Suspect arrested in bank robbery

June 28, 2006

A man was arrested June 21 for allegedly robbing several banks in the East Bay, and subsequently was linked to the recent robbery of the Bank of America in the Plaza North shopping center, said Lt. Danny Fish of the Petaluma Police Department.

After a multi-agency search, James Daniel Moffitt, 49, was arrested by Albany and San Pablo police for attempted robberies in Albany, Fremont and Berkeley. Petaluma detectives, working together with these agencies, subsequently identified him as a suspect in the Bank of America robbery.

A man entered the Petaluma bank in the Plaza North shopping center at 1:55 p.m. on June 14, went to a teller window and demanded cash. He said he was armed with a handgun, but no gun was seen.

The teller handed him some cash and he immediately left the bank. He was seen leaving the area on a bicycle.

Police detectives began investigating the incident, and followed up on several leads, including a surveillance photo of the suspects and information from other banks that recently had been robbed. The detectives learned that 15 robberies or attempted robberies had occurred with similar circumstances over the past three months in surrounding counties.

The Petaluma bank robbery is the first in Sonoma County linked to Moffitt. Banks in Albany, El Sobrante, Berkeley, Fremont, Danville, Vacaville, Concord, Corte Madera, San Rafael, Mountain View and Mill Valley also were involved in the recent series of robberies. In many cases, the suspect approached the teller, brandished or simulated a gun and demanded money.

Acting on a tip, Albany police and the FBI distributed surveillance photos of the suspect in the San Pablo area, and located and arrested him at 4 a.m. on June 21.

Petaluma detectives worked closely with Albany investigators, who served a search warrant, and then recovered items linking Moffitt to robberies in several areas, including Petaluma. After Moffitt was identified and arrested, Petaluma detectives matched photos and positively identified him as the suspect in the Bank of America robbery.

Moffitt will be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court for violations in that jurisdiction. The Petaluma case will be completed and forwarded to the Sonoma County District Attorney's office for decisions on charges and jurisdictional procedures.