A Sacramento man investigators say used money stolen from San Ramon banks to fund his gambling habit was arrested by police in Folsom after a home surveillance system picked up his license plate after a robbery there in April.
Police said Clayton Quiz Smith, 44, told them he’d been robbing banks since 1995 and had a preference for a certain branch in San Ramon – liking it so much he robbed it twice.
Smith could receive 25 years in federal prison if convicted. He told investigators he needed the money to pay a gambling debt, and that researched ways to rob banks without being captured.
That homework didn’t pay off apparently, police said, because photos of Smith’s car were captured passing a home surveillance camera after he allegedly robbed a Folsom bank at knifepoint in April. A police canvas of the neighbors around the bank secured the tape and investigators were able to obtain a license plate number – and eventually Smith’s residence.
Readers may remember video of the hoodied robber taken during two robberies at the US Bank, 2821 Crow Canyon Road, in February and March.
Smith allegedly told police he’d robbed a First Interstate Bank in 1995, returning to San Ramon this year to hit the same bank again, taking his business to US Bank when he found the favored First Interstate branch had closed.
Police said Smith took the money he escaped with during the San Ramon robberies – a sum less than $10,000 – and attempted to parlay his ill-gotten gains into winnings at the gambling tables. Apparently without success.
I’m going to try this one too. Right before church. We’re all sinners…