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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels

Jury indicts 3-time bank robbery suspect

A man arrested in Spokane on suspicion of bank robberies in Omak, Wenatchee and Moses Lake is to be arraigned Thursday in U.S. District Court.

A grand jury indicted Cameron Len Gaunt, 28, of Chelan, on three counts of bank robbery Aug. 25, more than one month after he was arrested as he stepped outside a Spokane motel room.

Gaunt is accused of robbing the Bank of America in Omak July 13, a Washington Trust Bank in Wenatchee on July 16 and a Washington Trust Bank in Moses Lake on July 20.

The robberies netted more than $12,000, but a citizen's tip led federal authorities to identify Gaunt as a suspect.

The first robbery came less than a month after Gaunt was released from federal prison for passing counterfeit currency across the Pacific Northwest. He had a prior history of passing forged checks and told police he was released from jail in June 2007 but soon became addicted to methamphetamine and "started hanging around the wrong crowd," according to sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors.

Before his sentencing in August 2008, prosecutors predicted that, without "significant effort" on Gaunt's part, his criminal behavior would continue after prison, according to court documents.

Gaunt is being housed at the Spokane County Jail. He's due in federal court Thursday at 1:30 p.m.



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