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Ramona man faces bank robbery charge in federal court

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Timothy Graham, 64, will have a Dec. 8 preliminary hearing in federal court for the Nov. 19 robbery of the Bank of America at 1407 Main St. in Ramona in which $3,040 was taken.

Graham was booked into county jail following his Nov. 20 arrest by sheriff’s deputies after they released bank camera footage of the robber to the media. Initially, he was going to face charges in El Cajon Superior Court, but he was moved to the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Nov. 24.

Graham pleaded not guilty before U.S. Magistrate Ruben Brooks, who denied bail after a federal prosecutor said they would be holding a detention hearing to bar him from any bail being set before his trial.

According to the FBI, Graham approached a teller at 11:10 a.m. and placed a demand note on the counter. He allegedly used his hand to lift the edge of his shirt and pointed to his right hip. The teller said the robber had a handgun in his waistband and described it as having a rounded wooden handle.

The note demanded $10,000 and was written on a Bank of America deposit slip, according to court records. The robber told the teller not to activate an alarm. The teller gave the robber $3,040.10, and he left with the money and the note.

Sheriff’s detectives showed a photo line-up of suspects to the teller and another bank employee. Both employees identified Graham as the robber, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

During an interview with deputies and an FBI agent, Graham denied committing the robbery, but said he possessed a firearm that was matching the description of the one used in the hold-up. A search of his D Street residence yielded a .357 caliber revolver with a rounded wooden handle that was found under his bed in a tool bag.

When shown bank surveillance camera photos, Graham said he looked like the man shown in the bank photo, but denied being the robber. A photograph of Graham wearing a grey striped shirt like the one worn by the robber was seized as evidence.

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