Del Norte Bank robber caught in Conejos

DEL NORTE— According to the Conejos County Sheriff’s Department, “Kenneth Cornett Pauley, 31, of Sanford, was arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 31, as a result of an investigation led by the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office into an armed robbery that occurred Tuesday, Jan. 30 around 7:20 p.m. at County Line Liquor in La Jara.”

Whiling confirming the events that transpired in La Jara, Del Norte Police Chief Bobbi Fresquez stated that the suspect’s girlfriend implicated him in several other thefts throughout the Valley, including the robbery of Del Norte Bank on Dec. 8, 2017.

The Conejos County Sheriff’s Office was able to provide local law enforcement agencies with information to assist them with crimes that were committed within their respective jurisdictions. Those included crimes in the city limits of Del Norte—bank robbery, four robberies within city limits of Alamosa and one burglary within the city limits of Monte Vista.

“We have a confession and we plan to prosecute. We are filing the paperwork with the District Attorney now and plan to have a list of charges to present soon. We will also be contacting the FBI, as they remain active in the investigation and will want to be involved in the prosecution. We have no statements from Pauley; he has lawyered up at this time, but we have what we need to charge him,” stated Fresquez.

Though it is not clear at this time what charges will be in regard to the Del Norte Bank robbery, the Conejos County Sheriff’s Department stated that, “Pauley was charged with the following criminal charges: Aggravated robbery F-3, 1st degree burglary F-3, Possession of weapons by previous offender F-5, menacing F-5, theft M-2. Pauley’s bond amount is currently set at $60,000 cash surety. As a result of executing the search warrant, further investigation and conducting interviews numerous other cases could possibly be solved throughout the San Luis Valley. There was a report of a burglary in March of 2017 on Birch St. in Sanford and most of the items that were stolen were recovered from the Pauley residence. Criminal charges of burglary F-3 and theft F-6 are pending in this case.”

On Friday, Dec. 8 the Del Norte Bank was robbed during business hours. At 12:35 p.m. a masked, male individual wearing work gloves, jeans and a black coat came into the lobby and passed a threatening note to the teller on duty. According to lead Officer Mike Ortega, the note stated that a shooting would occur if the demands were not met. The teller complied with the note and thankfully no one was injured during the incident.

More information regarding the case will be reported as it becomes available.