Amador County – The Amador County Sheriff’s Department announced last week that a warrant has been issued related to the robbery of the Pine Grove Bank of Stockton last December, after a suspect reportedly confessed to the crime, and five other bank robberies in the region.

Amador County Undersheriff Jim Wegner issued a release last week with details about the investigation. He said on June 7, based upon a complaint filed by the Amador County District Attorney’s Office, Amador County Superior Court Judge David Richmond issued a “No Bail” Amador County Superior Court arrest warrant for robbery for Phillip Dale Selfa, 58, of Stockton.

Selfa admitted to robbing included Bank of Stockton in Pine Grove on Dec. 27, 2010; Bank of the West in Lockeford on Jan. 13; Farmers and Merchants Bank of Linden on Feb. 25; West America Bank of Turlock on March 30; Bank of the West of Ripon April 29; and Bank of the West in Lodi May 9.

“On April 26, Amador County Sheriff’s Detectives received DNA analysis results from the California Department of Justice for evidence collected” which cleared a suspect in San Joaquin County in the Pine Grove case. On May 12 the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office “notified the Amador County Sheriff’s Office that analysis of clothing found at the scene” of a Jan. 13 robbery of Bank of the West in Lockeford “led to a positive DNA match” for Selfa.

Wegner said Amador “Sheriff’s detectives conducted supplemental investigation and were able to place Selfa within Amador County a few hours prior to the Bank of Stockton robbery on December 27, 2010.”

On May 18, “the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 1872 West Acacia Street in Stockton. Selfa was arrested without incident and subsequently confessed to all six bank robberies. Selfa was booked into the San Joaquin County Jail.”

Wegner said on May 19, “Amador County Sheriff’s Detectives conducted follow up interviews with Selfa. Selfa again confessed to the robbery of the Bank of Stockton in Pine Grove, providing details of how and why he committed the crime. The Sheriff’s Office investigative reports were forwarded to the Amador County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution against Selfa.”

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.