A suspected bank robber who was found Friday hiding in the crawl space under a home in the Orchards area made a first appearance Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Steven Eric Lewis Jennings, 35, a transient, appeared to face allegations of first-degree robbery and obstructing law enforcement officers.
Jennings was wanted in connection with a US Bank robbery in Orchards earlier this month, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
At about 4:45 p.m. Sept. 9, a man, later identified as Jennings, walked into the bank at 6407 N.E. 117th Ave. and handed the teller a note that demanded money and threatened to shoot her and detonate a bomb if she didn’t follow directions, according to a probable cause affidavit.
On Friday, authorities received a tip that he was in a house in the 1000 block of Northeast Sandpiper Court, according to the sheriff’s office.
The Vancouver Police Department’s Neighborhood Response Team, which was already in the area on an unrelated matter, surrounded the home and ordered Jennings to surrender, a sheriff’s office bulletin said Saturday.
Jennings reportedly refused to surrender. A police dog found the man hiding under the house in a tight crawl space, the bulletin said.
Detectives had to crawl on their bellies from one end of the house to the other to reach Jennings. Once they did, they found they couldn’t get him out the same way.
The Vancouver Fire Department then responded and used a power saw to cut through the floor to the crawl space near Jennings and the detectives. Everyone was able to safely crawl out of the hole, the bulletin said.
Jennings was transported to a hospital for medical clearance before being booked into the Clark County Jail.
During his hearing, Judge Derek Vanderwood appointed defense attorney Diane Grecco to represent Jennings and set his bail at $150,000.
Deputy Prosecutor Jessica Barrar said Jennings has an extensive criminal history, with some incidents as recent as last year. He’s also had several bench warrants and prior fugitive holds, she said.
Jennings is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 9.
