Man arrested for downtown bank robbery caught with a couple thousand dollars

A man was arrested Thursday after allegedly robbing a downtown Bellingham bank.

Brandon Allan Breaux, 43, was arrested Thursday afternoon on suspicion of first-degree robbery, according to an email from Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy. Breaux does not have a local address, and has only been contacted by police in the area since early August, Murphy said.

Minutes after 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Breaux allegedly entered KeyBank at 1221 North State St. and handed a teller a note that said they needed to start counting $100 bills for him. The note had other random things written on it, including the word murder, which led the teller to believe Breaux may have had a weapon, Murphy said.

The teller handed Breaux $100 bills totaling $2,300, Murphy said. Breaux said he didn’t want to hurt anyone, took the money and left, Murphy said.

Breaux was found by officers in the nearby area a short time later and identified him as the robbery suspect based on the description the teller gave of him, as well as surveillance video and witness accounts, Murphy said.

Most of the cash was recovered in Breaux’s pants pocket, except for a $14, which he used to make a purchase before his arrest, Murphy said.

Breaux also has a criminal history in Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma, Murphy said.

This story was originally published October 26, 2018 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Man arrested for downtown bank robbery caught with a couple thousand dollars."