Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Brinks Posts Reward in Guard’s Slaying

Brinks Inc. is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a man wanted in the Sept. 6 slaying of an employee who lived in Valencia.

Dennie Plese, who worked as an armed guard for Brinks, was shot in the back of the head at close range as he delivered bags of money to Manufacturers Bank in Beverly Hills. Police say the gunman ambushed Plese about 8:40 a.m. before the bank opened.

The gunman escaped with an undisclosed sum. Plese, 61, died in the lobby of the building.

Police said they are checking several leads that have been telephoned to a hot line: (310) 288-2650.

A sketch of the gunman has been circulated. He is described as being in his early to mid-30s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with black hair and mustache and a long, narrow face. He has a medium build and was wearing a dress shirt, tie and dark pants at the time of the shooting.

Plese was a 36-year veteran of the Brinks company. He spent most of his career as a messenger, in charge of walking the money from the armored car into financial institutions, Brinks officials said.

He was the third Brinks employee killed on duty since 1976 in the Greater Los Angeles area, Deiro said.