A 37-year-old bank robbery suspect has been arrested, according to the Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff.
On Tuesday just after 11 a.m., the Union Bank on the 3100 block of Danville Boulevard in Alamo was robbed. A short time later, a female suspect matching the description of the person responsible for the bank robbery also robbed yogurt shops in Pleasant Hill and Martinez.
During the investigation, Fairfield resident Chelsea Michelle Smith was identified as the suspect, according to the Sheriff.
Detectives determined she was in the City of Fairfield and notified the Fairfield Police Department, which detained her.
Smith was arrested for robbery, and bailed out of jail a short time after being taken into custody.
36 comments
Probably used the cash from the robberies to bail herself out!
3 (armed?) robberies on the same day, and out on bail? This is a joke, right?
Isn’t there a new law in California that allows anyone who steals less than a $1000 to be released. I believe our illustrous Governor added that. It’s also in NY and it was on the news last week that some guy walked into like 8 different banks over a period of a week or two and handed the tellers a note asking for a $1,000. He went before the judge and the judge had to release him because of this same law. So he just went out and did it again and again and again! Hah! Politicians are the worse criminals!
Maybe I watch to much TV, this tells me someone wanted her out quick … What could go wrong ?
This sounds like something we might expect to read on April Fool’s Day. Multiple robberies and out on bail shortly afterward? Ridiculous! The direction California is taking is truly embarrassing.
You mean she had to pay bail? Amazing !!
Isn’t robbing a bank a federal offense?
Only if the Feds make the charges….most often they leave it to the local DA (Bay Area Liberal).
108RS
Why did they even go through with arresting her?
Currently hauling tail for the border.
I don’t get it, bank robbery is a federal offense and robbing a yogurt shop is a state offense. Did she post bail for the feds and the state?
@Dawg
The person can be charged in both Federal and State court for the crime of bank robbery. To be clear, for the EXACT same bank robbery. The legal theory is call Dual Sovereignty and it is not double jeopardy for the purposes of the Constitution.
California peace officers cannot arrest for a Federal Crime. Not to be Mr Obvious, but the reason is they are not Federal Agents. The US Attorney’s Office may or may not decide to prosecute in Federal Court which may or may not affect the DA’s decision to prosecute. If the Feds do decide to prosecute, the DA will like defer to them and not prosecute but they could.
It’s been my experience that if California peace officers booked a person, then the Feds did not place them under arrest since they would then be responsible for disposition of the arrestee. From my experience, I think it is very unlikely the Feds even know she was arrested or they didn’t care.
Contrary to popular belief, the FBI do not usually get involved in bank robberies or even respond to the bank unless it can be tied to a serial bank robber with with at least 4 under their belt. The local do all the heavy lifting. Once the person is in custody, then the FBI come in, takes over and then holds a press conference.
Pursuant to Bill of Rights, specifically the 8th Amendment everyone has the right to bail from custody on both Federal and state charges.
If she flees, the Feds will seek a UFAP warrant and either the US Marshals or bail bondman will pick her up.
Must have read this…..
http://claycord.com/2020/01/17/norcal-bank-robber-sentenced-for-17-robberies-2-attempted-heists/
Carnac – read 836 (a) 3
A California peace officer can arrest for a federal crime .
@ Anonymous
Not sure where you got that. The cited section makes no reference to a Federal crime. The felony that is referred to is the STATE charge of PC 211 (Robbery)
PENAL CODE – PEN
PART 2. OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE [681 – 1620] ( Part 2 enacted 1872. )
TITLE 3. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS REGARDING CRIMINAL PROCEDURE [777 – 883] ( Heading of Title 3 amended by Stats. 1951, Ch. 1674. )
CHAPTER 5. Arrest, by Whom and How Made [833 – 851.93] ( Chapter 5 enacted 1872. )
836.
(a) A peace officer may arrest a person in obedience to a warrant, or, pursuant to the authority granted to him or her by Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2, without a warrant, may arrest a person whenever any of the following circumstances occur:
(3) The officer has probable cause to believe that the person to be arrested has committed a felony, whether or not a felony, in fact, has been committed.
Don’t local police officers arrest bank robbery suspects every day? As far as prosecution, the state and the feds could prosecute a bank robbery case. Banks are governed by the feds but it’s on state property. As a general rule, larger robberies or repeat offenders will be tried in Federal court.
What a flipping disgrace to waste LE time and efforts. My thoughts were the same as a couple of others- did she use the money she stole to bail herself out? Did she use an alias this time so that her other crimes did not show immediately? Was the amount she stole under $950?
I am so sick and tired of the lawlessness that allows to continue every single day, every single way.
Sam,
Your neighbors elected the people that changed the laws that allow this to happen…..start voting Republican.
108RS
I agree with Jeff. Until the California electorate wakes up, this is the new norm and, given Newsom’s daily actions, will get MUCH worse before it gets better (if it ever does!). Get used to it!
This makes me want to vote Republican. But I won’t. Trump has made support of any Republican by any thinking person impossible.
@ Concord
You can vote Democrat for President and Republican for state offices. Just because you don’t like Trump does not mean you can’t vote to take back California! If you’re one of the people that continues to vote these idiots in, then you are part of the problem! No complaints from you then! It’s your doing!
It was reported that she stole $2K in Alamo, undisclosed amount in Pleasant Hill (yogurt shop) and a robbery attempt at Martinez yogurt shop. The cashier called the police, and she ran across Center Ave. to the movie theater. I doubt she stole $10K (10% of $100K bail – her bail amount) so someone either bailed her out, or she has more money than you would think.
With the passage of Senate bill 10 which came into effect on October 1, 2019 she may not have posted any money. I think “Bail” is now a relative term.
Overview
Senate Bill 10 (Hertzberg, Stats. 2018, ch. 244) authorizes a change to California’s pretrial release system from a money-based system to a risk-based release and detention system.
SB 10 assumes that a person will be released on his or her own recognizance or supervised own recognizance with the least restrictive non-monetary condition or combination of conditions that will reasonably assure public safety and the defendant’s return to court.
What Does SB 10 Do?
Creates series of categories of persons and offenses:
Different levels of review
Misdemeanors – Most are cited and released within 12 hours
Greater scrutiny as seriousness of the offense increases
Detention is based on risk, not lack of money
Eliminates cash bail or bail bonds
When there is very strong evidence that no conditions of release can reasonably assure public safety, a defendant can be detained pretrial, regardless of financial resources.
I’m familiar with SB10. What I don’t understand is why they’d set a dollar amount ($100K) in this case if she doesn’t have to come up with any cash to bail out. If that’s the case, isn’t a dollar amount on bail useless?
SB 10 was enacted after I retired. I have no idea how it was designed to work.
SB 10 seems to be pretty clear that release from custody is now based on a threat matrix and it eliminates cash bail or bail bonds for release from custody.
I searched and did not find a injunction preventing the implementation of SB 10 so I have no idea why they listed a bail amount.
After robbing the bank she knew she had plenty of money to post bail if she was to get caught so it was off to the yogurt shop.
Who set the bail? Obviously too low.
Attention :Sign from above.
Read the first sentence of the second paragraph by Carnac, where he says a California Peace Officer can not arrest for a federal crime.
That’s what I referred to. Carnac is just wrong .
You can thank our Democrat overlords for this travesty. Single Party Rules always ends up being corrupt and incompetent. Doesn’t matter if it is in Venezuela or California. So, everyone who continues to reelect Democrats bears responsibility for this mess.
I know…let’s blame President Trump, because that always works.
A bank robber was released the same day? WTF?
Apparently the thinking people dont get it. What is it gonna take?
She has to be under surveillance, that’s unheard of, using the banks (our) money for bail.
Ummmm…This hoax of Prison Reform, and no bail is not working. Please stop voting for the politicians pushing the agenda. By God, the whole state is going to be like San Francisco. Stop victimizing the good hard working people.
I agree with you. California is not safe no matter where you are.
This stuff makes me sick. This is why my family and myself made the switch to Republican.
Wow, I wondered if she used the money she robbed to get herself bailed out??
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