Bank robbery suspect caught in California

A man wanted on a $500,000 arrest warrant in connection with an April 30 bank robbery in Oak Harbor was picked up by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office in California, according to Oak Harbor Police Chief Kevin Dresker.

Duane Payne, 20, waived extradition and will be transported to the Island County jail.

In Riverside, Payne was the driver in a suspected kidnapping involving domestic violence when his car was pulled over.

He originally gave a false name but was later identified by police.

The police recovered a toy gun, but Dresker said it doesn’t appear to match the weapon used in the bank robbery.

Prosecutors charged Payne in Island County Superior Court May 7 with robbery in the first degree and two counts of kidnapping in the first degree; the latter counts are for allegedly abducting two bank employees briefly at gunpoint.

Oak Harbor resident Dustin Gilders, accused of being the lookout, was charged with first-degree robbery.

The amount that was stolen hasn’t been disclosed but police recovered money Payne dropped during a foot chase as well as cash that was a down payment on a car he never picked up, according to the police report.

Payne was wearing a black ski mask and was armed when he accosted an employee arriving for work at Federal Savings; he pushed his way into the bank and demanded cash.

“The detectives have done a fantastic job in working the followup investigation,” Dresker said.