‘Hefty Heister' suspect arrested in Lake County

A man suspected in at least eight bank robberies across Northern California, including a December heist in Rohnert Park, was arrested Sunday in Lake County, authorities said.

Dubbed by the FBI as the “Hefty Heister,” Wesley Allen Krohn, 31, of Antioch was taken into custody after a brief vehicle pursuit Sunday morning on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, Lake County sheriff’s officials said. He remained in custody Monday at the Lake County Jail without bail on an arrest warrant plus a variety of felonies, including carrying a concealed weapon and controlled substance possession, booking records show.

Investigators suspect Krohn was the stocky, white man who on Dec. 3 handed a teller at the Exchange Bank branch on Commerce Boulevard a note demanding cash. He’s also suspected in robberies at banks in Brentwood, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Grove, Suisun City, Brentwood, Lodi and Elk Grove.

Sheriff Brian Martin said that the Elk Grove Police Department began circulating a bulletin about a week ago alerting law enforcement that Krohn was the robbery suspect. The bulletin also warned that Krohn had allegedly declared to his family members that would “shoot it out” if he was ever contacted by law enforcement, he said.

The Clearlake Police Department contacted the Sheriff’s Office at about 8 a.m. Sunday after receiving information that Krohn was at a residence in Glenhaven, Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Brooks said in a statement. Officers and deputies tried to pull him over as he drove away from the residence, but he sped away.

He headed east on Highway 20 at speeds hitting 80 mph, according to the Sheriff’s Office. A deputy ahead of the pursuit deployed a spike strip, which deflated Krohn’s tires near Lakeview Drive and the vehicle stopped near Pingree Road.

Krohn got out of the car and darted across the road, but then stopped at the southern edge along Clear Lake, according to a video of the arrest. Martin said Krohn was surrounded with nowhere to go except “into the water or up a steep hill.”

Krohn is shown in the video throwing a semi-automatic pistol from his waistband then getting on the ground. A deputy ordered him to not move.

“You move, you’re going to get shot, you understand?” a deputy said.

“Yep,” Krohn said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.