DEPOE BAY, Ore. — Two men are in custody and more than $50,000 in stolen cash has been recovered following an armed bank robbery along the Oregon coast, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Franco Armando Mereno Jr., 37, of Portland, and Jonathan F. Schwentner, 43, of Canby, were arrested on charges including robbery, aggravated theft, and kidnapping.
Investigators said the two men entered a Columbia Bank branch in Depoe Bay shortly before noon Thursday. Armed with weapons, they allegedly demanded access to the bank vault and fled with approximately $50,000 in cash.
The suspects reportedly escaped in a red sedan, traveling south on Highway 101. Officials said the vehicle was later set on fire in a vacant lot in Depoe Bay. A witness reported seeing the men abandon the burning car and leave the area in a gray Toyota.
About an hour later, deputies located an unoccupied gray Toyota Camry near Don Davis Park in Newport. Officers also discovered clothing believed to match what the suspects wore during the robbery stuffed inside a nearby public trash can.
Police later spotted two men matching the suspects’ descriptions at separate locations in Newport — one near the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 20, and the other at Nye Beach. Both were taken into custody without incident. Officers also recovered a large backpack at Nye Beach consistent with one used during the robbery.
A search of the backpack and the Toyota revealed more than $50,000 in cash and two weapons, authorities said.
Court records show Schwentner has a prior criminal history in Oregon, including convictions for second-degree escape in Union County in 2002 and second-degree burglary in Marion County the following year. Officials said Mereno does not have a criminal record in Oregon.
The Lincoln County Major Crime Team, assisted by the Oregon State Police and local law enforcement agencies, continues to investigate the case.
