Man sentenced in bank robbery

A man who robbed a Bank of America branch in downtown Vancouver in March was sentenced Friday to more than six years in prison.

Alejandro Velasquez Mendoza, 25, pleaded guilty in Clark County Superior Court to first-degree robbery in connection with the March incident, court records show.

Shortly before 12:30 p.m., a man entered the bank at 805 Broadway, and presented a note to a teller that read, “Put the money in the envelope, and do not pick up the phone. I will shoot,” according to a probable cause declaration filed in court.

The teller handed over cash, and the man, later identified as Mendoza, left on foot. No weapon was seen during the robbery, the affidavit states.

Responding officers did not immediately locate the suspect. However, Vancouver police Cmdr. Mike Whitney had seen the bank’s surveillance video from the robbery and recognized the suspect as he walked past the department’s administration office on Evergreen Boulevard, according to court records.

Mendoza was subsequently arrested. Officers recovered two bundles of one-dollar bills and another demand note on him, the affidavit said.

During Friday’s hearing, Judge Robert Lewis sentenced Mendoza to 77 months in prison and 18 months of community custody, according to court documents.