OXNARD : Suspect in Bank Robberies Charged

A Casitas Springs man suspected of robbing 11 banks in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties since July was charged Thursday with one count of bank robbery and held in Ventura County Jail on $200,000 bail.

Robert Kenneth Porter made his initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Willard W. McEwen Jr. in Santa Barbara. Porter was arrested Tuesday, shortly after an Oxnard bank robbery in which a bank manager copied down the license number of the alleged getaway car.

Porter, 34, previously served six years in prison at Terminal Island in San Pedro after he was convicted in 1980 of three counts of bank robbery in Los Angeles.

“Usually bail would be set at $50,000 to $100,000, but he has a previous criminal history of bank robbery so it was set higher,” said FBI Special Agent Larry Dick.

Federal prosecutors are expected to present evidence of the 11 bank robberies allegedly committed by Porter to a federal grand jury, which will decide whether to return an indictment by Sept. 7.

The grand jury also will determine how many counts will be charged against Porter.

A preliminary hearing for Porter also is scheduled for Sept. 7 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

If convicted, Porter could face a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of bank robbery.

Porter is expected to be transferred from Ventura County Jail to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.

The spree of robberies attributed to a suspect described as portly and usually wearing a cap began July 3 at a Bank of America branch in Ventura. A man with the same description reportedly robbed eight other banks in Ventura County, two in Santa Barbara County and one in Los Angeles County, according to the FBI.

The bank robber’s technique included handing a teller a note demanding money and indicating he was armed. He never displayed a weapon, and no one was injured during the robberies.

Twice, the robber used a cab as a getaway car.