Man accused of being the 'Waddling Bandit' freed from jail
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - A Tillamook retiree accused of stealing almost $10,000 from an Oregon bank last month has been freed pending trial.
Magistrate Judge Thomas M. Coffin freed Robert A. Christie on Monday after the 71-year-old man's son agreed to post a $500,000 appearance bond and pledge his California home as collateral. Christie was arrested Oct. 26 near a La Center, Wash., casino. He has been charged with the Oct. 16 robbery of a Bank of America branch in Albany. The FBI has described him as a possible suspect in as many as 20 bank robberies in Oregon and Washington during the last two years. The agency has nicknamed its suspect the "waddling bandit" because of his distinctive gait.
Christie's arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 26. Christie and his wife own about 20 rental properties and a 140-acre farm in Tillamook. He reportedly has assets worth about $4 million. Christie has no criminal history and was a teacher for 22 years before retiring. His family members and defense attorney maintain that authorities captured the wrong man. Christie had been in the Lane County Jail since Thursday, the day after a federal judge in Portland deemed him a flight risk, a danger to the community and ordered him held without bail. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)