Suspect in North Bend bank heist arrested
November 19, 2009
By Dan Catchpole
Man reportedly confessed to police. FBI investigating possible link to Seattle robbery.
A suspect in the North Bend Sterling Savings bank robbery has been arrested, according to police and city officials.
The man reportedly confessed to the robbery to detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office, the officials said.FBI agents are investigating similarities between the North Bend robbery and another one in Seattle.
The bank was robbed before closing Nov. 6 by a white male about 5 feet 8 inches tall and 165 pounds with gray hair, blue eyes and an unshaven face, according to police documents.
The man told the teller he had a gun, witnesses told police. She gave him a small stack of low denomination bills.
The suspect is currently hospitalized for reasons unrelated to his arrest, North Bend City Administrator Duncan Wilson said.
He was arrested Monday morning, Nov. 16, and could be charged on the afternoon of Nov. 17, said Sgt. Mark Toner of King County Sheriff’s Office and chief of the North Bend police.
Officials did not know if the man mentioned the robbery of Frontier Bank in Ballard, which had many similarities to the North Bend robbery according to FBI agents.
The suspect in each case has a similar build and used a similar style to rob the two banks, according to Special Agent Robbie Burroughs.
Investigators are exploring the similarities based on eyewitness reports and security camera images.
“Usually if a bank robber has an m.o. (modus operandi), typically he uses it again and again,” she said. The styles used in the two robberies were “unique enough that investigators are looking into it.”
Both robberies occurred shortly before closing time. Frontier Bank in Ballard was robbed around 5 p.m. Nov. 9, while Sterling Savings was hit around 5:30 p.m. Nov. 6.
The man’s description from the Seattle robbery—a white male in his 50s or 60s, of medium build with gray hair—was very close to descriptions from the North Bend robbery.
If you have information about the robbery, contact FBI investigators at 206-622-0460.
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