'Serial Robber' Sought By Gresham Police, Other Agencies

GRESHAM, OR — More than a dozen law enforcement agencies are looking for one man they said was responsible for more than 30 robberies in more than a dozen cities between April 7 and Monday, the agencies announced in a news release Tuesday.

The robberies occurred in businesses such as restaurants and auto parts stores in cities from Hillsboro to Gresham and Gladstone to Vancouver, the agencies said.

Police described the man as a white man, 30 to 35 years old, with brown hair and a brown beard, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. They said that he often wore a face covering — sometimes a mask, sometimes a scarf or bandana — and a baseball cap.

"This is a prolific serial robber we're looking for," a detective involved in the case who was not authorized to speak publicly said.

Police said that the man was caught on surveillance recordings in several of the robberies and released stills some of those recordings.

In each case, the man walked into a place of business, showed a handgun, demanded money and then left, police said.

If someone sees him, police said not to approach him because he might be armed. Instead people were urged to call 911.

The person has robbed coffee shops, hotels, auto parts stores, take-out restaurants, a cosmetics store, one adult store and gas stations, according to police.

The robberies have taken place in at least a dozen cities and brought together officers from the Vancouver Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Portland Police Bureau, Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Washougal Police Department, Gresham Police Department, Lake Oswego Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department, West Linn Police Department, Gladstone Police Department and others, police said.