CrimeBeat Q&A: 'Khaki Bandit' bank robber is still on the loose

Whatever happened to the "Khaki Bandit" who robbed banks at gunpoint in Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties?

The Khaki Bandit is still on the loose after allegedly robbing 14 banks at gunpoint from the Sierra Nevada foothills to the Pacific Coast since 2013. He has averaged around one bank robbery every five months over that period.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Locally, the Khaki Bandit is suspected of pointing a gun at two tellers and demanding money at the Glen Ellen Westamerica Bank in February 2014. He allegedly stuffed an unspecified amount of money into a bag and made off, eluding Sonoma County sheriffs deputies and the Henry 1 Sheriff's Office helicopter.

Three years later, in June 2017, the Khaki Bandit struck the Westamerica Bank in Gualala, where he is suspected of robbing a teller at gunpoint while wearing a shaggy wig. Again, he got away with an undisclosed amount of money.

Not much is known about the serial bank robber. He appears to be in his 20s or 30s, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, with a light complexion and a medium build, according to the FBI.

In some of his robberies he wore khaki pants, leading the Sacramento FBI field office to dub him the “Khaki Bandit.” But he is known to wear dark clothing, a knit hat and sunglasses for most of his heists and seems to have a preference for banks in rural areas. In one robbery he was described as having reddish facial hair.

The Khaki Bandit started his crime spree in Napa when he allegedly held up an Umpqua Bank in October 2013. He robbed the same bank nearly three months later, according to the FBI.

From there he robbed the Westamerica Bank in Glen Ellen before heading east. He used a handgun to demand money from bank tellers in the Central Valley and the Sierra foothills. He is also suspected of hitting up a bank on the San Francisco Peninsula and another as far north as Trinity County.

His last suspected bank robbery was in December in Groveland, a small town outside Yosemite National Park, according to authorities. He was wearing khaki pants at the time, the FBI said.

The Khaki Bandit is considered armed and dangerous. The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and other local agencies where the 14 bank heists took place continue to work with the FBI to find the suspect.