Investigators say they believe a woman accused in multiple Clark County bank robberies is a suspect in about 30 bank robberies throughout the Portland metro area.
Jaquett E. Darby, 43, appeared Wednesday and Thursday in Clark County Superior Court in three cases for first-degree robbery. Court records describe Darby as being transient.
A judge set her bail at $150,000 between the three cases, and she is scheduled to be arraigned July 26, court records show.
Vancouver police responded June 22 to a report of a bank robbery at the Pacific Premier Bank branch at 2001 S.E. Columbia River Drive.
A bank manager told officers a woman, later identified by police as Darby, said she had a gun and threatened to shoot a clerk if the clerk didn’t give her money. Darby reportedly presented a note to the clerk and left with $380. Surveillance video captured Darby leaving the bank in a black Mercedes sedan, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police said the woman appeared to be the same suspect from a June 17 robbery at the Columbia Credit Union at 108 Grand Blvd. In that robbery, Darby reportedly presented a similar note to a clerk and left with $1,300. She could be seen leaving in a similar black Mercedes, court records state.
Officers contacted detectives with the Portland Police Bureau’s FBI Violent Crimes Task Force. They told Vancouver police Darby was a suspect in about 30 bank robberies since June 2022 in the Portland area. Court records show a federal arrest warrant was issued in U.S. District Court in Portland in connection with the investigation.
Portland detectives said Darby left a note behind during a robbery, and fingerprints on the note returned as a match to Darby. Vancouver officers said the robber pictured in surveillance footage from Portland appeared to be the same person in the Vancouver robberies, according to the affidavit.
Police said Darby has a 2011 conviction for robbing a bank in California. In that case, Darby used a note with similar language to the notes used in Vancouver and the Portland area, court records state.
On Tuesday, staff at Rivermark Community Credit Union, 1910 W. Fourth Plain Blvd., reported a robbery attempt. They recognized Darby from an interbank flyer about the string of robberies, the affidavit states.
Vancouver officers contacted Darby and detained her, along with a man who was with her. Darby was reportedly wearing the same beanie that the Pacific Premier Bank robber could be seen wearing. Portland police also located the Mercedes and seized it as evidence, court records state.
On Wednesday, Vancouver officers contacted Clark County sheriff’s deputies about a July 8 robbery at the OnPoint Community Credit Union at 800 N.E. Tenney Road. Officers said they believed Darby was responsible for that robbery, too, according to the affidavit.
Deputies said the robber matched Darby’s description and used another similar note to demand money. She left with $300 in that robbery, court records state.
