War Hero-turned-bank Robber Whose Getaway Vehicle Was a Helicopter Dies in Texas Jail

A convicted bank robber infamous for using a helicopter to quickly escape heists in the 1980s died Tuesday in the Palo Pinto County Jail.Jim Little, 73, was locked up last week for stabbing a motel clerk after trashing his room in Mineral Wells, according to the local newspaper.Little died Tuesday night after eating dinner, the victim of a "major medical episode," Sheriff Brett McGuire told WFAA-TV (Channel 8)."We have the Texas Rangers investigating," the sheriff told the station. "We tried to do CPR. He was unresponsive."A highly decorated gunship pilot during the Vietnam War, Little made headlines in the mid-1980s as a bank robber with a unique means of escape. His exploits — he also served as an Alaska State Trooper and earned the state's medal of honor —were the subject of a book by longtime Dallas Morning News reporter and three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Howard Swindle.  Continue reading...