A suspected Pinole bank robber who was arrested and then released is back behind bars.
Gary Casdell Fite, Jr., 22, was arrested in Vallejo Tuesday by members of at least five law enforcement agencies, including the FBI.
He is suspected of robbing The Mechanics Bank on Pinole Valley Road on March 1.
. The Contra Costa Times reported that Fite was "mistakenly released" from jail and was on the lam.
A full press release from the FBI follows:
FBI San Francisco: Bank Robbery Fugitive Arrested
Law enforcement personnel from the FBI, Pinole and Vallejo Police Departments, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office arrested alleged bank robber Gary C. Fite, Jr., 22, in Vallejo, Calif. this morning without incident.
Fite, Jr. of Oakland, Calif. was arrested near the intersection of Tennessee and Humboldt Streets in Vallejo. His arrest is a direct result of a multi-agency fugitive investigation and tips generated from the public through the assistance of media outlets in disseminating his wanted poster and photo.
Fite, Jr. was wanted for the robbing The Mechanics Bank located at 2690 Pinole Valley Road in Pinole, Calif. on March 1, 2013. He was charged with armed bank robbery in a federal complaint and there was an arrest warrant issued out of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland on March 8, 2013.
According to the complaint, on Friday, March 1, 2013 at about 4:30 p.m., The Mechanics Bank on Pinole Valley Road was robbed by an unknown male. Witnesses described the suspect as a black male, wearing a tan baseball cap, blue jeans jacket over a gray hooded sweatshirt, carrying a black bag over his shoulder and brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun.
The suspect entered the bank and jumped over the bank teller counter. During the robbery, the robber pointed a firearm at a victim teller’s head and verbally demanded money. The victim teller, fearing for their safety and the safety of others, provided the robber with a sum of money. The suspect took the money and ran out the front door of the bank in an unknown direction.
Fite, Jr. was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and will make his initial appearance in federal court in Oakland tomorrow morning.
An arrest itself is not evidence that the defendant committed crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
