Oregon Serial Bank Robber Forgot to Take a Bag in Which to Deposit his Heist
A serial bank robber who forgot to take a bag in which to deposit his heist, fleeing the scene amid a trail of $100 bank notes, was yesterday sentenced to 23 years and four months in jail by U.S. District Judge Marco A. Hernandez, who described the robbery as ‘serious business.’
This was His 11th Bank Robbery
This was the 11th bank robbery committed by 61-year-old Clifford Uptegrove, a self-confessed drug addict and serial bank robber.
The court heard that having previously served more than 16 years in prison, Uptegrove was released early by a Washington federal judge during the pandemic and because he was an asthma sufferer.
A year later, on December 17, 2021, Uptegrove burst into a bank in Umpqua, eastern Oregon, armed with a gun that he pointed at a teller and demanded cash. His head was covered by a hood, a mask concealed his face, and he was wearing dark gloves.
The court heard that Uptegrove demanded ‘all of your money…large money, all $100s, all of it,’ from the teller he confronted with the gun.
But Uptegrove had forgotten to take a bag with him in which to deposit his spoils and fled the scene with gun in hand and cradling bundles of $13,620 cash in his arms – $100 bills left a trail in his wake.
Robber Fails to Scare Elderly Man in Pickup Truck
Uptegrove then thought he had lost the keys to his getaway car, owned by the parents of his son’s girlfriend.
At that moment, a retired couple in a pickup truck appeared from the bank’s drive-through lane. Uptegrove pointed the gun at the driver who refused to hand over his vehicle. His wife fled the scene screaming.
Uptegrove then ran to his getaway vehicle in a parking lot at Les Schwab and found the car keys on the seat of the vehicle. He sped away from the scene but was arrested after a brief chase by the police.
‘Don’t Rob Banks with Drive-Through Windows’
Several nights later, while on a recorded call with his sister from the Umatilla County Jail, Uptegrove said the robbery had taught him a lesson – ‘don’t rob banks with drive-through windows.’ He had done so on two occasions, and been caught both times.
His sister suggested he stop robbing banks, a remark shared by Judge Hernandez who told him: “Maybe you shouldn’t rob banks,” to which Uptegrove replied: “I don’t have an excuse.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Nyhus called for a 25-year prison sentence, describing Uptegrove as ‘a violent and dangerous man.’
Father Taught Him to do Drugs and Rob Banks
Defense attorney, Lisa Ludwig, argued for a lesser sentence, describing her client as the ‘product of his upbringing.’ Ludwig told the court that Uptegrove’s father had taught him to do drugs and to rob banks.
She said that at the time of the robbery, her client was suffering from a drug-induced psychosis, but the judge said it could not absolve him from his actions.
Judge Hernandez said Uptegrove had violated the sense of security of the elderly couple and the bank teller…’that simply doesn’t go away.’
Carol Gibson, Uptegrove’s sister, gave tearful evidence, saying her brother and siblings grew up with a father who was an alcoholic and who fed his children drugs while they were still young.
She said that during her brother’s earlier incarceration, their mother and three of their siblings had died. Gibson asked how a person could be ‘okay’ after serving a long prison sentence.
Judge Hernandez said he thought is remarkable that Uptegrove’s surviving family members and friends all attended his court hearing.
They had supported and loved him ‘through all this garbage.’ Hernandez went on to say that Uptegrove had proved the opposite of the theory that older people outgrew committing criminal acts.