By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
October 31, 2007

A Tillamook senior citizen suspected of robbing a Hood River bank — and 19 others in the last two years — was arrested in La Center, Wash., on Friday night.

Robert A. Christie, 71, was taken into custody after FBI agents and Clark County law enforcement officials spotted his white Ford Focus heading toward Interstate 5. According to reports, the FBI acted on a tip in tracking down Christie’s whereabouts. The agency had dubbed the serial bank robber the “Waddling Bandit” because of his distinctive gait.

Surveillance photos from several banks showing an elderly man wearing a hat were televised after the Oct. 16 robbery of a bank in Albany. And, just one day before Christie was arrested, the Oregon Financial Institution Security Task Force posted a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Banks from Kelso to Medford have lost an undisclosed amount of cash since April of 2005. The “Waddling Bandit” is believed to have hit all of them and used the same modus operandi in every location.

On May 7, 2007, the Washington Federal Savings Bank in Hood River was robbed by a suspect that matched Christie’s description. The heavyset man who walked with a limp was wearing a red and black ball cap with white lettering and carrying a small to medium-sized green book bag.

According to reports, a local bank employee asked the man what he needed while waiting on another customer. He claimed to want a roll of coins and was then motioned toward an available teller.

The suspect then passed that individual a note indicating that a robbery was taking place and demanding cash. No weapons were ever seen and the use of a weapon was not threatened.

Once the man received the money, he left the bank, located in the Cascade Commons Shopping Center, and was last seen headed toward Safeway.

Police arrived within three minutes of the teller activating a panic alarm, but were unable to locate the suspect. Deputies from the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office helped comb the area but found no one matching the suspect’s description.

Anthony Frasier, a detective for the Hood River City Police Department, said it was gratifying to “be able to close the book on the case.” He said federal prosecutors will now decide what charges to bring against Christie and the suspect faces time in a federal prison.

In each bank robbery, the suspect was described as a heavyset Caucasian male between 55-60 years of age. Christie’s Oregon driver’s license lists his height at 6 feet and weight at 270 pounds.

The FBI has obtained a search warrant for the Christie home to look for evidence involved in the crimes. Robert’s wife, Joan, also 71, said “It ain’t him” following Friday’s arrest.

“It’s not like we’re poor and he needs to go rob a bank,” she told a news reporter. “It’s just ridiculous.”

The retired couple married 48 years ago and has three grown children and four grandchildren. They have resided in Tillamook for 40 years where he taught math to middle and high school students. According to reports, the Christies own 20 rental homes and the 140 acres of land on which they reside.