Posted in Felonies on May 21, 2013
Three people from Vancouver have pleaded guilty following their arrest last month for the robbery of the Salmon Creek branch of iQ Credit Union.
Frank J. Barnard, 40, and his nephew Lonnie Barnard, 22, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and Esmerelda C. Velazquez, 23, who was waiting in the taxi used as a getaway, pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and first-degree rendering criminal assistance. Frank Barnard was sentenced to 57 months in prison and Vazquez to 17 months. Lonnie Barnard has not yet been sentenced, though a plea agreement is suggesting he be sentenced to less time because he does not have the extensive criminal history his uncle does. The taxi driver was unaware of what was happening at the time and was not charged.
The Barnards went into the credit union, approached a teller and gave her a note demanding money. Frank Barnard told her it was a robbery and that he had a gun, and then verbally demanded cash. The men left the bank with $1,400 and got into the waiting taxi with Velazquez and the driver. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office shared that the vehicle got on I-5 heading southbound, unknowingly followed by a witness of the robbery until deputies pulled the cab over.
All three suspects were represented by a Vancouver defense attorney.
Source: The Columbian, “3 Vancouver residents plead guilty to iQ Credit Union robbery,” Paris Achen, May 17, 2013.
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