of a number of primarily
East Nashville businesses, including:
· Portland Brew, 1921 Eastland Avenue, on November 18th
· Portland Brew, 1921 Eastland Avenue, on December 19th
· Castrillo's Pizza, 1405 McGavock Pike, on November 29th
· Sara Lee Bakery, 4801 Gallatin Pike, on December 22nd
· Variedades Latino Market, 4120 Gallatin Pike, January 19th
· Deals store, 3409 Gallatin Pike, January 24th
· Hair World, 500 Gallatin Avenue, January 30th
· H.G. Hill store, 1001 Riverside Drive, February 6th
· Turnip Truck, 970 Woodland Street, February 10th
Charges in the above cases are expected to be placed in the near
future.
The weapon Putman used in the robberies is believed to have been a
piece of
metal pipe that resembled the barrel of a gun.
Putman, who lived at 1453 McGavock Pike in East Nashville, is now
jailed in lieu
of $225,000 bond.

-CM A. Davis