Suspect arrested for Moses Lake bank robbery
A video still from the Omak Bank of America robbery shows the suspect standing at a teller window.
MOSES LAKE — A man suspected to be connected to the Moses Lake Washington Trust Bank robbery was arrested on a separate violation Tuesday.
Cameron L. Gaunt, 27, was arrested for violation of supervisory release, which is the federal equivalent of parole.
He was found at a hotel on Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley by the U.S. Marshals’ Office.
“We got a tip he was at that exact location. He came out and we arrested him,” said U.S. Deputy Marshal Bob Doty. “He was ready to get on a motorcycle.”
Moses Lake police Capt. Dave Ruffin said, “A large amount of money was recovered at the time of the arrest. It is believed that this money was taken in the Moses Lake bank robbery.”
He said Gaunt is a suspect in two other bank robberies at the Bank of America in Omak and the Washington Trust Bank in Wenatchee.
During the Moses Lake bank robbery, the suspect reportedly entered the bank and demanded money from a cashier without displaying a weapon, according to Moses Lake police.It was the same method used in the Omak and Wenatchee robberies.
“After the robbery in Moses Lake, detectives from the Moses Lake Police Department began working with other area law enforcement to see if the recent bank robberies in Wenatchee and Omak were linked together,” Ruffin explained. “Based on information gathered in the joint investigation, a suspect was identified.”
The FBI and the U.S. Marshals Office joined the investigation and began the search for the suspect.
“I think this case is a good example of the benefits of partnership,” said FBI agent Frank Harrill. “This led to a successful, fairly rapid resolution to an individual that clearly needed to be stopped.”
Gaunt was arrested for violating federal parole on a three year prison sentence for dispersing counterfeit money. He was sentenced in 2008 for spreading fake $50 bills in Washington, Idaho and Oregon, according to court records.
He was released on June 18, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
His criminal records shows past charges of passing forged checks. Gaunt told authorities he was addicted to methamphetamine.
The Moses Lake police continue to work with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to complete the investigation, he stated.
Anyone with further information about the robbery is asked to call the police department at 509-766-9230.
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