A 22-year-old man appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court to face allegations that he robbed a bank inside a Salmon Creek grocery store in January.
Joseph S. Arrunategui is being jailed on suspicion of one count of first-degree robbery. Court records say he was not granted bail during a first appearance hearing, but a defense attorney will be able to readdress bail at his arraignment on Dec. 23. Court records say Arrunategui’s license lists a Battle Ground address.
Around 4:40 p.m. Jan. 29, Arrunategui walked into the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union in Albertsons, 14300 N.E. 20th Ave., and presented a note to the teller, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The note read, “Stay calm, all 50’s + 100’s in a envelope. Wait 5 minutes to notify anyone. I don’t want to hurt U,” the affidavit reads.
The sheriff’s office reported the next day that the teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash, and the suspect fled. Deputies released photos of Arrunategui at that time, in an effort to identify him.
Video surveillance that deputies obtained from a nearby medical office’s parking lot showed the suspect drive off in a dark green car, according to the affidavit.
About a day after law enforcement released the photos of the suspect, deputies received about 30 calls and emails identifying the bank robber as Arrunategui, according to the affidavit. Arrunategui’s father called deputies and identified his son; he said Arrunategui was behind on rent and up to $3,000 in debt, the affidavit says.
The father said he called his daughter in Albany, Ore., to notify her of the situation, and Arrunategui was there. Arrunategui left after the phone call, according to the affidavit. Both the daughter and father said Arrunategui was driving a dark green 1996 Toyota Camry.
Court records say Arrunategui has been incarcerated at High Desert State Prison in Carson City, Nev., since February on an allegation he failed to stop when signaled by a police officer. He was transferred to the custody of the Clark County Jail on Friday.
Arrunategui is also accused of robbing a bank in Grants Pass, Ore., on Jan. 31, according to The Mail Tribune newspaper in Medford, Ore. The efforts of a Grants Pass police dispatcher, who is deployed overseas, led to Arrunategui’s arrest in Nevada, according to the newspaper.
