Campbell, Felton Robberies Still On FBI's High-Priority Radar Screen

SAN FRANCISCO-FBI officials announced in San Francisco this week that the number of bank robberies in Northern California fell in 2015 for the second year in a row, but they are still searching for suspects in several high-profile cases - including Campbell and Felton - that remain unsolved.

Bertram Fairries, of the FBI’s San Francisco office, said Northern California bank robberies decreased to 102 in 2015, down from 152 in 2014 and 229 in 2013.

In Campbell, two men who robbed a Wells Fargo Bank branch on Nov. 21 are being sought.

The two men - armed with guns and wearing black hooded sweatshirts and masks - ordered everyone in the bank to get on the floor, forced an employee to open the bank vault and fled to a waiting white VW Jetta, which was occupied by one or two more suspects.

The VW was later found abandoned on Kuehnis Drive (the street directly behind the bank). Witnesses saw the suspects get out of the VW and get into a green pickup truck. The green truck was later located a short distance away on Phantom Avenue. Both vehicles were determined to be stolen.

In the Felton robbery, the FBI says a white man about 5’10” to 6’0” and likely left-handed entered the Liberty Bank at 6230 Highway 9 about 1:30 p.m. on July 13, 2015 and produced a handgun.

He threatened the employees and customers, took hostages, and robbed the bank after moving the employees and customers into the vault area. He then fled on foot with a large sum of money in a backpack. He was seen wearing a white shirt and hat.

FBI authorities theorize there may be several reasons for the drop:

• Tips from the public have provided crucial clues or identity information about suspects.
• Banks are improving security protocols, including the installation of wider surveillance camera coverage that can record almost the entire area within a bank.

Fairries had advice for members of the public who find themselves caught in the midst of a bank robbery. “Safety is the most important,” he said. “Be quiet, don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself, but observe.”

People with information about these robberies or any others are urged to call the FBI at (415) 553-7400, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office at (831) 461-7400, or the Campbell Police Department at (408) 866-2101. Tips can also be submitted to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.

-Bay City News, images via FBI