MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office has issued a report on a Middletown bank robbery on Thursday, and officials believe the same suspect was responsible for robbing another bank in the town last week as well as targeting North Bay banks.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Tri Counties Bank, located at 21097 Calistoga Road, shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday on the report of a robbery, according to sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks.
Brooks said bank employees reported that a male subject walked into the bank and asked the teller to make change for a $10 bill. When the teller turned to make change the suspect handed a note to the teller that demanded the teller give him all of the large bills.
There was no mention of a firearm by the suspect, nor was one displayed, Brooks said.
The suspect obtained an undisclosed amount of money from the teller and then walked out of the bank. Brooks said the suspect was last seen getting into a gold- or champagne-colored four door sedan and driving toward Highway 175.
The suspect was described by bank employees as being a white male adult, heavy set, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and black framed glasses with clear lenses, according to Brooks.
Brooks said numerous sheriff’s deputies, detectives and crime scene investigators responded to the scene. They conducted an extensive search of the area but did not locate the suspect.
Based on the investigation so far, Brooks said it’s believed that the Tri Counties robbery suspect is the same man who entered the same bank on Thursday, Feb. 27, to obtain change for a $100 bill before robbing the nearby Westamerica Bank less than an hour later.
During the Westamerica Bank robbery, the suspect also asked the teller to make change for a $100 bill before giving the teller a note demanding money and indicating that he had a firearm, although Brooks said no firearm was seen at that time either.
Brooks said detectives were able to obtain additional photographs of the suspect as well as the vehicle he was driving on Feb. 27.
The same suspect also is believed to have been responsible for several bank robberies around the North Bay area, according to Brooks.
Brook said the investigation is ongoing and anyone who may have information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.