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Heritage Ranch man gets 5 years in prison for bank robbery 

70-year-old pleads guilty to Halloween-masked bank robbery in Cambria

Bruce Franklin Valentine

Bruce Franklin Valentine

Update Mar. 12, 2014: Bruce Franklin Valentine was sentenced Tuesday to five and half years in prison for robbing $3,000 from a local bank.

Update Feb. 5, 2014: A former sheriff’s deputy pled guilty Tuesday to robbing a Rabobank in Cambria last year. Heritage Ranch resident Bruce Valentine, 70, now faces two to five and a half years in prison.

Valentine wore a mask and carried a gun On Nov. 7, 2013 as he demanded cash at the bank. After robbing the bank, Valentine reportedly went gambling at the Tachi Palace Casino in Lemoore. Casino officials said he had gambled more than $300,000 in 2013 and lost more than $16,000, Cal Coast News reports. Valentine is a former Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy.

Update Nov. 27, 2013: A former Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy living in Heritage Ranch was arraigned Tuesday in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court for the robbery of a Cambria bank. 70-year-old Bruce Franklin Valentine’s bail was set at $250,000.

Original story: San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s deputies apprehended a bank robbery suspect in the Paso Robles area Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Bruce Franklin Valentine, 70, was arrested for the Halloween-masked armed bank robbery of the Rabobank in Cambria that occurred Nov. 7. Valentine is a former Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputy who served from 1968 to 1977 before leaving on a non-service related disability reasons, according to media reports.

Detectives with the sheriff’s office and investigators with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s office served a search warrant at a home in the 4700 block of Egret Lane in Heritage Ranch outside of Paso Robles where they arrested him.

Valentine was taken into custody at 8:50 a.m. without incident and transported to the County Jail. Valentine became a suspect as detectives followed up on leads gained during the initial investigation of the robbery. The investigation is continuing.

The Sheriff’s Office was assisted with this investigation by the FBI, State Parks, CHP, Fish & Wildlife, and District Attorney Investigators. The Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the employees of the Cambria Rabobank and Cambria community members for their assistance with this case.

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About the author: Publisher Scott Brennan

Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog.