It was stolen from a bank, not casino winnings

A Port Orchard man has pleaded not guilty to first degree robbery two days after stealing over $1,000 from Bank of America on Riddell Road in Bremerton.

The 38-year-old entered the plea in Kitsap County Superior Court June 30. Bail was set at $100,000.

Court records say the suspect entered the bank June 28 at 12:57 p.m. and told the teller to “put the money on the counter.” It was estimated that just over $1,000 in cash was stolen. The suspect fled on foot.

Police recovered the suspect’s clothing less than a quarter mile away, clothing that was identified due to surveillance photos in the bank. Among the clothes was a receipt from a nearby Safeway on Callow Avenue, prompting police to search for evidence there.

Surveillance footage from that store shows the suspect in a different attire than during the robbery, attire that matched photos from a nearby Shell gas station within minutes of the robbery. The man was also matched in both photos by identifying tattoos on the suspect’s forearms and was further identified by several commenters on the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office social media page.

Arrangements to meet the suspect outside the Burley Store in Port Orchard led to his arrest. The suspect’s girlfriend told police the money was presented as a contribution to getting her vehicle off an impound lot. The suspect told her he had won it at a casino.