Police Hold Suspect in Oxnard Bank Robbery

Authorities have arrested an Oxnard man believed responsible for one of two unrelated bank robberies that occurred within an hour Tuesday afternoon in Ventura and Oxnard, authorities said.

John Christy Gentry III, 43, was arrested at an Oxnard residence Tuesday afternoon after a witness saw a man make his getaway from the California Federal Bank branch at 2900 Saviers Road in Oxnard, said Gary Auer, supervising agent with the Ventura FBI office.

Gentry is thought to be the robber who handed a note to a teller demanding money and then drove away in a vehicle parked outside, Auer said. He is being held on suspicion of armed robbery. Federal charges are expected to be filed, possibly today.

Auer declined to comment on whether Oxnard police and FBI agents recovered the stolen money.

About 45 minutes before the Oxnard robbery, a man believed to be about 30 years old, robbed a Wells Fargo branch at 270 S. Mills Road in Ventura, Auer said.

The robber passed a note to a teller shortly after noon demanding money and also showed a handgun before making his getaway on foot.

The second man is suspected of robbing two other Ventura County banks in the last 10 days: a Wells Fargo branch in Westlake Village on May 4 and a California Federal Bank in Thousand Oaks on May 7, Auer said.

The man is described as white, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 155 pounds, with a three-day growth of beard and short dark brown hair. He wore a blue baseball cap with a red brim, blue jeans and a white T-shirt.

The two heists were the 21st and 22nd of the year in the county, Auer said.