Local News in Brief : Santa Ana : Persistence Pays Off in Holdup Suspect’s Arrest

When one bank teller after another described the same holdup man, Police Sgt. Rob Robertson and his fellow officers had had enough. Last Friday, with on-duty and off-duty police officers, Robertson set up stakeouts of banks on his beat.

It appeared that the same man with straight hair combed back, a thick mustache and standing about 5 feet, 8 inches tall, had slipped a note demanding money to six different banks since Dec. 2 in northeast Santa Ana, getting away with almost $9,000, police say. The robber never showed a gun.

On Monday morning, police say, Robertson got his man. He arrested Victor Olea, 28, of Santa Ana on suspicion of bank robbery when he walked out of a Super 8 motel to get into a car with his girlfriend.

The girlfriend, her car and an exploded dye pack from a bag of bank bills led police to Olea, Robertson said.

On Friday, after an unmarked patrol car pulled away to stake out another nearby bank, Olea walked into a Security Bank branch and held up the teller, police said. Witnesses reported the getaway car’s tags, and police traced the number to a woman who they believe is Olea’s girlfriend.

Sunday morning, a Quality Inn motel reported finding an exploded pink dye packet that police say came from a bag of stolen bank bills. The room registration and the getaway car license tags led police to the home of the unidentified girlfriend.

Monday morning, police followed the woman from her house to the Super 8 motel, and arrested Olea when he came outside. The woman was not arrested.