In May of 2007 a take over style robbery occurred at the Insight Financial Credit Union that is located in zone 44 near the Florida Mall. During this robbery, 11 victims including employees and customers of the bank were terrorized by three masked well armed men, which entered the bank making threats with their guns while demanding money.
Detectives from the OCSO Robbery Unit responded to the scene to assist. While follow up interviews were being conducted by robbery detectives, two of the occupants of the bank Isaiah Slade and Donald Slade were identified as being suspicious. Both of these suspects were arrested that same afternoon after their involvement in this robbery was determined.
A few hours after the robbery, the vehicles used to facilitate this robbery were located, a search of a dwelling was completed, and evidence of the bank robbery was recovered. Before the end of the day, the three masked suspects that entered the bank were identified as Mario Smith, Charles Billue and the suspected mastermind of this operation, Larry Slade Jr.
Later that month, members of the robbery squad, while working a special detail, were able to capture Mr. Mario Smith without incident. In February of 2008 Charles Billue was arrested in Georgia. In November of 2008, the last member of this group Larry Slade Jr. was also captured in Orlando.
During 2009, Smith and Billue agreed to assist Assistant State Attorney Mr. Frank George with the prosecution of Larry Slade Jr., who was a suspect in a number of bank robberies and was an active member of a criminal organization during the early 90’s that was know as “The family”, a group that had been linked by the OCSO and the FBI with several criminal acts that included bank robberies.
For their collaboration in the prosecution, the state offered Smith and Billue ten years in prison, terms that they are now serving.
In January of 2010, a Jury trial against Mr. Larry Slade Jr. commenced and lasted approximately one week. In a unanimous decision members of the Jury found Mr. Slade Jr. guilty as charged on all counts. Minutes after the verdict was made public, Larry Slade Jr. was sentenced to (3) three consecutive life terms and an additional (35) thirty-five years for the remaining counts.
