Clark County deputies arrest couple suspected of robbing 10 banks, including in Salmon CreekUpdated 2 hours ago

A man and woman arrested Wednesday morning have confessed to robbing a Salmon Creek bank, among others, according to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.

Detectives arrested Andrew Bekman, 31, and Amira Askew, 28, on suspicion of first-degree robbery. The pair are suspects in more than 10 bank robberies in Washington and Oregon dating to June, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.

The Southwest Washington Regional SWAT Team executed a search warrant at a Battle Ground home Wednesday, where investigators found clothing matching that worn during multiple robberies, as well as firearms, ballistic vests, stolen vehicles and a note with the words, “This is a robbery. I have a gun. Empty your till,” according to the statement.

According to the news release, Bekman and Askew confessed to robbing the Umpqua Bank in Salmon Creek, along with several others.

Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded about 4:40 p.m. Nov. 7 to Umpqua Bank, 2515 N.E. 134th St., just east of the Interstate 205 offramp.

The bank reported a man and a woman, wearing medical masks, robbed the bank. Bank staff said the man implied he had a gun. In a surveillance photo, the man can be seen reaching into his jacket for something, the sheriff’s office said.

The man and woman left the bank with an unknown amount of cash. No one was injured.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office released a photo of the suspects after the robbery. A tip from a member of the public helped identify both suspects and led the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to the house in Battle Ground, according to the news release.