Twenty-six year-old Shawn Gullberg, struggling with addictions to crack, heroin and any other substance he could get his hands on, sat depressed in his Coram Avenue residence June 13 over the fact a recent reckless driving ticket would undoubtedly result in a violation of his probation.
Then, a commercial for “Public Enemies,” the new Johhny Depp movie, flickered across his television screen.
A thought popped into Gullberg’s mind, according to his arrest warrant.
“John Dillinger was a bank robber, and this started me thinking that it would be an easy way to make money. After thinking about this for awhile, I decided that I could rob the bank across the street from my house,” he said.
It was the first of many bad decisions that brought Gullberg to Judge Karen Nash Sequino’s Derby courtroom Monday, covered in a poison ivy rash, his legs in shackles.
Detectives said Gullberg robbed two Shelton banks in less than a month. He is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of first-degree larceny.
The first was the “Public Enemies”-inspired heist at the Wachovia Bank on Coram Avenue the afternoon of June 13.
Gullberg, according to the arrest warrant, wore a black baseball cap and sunglasses. He handed the teller a note.
It read: “This is a robbery. I have a gun and if I need to use it I will. Give me all your money.”
The teller complied.
Immediately after that robbery, police released a description of the subject.
Most notable — the “starburst” tattoo worn on the suspect’s neck.
The second crime was Friday at about 3 p.m., when he allegedly robbed a Bank of America on Trap Falls Road.
After that caper, Gullberg was tailed by a retired Stamford police officer who called Shelton police.
Authorities, with the help of a state police dog, said they found Gullberg hiding in the woods off Route 8 in Trumbull.
Gullberg allegedly confessed to both bank robberies while in police custody.
His girlfriend, Katherine Vadnais, 22, also of Shelton,charged her with aiding and abetting. Police said she knew about both bank robberies — and was in the red Buick used as a getaway car in the most recent crime.
The starburst tattoo worn during the Wachovia? A fake, meant to throw off police, according to the arrest warrant filed by Detective Ben Trabka.
Gullberg, who has a fairly extensive criminal background, got the idea from a bank robber he met while in jail in New Britain.
“I figured if I put a fake tattoo on my neck that would be a good disguise,” Gullberg is quoted as telling police.
Vadnais allegedly applied the fake tattoo to his neck. The rest of the tattoo kit was found in their residence, according to a search and seizure warrant.
Police said they found cash from the Bank of America robbery on him when they found him lying in the woods in Trumbull Friday. Another stash was found nearby, buried in some leaves.
During his arraignment in front of Judge Sequino, Gullberg, represented by a public defender, seemed somewhat relieved.
He thanked the judge for setting his bond at $150,000 for each crime. Judge Sequino then asked if there were any medical conditions that needed attention.
Gullberg’s last mistake was apparently hiding from police while emerged in poison ivy. The area around his eyes was pink and puffy.
“I have poison ivy broken out on my arms and face pretty bad,” he said. “It’s pretty substantial.”
Gullberg’s next court appearance is July 27.
