North Attleborough PoliceIf you think you’ve had the date from hell, try being this woman, who was duped into becoming a getaway driver for a bank robber during a first date.
Shelby Sampson, from Attleboro Falls, was charged as an accessory in assisting Christopher Castillo in a heist at the Bristol County Savings Bank, in Massachusetts, on their first date.
However, prosecutors later decided to drop the charges against her, according to reports.
North Attleborough PoliceCastillo, 33, was handed a three year prison sentence for armed robbery, followed by a further two years behind bars for assaulting three police officers, a statement from the Bristol County district attorney confirmed.
The Sun Chronicle reports Sampson, 40, told police they had just met that very same day – December 5, 2016 – after speaking to each other on an online dating app.
Together, the pair travelled to North Attlebroro from his parents’ home in Rhode Island, however Sampson says Castillo drank wine as they drove. She said he asked her to stop near the bank before leaving her car for a few minutes. The then-40-year-old recalled him coming back sweating and carrying a hat.
He’s reported to have been wearing sunglasses and had a gun and cash on him.
North Attleborough PoliceThen, it’s claimed, he told her to ‘f*cking go’.
Sampson sped off but saw police lights and quickly pulled over and jumped out the vehicle, where authorities arrested Castillo.
The 33-year-old is said to have gone into the bank, showed a teller the gun that was in his jacket, and demanded $1,000.
According to the district attorney’s office, the robber told his date he was ‘really hurting’ and needed the cash.
When Sampson got out the car, Castillo ducked down, before officers were forced to drag him out the car and restrain him. He’s said to have spat at the officers before telling them he had a gun, which turned out not to be loaded.
North Attleborough PoliceLater, authorities discovered the gun had been an antique owned by Castillo’s stepfather. As a result, charges of carrying an illegal firearm were dropped.
Now, we’ve all had our fair share of terrible dates, but I bet there’s very few people who can say their first date resulted in getting arrested.
Here’s to hoping Sampson had more luck with her dates following what must’ve been a terrifying and traumatic experience.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.