The cross-dressing bank robber who made off with cash during a Sept. 18 robbery of the Ceres branch of Bank of America is behind bars.
Leonard Charles Brown Jr. 26, of Ceres, was arrested Sunday by Alameda Police Department. Brown initially have a false identity to the arresting officer but later admitted he was lying after police obtained his true identity.
Brown was being booked into the Stanislaus County Men's Jail Monday on the charges of robbery.
Witnesses said that an African American man walked into the Mitchell Road branch at 11:08 a.m. and approached a teller and demanding money. The suspect was disguised in woman's clothing, including a black-haired wig, a woman's top, a black mini skirt and stretchy pants. He was deemed to be at least six feet tall and weighing 175 pounds.
Nobody inside the bank was injured during the robbery. The robber was last seen running eastbound across Mitchell Road with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Witnesses said Brown ran into an apartment complex on Della Avenue. They evacuated neighboring units and surrounded the unit with SWAT team members but found that Brown was not inside the apartment unit he was believed to have entered.
Ceres Police Department received many calls about the case and Chief Art deWerk said he appreciates the overwhelming amount of support that the community has shown during the investigation.
"The officers involved in identifying and apprehending this bank robbery suspect did an outstanding job," said deWerk. "At the same time, the public's concern and efforts in connection with this case is exactly what we need to ensure the safest possible community. This is especially true given the fact that the state of California has cut local funding, and at the same time, is early-releasing thousands of convicts into our communities."
Leonard Charles Brown Jr. 26, of Ceres, was arrested Sunday by Alameda Police Department. Brown initially have a false identity to the arresting officer but later admitted he was lying after police obtained his true identity.
Brown was being booked into the Stanislaus County Men's Jail Monday on the charges of robbery.
Witnesses said that an African American man walked into the Mitchell Road branch at 11:08 a.m. and approached a teller and demanding money. The suspect was disguised in woman's clothing, including a black-haired wig, a woman's top, a black mini skirt and stretchy pants. He was deemed to be at least six feet tall and weighing 175 pounds.
Nobody inside the bank was injured during the robbery. The robber was last seen running eastbound across Mitchell Road with an undisclosed amount of cash.
Witnesses said Brown ran into an apartment complex on Della Avenue. They evacuated neighboring units and surrounded the unit with SWAT team members but found that Brown was not inside the apartment unit he was believed to have entered.
Ceres Police Department received many calls about the case and Chief Art deWerk said he appreciates the overwhelming amount of support that the community has shown during the investigation.
"The officers involved in identifying and apprehending this bank robbery suspect did an outstanding job," said deWerk. "At the same time, the public's concern and efforts in connection with this case is exactly what we need to ensure the safest possible community. This is especially true given the fact that the state of California has cut local funding, and at the same time, is early-releasing thousands of convicts into our communities."
