Madras bank robbery suspect arrested near Culver
(Update: Bank robbery suspect arrested in traffic stop; new mugshot)
The Madras man sought in Monday’s robbery of U.S. Bank in downtown Madras was arrested Thursday afternoon by Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies in a guns-drawn traffic stop north of Culver.
Tyler Fuller, 28, was stopped and arrested without incident around 2:30 p.m. while driving on Highway 361 near Ford Lane, north of Culver, said Undersheriff Marc Heckathorn. He was taken into custody on two warrants and brought to the county jail in Madras.
Online records indicated Fuller was being held without bail for parole and probation violation, as well as second-degree robbery and third-degree theft and methamphetamine possession.
Shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, amid busy post-eclipse crowd, police say Fuller walked into the bank at 42 Southwest C Street, demanded money and left with an undisclosed amount, Detective Sergeant Steve Webb said there were no injuries.
Madras police, working with the FBI, soon turned to the public for help in finding Fuller, described as 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes, with a last known address in Madras, Webb said.
Fuller faces second-degree robbery and theft charges, he said.
In a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday, Madras police Detective Dan Farrester said a bank teller told him she was “99 percent sure” it was Fuller, who she knew for years growing up in Madras.
She said the man walked in wearing a white shirt and a large floppy tan or white hat, then handed her a receipt with a handwritten note saying “Give me your $.”
The teller said he then told her, “in a quiet voice, ‘No games, no dye packs, or I will shoot you.’
The detective said he looked at bank camera photos and also recognized Fuller.
Farrester also said a resident a few blocks from the bank told police he saw Fuller in his backyard with no shirt on and thought he was running from something. The man said Fuller asked for a ride, but he was suspicious and said no.
“If you see Fuller, do not attempt to contact him yourself, but dial 911 and provide dispatchers with information,” Webb said in Tuesday’s news release.
A check of online court records show charges against Fuller dating back a decade.
A year ago Tuesday, a Jefferson County jury convicted Fuller of fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, reckless driving and driving with a suspended or revoked license. He was sentenced to six months in jail.
