Former Deputy Arrested After Armed Bank Robbery in Ocala

Christina Gates Thagard, a 40-year-old former law enforcement officer, was arrested by Ocala police minutes after robbing a TD Bank branch at gunpoint on SE 17th Street. Wearing a hoodie, sunglasses, and a medical mask, she handed the teller a note demanding at least $50,000 in big bills and threatening to use a gun if alarms were triggered, though no firearm was displayed or recovered. Thagard fled with over $5,000 but was apprehended within 11 minutes during a traffic stop, where police recovered the stolen cash and items matching those used in the robbery. She initially denied involvement, claiming others had borrowed her car, but physical evidence and surveillance footage linked her to the crime. Thagard was charged with robbery with a firearm and booked into jail without bond. The case has drawn attention due to her former status as a sheriff’s deputy, with officials withholding her mugshot from public release.