Bend police release sketch of serial bank robber
Bend police on Tuesday released an artist’s composite drawing of a man believed to have committed a string of four bank robberies over the past 20 months — hitting two bank branches twice each.
The robberies date back to Dec. 22, 2011, when the Bank of the Cascades on S. Highway 97 was robbed — and the same branch was hit on April 9, 2012. He’s also believed to have robbed the Home Federal Bank at Franklin Avenue and Wall Street in downtown Bend on July 30th of last year, and that same branch last Dec. 27.
Police confirmed they now believe the same man is responsible for all four holdups.
The suspect was described as a light-skinned, heavyset adult male, 230-260 pounds, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-10 in height. He last was seen wearing dark pants, a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses and a cloth covering his face.
Surveillance photos show the suspect with a bandana over his face, but now police and the FBI are hoping that by seeing his entire face, new leads will surface.
“We’re hoping for any help from the public,” said Lt. Chris Carney. “If someone recognizes this person, that’s our next lead where we can hopefully make a big leap in our investigation.”
The forensic artist is from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, and Carney said the resource only recently became available.
A $5,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case. Anyone with information is asked to call the tip line at (541) 330-7907.
