News / Clark County News

‘Elmer Fudd’ bandit pleads guilty to 4 bank robberies

His getaway driver admitted to being accomplice

The Columbian

Published: June 26, 2012, 5:00pm

The suspected Elmer Fudd bank robber, Daniel Teeples, pleads guilty to five counts of robbery and theft, Wednesday, June 27, 2012.(Steven Lane/The Columbian)

The serial bank robber dubbed “Elmer Fudd “for wearing an earflap hat and flannel clothes during his heists pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of first-degree robbery and one count of first-degree theft.

Daniel L. Teeples, 40, of Vancouver, who allegedly committed a string of robberies in east Vancouver in December and January, will be sentenced July 18. Prosecutors plan to seek a 10-year sentence.

Meanwhile, the robber’s getaway driver, Anne L. Bradley, 31, of Vancouver, also pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and rendering criminal assistance. She faces a sentencing range of between three and four years in prison, and will also be sentenced July 18.

After Teeples was arrested Feb. 2, Vancouver police linked him to seven bank robberies that occurred east of Interstate 205. In some robberies, the suspect simply announced he was committing a robbery; in other cases, he claimed he had a gun, according to court documents. Surveillance photos showed the bandit wore a flannel shirt and a red flannel, fuzzy earflap hat, similar to the Looney Tunes character, during the robberies.

As part of a plea agreement, Teeples agreed to plead guilty to four of the seven robberies and a reduced charge of first-degree theft for a fifth incident. In exchange, prosecutors dropped two first-degree robbery charges.

“Overall, I think it’s a fair resolution,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Kasey Vu said. “He’s pleading guilty to four Class A felonies.”

Teeples’ sentencing range for the crimes is about nine to 12 years in prison. Had Teeples gone to trial and been convicted on all counts, he could have faced up to 14 years in prison, Vu said.

The banks Teeples pleaded guilty to robbing were US Bank, 16425 S.E. McGillvray Blvd., on Dec. 16; Key Bank, 13215 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., on Dec. 27; US Bank, 6407 N.E. 117th Ave., on Jan. 3; and Bank of America, 3317 S.E. 192nd Ave., on Jan. 13. The theft charge relates to an alleged heist Feb. 2 at the Bank of America branch at 13411 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd.

Bradley was initially accused of serving as Teeples’ getaway driver in five of the holdups; she pleaded guilty to serving as an accomplice to the Feb. 2 robbery at the Bank of America.

The two defendants were captured following that robbery, after police caught them in possession of cash and a money tracker.

Laura McVicker: www.twitter.com/col_courts; www.facebook.com/reportermcvicker; laura.mcvicker@columbian.com; 360-735-4516.

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