Man sentenced to 9 years for 4 bank robberies

A 67-year-old man was sentenced Tuesday to more than nine years in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for robbing four Oregon and southwest Washington banks in a four-week period beginning in August 2017, prosecutors said.

On Feb. 21, Dannie Kay Alston, who has no known permanent residence, pleaded guilty in Eugene federal court to the following bank robberies:

August 7, 2017; Chase Bank in Vancouver, Washington; collecting $2,300 August 15, 2017; Wells Fargo Bank in Medford collecting $4,690 August 24, 2017; Wells Fargo Bank in Salem; collecting $1,317 September 9, 2017; First Interstate Bank in Roseburg; collecting $3,441

In each of his robberies, prosecutors said, Alston attempted to disguise his identity by wearing sunglasses and some type of ball or ski cap. He communicated with the targeted bank tellers primarily through handwritten notes or signs.

At his last robbery, in Roseburg, witnesses were able to provide a description of Alston’s getaway vehicle, leading to his quick arrest by Oregon State Police. Police recovered the note used in the Roseburg robbery, a starter’s pistol with loaded caps, a Taser, sunglasses, wig and $3,441 cash from Alston’s person and vehicle, authorities said.

Alston is a career offender with a criminal history spanning five decades and four states. He has previous burglary convictions in California and Texas and robbery convictions in California, Florida and Oregon, as well as assault, theft and narcotics convictions.

During sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Michael J. McShane imposed a 110-month prison term and also ordered Alston to pay $11,748 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the FBI, Clark County Washington Sheriff’s Office, Medford Police Department, Oregon State Police and Roseburg Police Department. It was prosecuted by Pamela Paaso, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.

PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime