Bank photo of suspect in Tuesday's robbery of the Bank of America branch in Willamina

Photo submitted by Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

Joshua Cabe Nordman, 33, of Sheridan was arrested and has been charged with one count each of second-degree robbery and first-degree theft.

Photo submitted by Yamhill County Sheriff's Office

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WILLAMINA - After allegedly robbing the Willamina branch of Bank of America Tuesday morning, a Sheridan man enjoyed a mere 2 1/2 hours of freedom before he was apprehended and charged with the robbery.

Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree identified the suspect as Joshua Cabe Nordman, 33, of 347 N.E. Oak St.

There was $3,450.10 taken in the robbery, according to a probable cause statement written by sheriff's Sgt. Russ Vandewettering. Of the amount, $3,399 was recovered, and Nordman had $3,379 in a pants pocket when arrested at his home. Another $20 was on a couch where he had been sitting. He used the remaining money to purchase beer, cigarettes and gas.

He currently is serving 18 months probation in Yamhill County after being convicted late last year of fourth-degree assault, according to the Oregon Judicial Information Network. Charges of disorderly conduct and physical harassment were dismissed in exchange for the plea.

The bank, 322 E. Main St., was robbed about 10:30 a.m. There were three employees inside at the time. No one was injured.

Nordman was taken into custody without incident by fast acting deputies at his residence about 1 p.m.

He was arraigned Wednesday in circuit court on one count each of second-degree robbery, a Class B felony, and first-degree theft, a Class C felony. He is lodged in the Yamhill County Jail on $250,000 bail. Judge Ronald Stone appointed McMinnville attorney Mary Biel to represent him, and scheduled a preliminary hearing at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday. In all likelihood, a grand jury will have returned an indictment by then.

Second-degree robbery is a Measure 11 offense, punishable by a lengthy mandatory minimum prison sentence on conviction.

District Attorney Brad Berry said in any bank robbery case, the federal and state governments have jurisdiction over the prosecution. Both jurisdictions could prosecute the defendant, according to Berry, which almost never occurs. The case against Nordman will proceed locally for now.

"I will, at some point, have the discussion with the state on its position," Berry said.

His office has not received case reports yet, so Berry said he could not confirm whether the same or different charges will be filed at a later time.

Nordman drove his own car from Sheridan to Willamina, according to sheriff's Capt. Ken Summers. After arriving in Willamina, and before he allegedly robbed the bank, he discovered he did not have enough gas for the return trip to Willamina. He went to a friend's house following the robbery and asked for a gas can, without the friend's knowledge the stickup had just occurred. He put gas in his car and returned to Sheridan via Highway 18.

"Fortunately, bank surveillance cameras captured clear images of the suspect," Crabtree said.

The suspect, who did not display a weapon, handed the teller a threatening note, according to Summers. He fled on foot into a residential area just north of the bank, which is located along the city's busy Highway 18 business loop.

Yamhill County sheriff's deputies were on the scene within minutes of receiving the call, searching for the suspect. A Newberg Police Department tracking dog assisted. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted and an agent responded.

"Everyone who was available responded, including the deputies from our contract cities (Dayton, Lafayette, Sheridan and Willamina)," Summers said.

Newberg-Dundee police canine officer Steve Schoening and his dog, Akai, arrived at the bank about a half hour after the robbery was reported. The pair began tracking the suspect, but lost the track almost immediately.

Yamhill Communications Agency dispatchers immediately broadcast a good description of the suspect based on information provided by bank employees. They observed everything from the color of his eyes to what he was wearing. The surveillance photographs of him were of excellent quality.

"When we saw the photos of this person, we were confident someone was going to recognize him," Summers said. "We assigned three deputies to canvass the neighborhood.

"They went door-to-door, to businesses, homes, everywhere within a four-block radius of the bank," Summers said. "They developed a potential name for the suspect."

Deputy Brian Ramsey, a Dayton school resource officer, and deputy Roy Harrell, the SRO in Sheridan, were part of the canvassing effort, and talked to individuals who identified Nordman as the person in the surveillance photos.

He was lodged in jail following last year's arrest on the fourth-degree assault charge, so a booking photograph of him was on file. There was a striking resemblance between that photograph and the suspect pictured in the surveillance photos. Deputies obtained an address for him in Sheridan and went to the residence.

"A vehicle left but he was not in it," Summers said. "We stopped that car, showed the occupants the surveillance photos; they said that was him (Nordman) and said he was at the house. We surrounded the house, he surrendered and was taken into custody."

Sheriff's Sgt. Russ Vandewettering transported an FBI agent to the house to interview Nordman.

The sheriff's office flooded Willamina with personnel in an effort to secure leads on a suspect and their efforts paid off. In addition to four deputies, detectives Rich Geist and Todd Steele and Summers and Vandewettering were on scene.

Oregon State Police troopers provided the sheriff's office with backup on other calls it normally would have handled at the time.

"They say you make your own luck," Summers said. "We got lucky with this one. Our deputies did the right thing. They pushed and pushed it, going one more block, one more house, until they received good information."