Suspect In Santa Rosa Bank Robberies Arrested

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Santa Rosa police announced the arrest Monday of a suspect in two bank robberies in the city. Jason Richard Fuesz, 48, of Santa Rosa, who was previously convicted for two bank robberies — one in 1995 and the other in 2009 — was being held in lieu of $140,000 bail Monday in Sonoma County jail on suspicion of charges including two counts of felony bank robberies and a warrant for violation his parole, records showed.

Santa Rosa police Sgt. Josh Ludtke stated in a news release that based on similarities in descriptions and the manner in which September robberies of Chase Bank bank branches at 2700 Yulupa Ave. and 1301 Guerneville Road were carried out, detectives believed the same suspect was responsible for both.

In the Sept. 13 Yulupa Avenue robbery, the suspect reportedly entered the branch at 11:18 a.m., pulled a black semi-automatic handgun from a bag, pointed it at a teller and demanded money.

"The teller handed him cash and he requested more," Ludtke said. "He placed the money in a worn paper bag with handles and walked out the door. The suspect wore a black hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head and a black bandana covering his face. The sweatshirt had a unique design in white thread on the left breast pocket and covering most of the back of the sweatshirt. The robber got away with an undisclosed amount of cash."

At 3:44 p.m. Sept. 16, a man wearing a black bandana and a black-hooded sweatshirt — with the hood pulled down over a dark-colored hat with a yellow bill — reportedly entered the Guerneville Road branch, removed a black handgun from a paper bag with handles and pointed the gun at a teller, demanding cash.

"When she gave him a small amount of cash, he demanded more," Ludtke said. "He then left the bank calmly. He was described as wearing a black sweatshirt with a similar design as was described in the previous described Chase bank robbery."

As Santa Rosa Police Department’s Violent Crimes Investigations Team continued its investigation of the robberies, information was revealed that provided leads to the suspect's identity, the sergeant said.

"Based on that information, the suspect was identified by witnesses to the robberies," Ludtke said.

Detectives then conducted an operation that led to Fuesz's arrest.

"As [he] entered a vehicle, he was followed by detectives and then stopped and taken into custody without incident by marked patrol units and a Santa Rosa Police Department K-9 unit," Ludtke said.

Fuesz is scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Wednesday, according to jail records.

Meanwhile, the Santa Rosa Police Department was continuing its investigation and asked anyone with pertinent information to call the Violent Crimes Investigation Team at 707-543-3590.

Images via Santa Rosa Police Department