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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (March 19, 2003)
Page 8 ‘Bush hiding’ crook nabbed By ‘MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE’ A 32-year-old Grants Pass man suspected of robbing a Rogue River bank eluded po- lice for hours by hiding in brush and in the river. Keith L. Nutting was ar- rested late Tuesday night, March 11 in Josephine County in a melee in which a Jose- phine County sheriff’s deputy was bitten by a police dog, said Rogue River Police Chief Ken Lewis. At approximately 2:45 p.m. Tuesday a man wearing hospital scrubs, a fake mus- tache and goatee, and sun- glasses entered Evergreen Federal Bank at 101 Pine St. He had dark, wavy, collar- length hair, was between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 10 inches, and weighed about 150 pounds, Lewis said. Tellers, who noticed the man looked suspicious, said he carried an Evergreen Bank bag and went to a customer counter apparently to fill out a deposit slip. When he approached a teller, the slip read, "cash now." He set the bag on the counter, took what appeared to be a black handgun from the bag and pointed it at the teller, Lewis said. The teller handed the rob- ber $4,200, which he put in the bag, and then he walked away. The teller ran to a back room and called 911. The robber rode a bike down Foothill Blvd., then threw the bike over Evans Creek Bridge into the water and ran into some heavy brush. Jackson and Josephine county sheriff’s deputies and police from Gold Hill and Tal- ent joined the search, Lewis said. Lewis said that fishermen along the Rogue River re- ported a man in camouflage clothing running through brush, but police couldn’t catch up with him. After 8 p.m., a woman reported seeing a person walk- ing along the railroad tracks toward Grants Pass. Rogue River and Gold Hill police headed down the tracks and Josephine County deputies waited and watched with night-vision goggles. When a man wearing a life jacket approached, they tried to stop him. A struggle resulted. The man threw a stick at officers, who released a police dog, and it bit a dep- uty in the confusion, Lewis said. The deputy was taken to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass . The man, who matched the robber’s description, had more than $4,000 in cash, Lewis said. The chief said he believed the man had worn the life jacket to hide in the river, and had ditched his gun, scrubs and fake facial hair. Elementary Schools Menu Sponsored by ‘Illinois Valley News’ 321 S. Redwood Hwy. THURSDAY, MARCH 20 Rib-b-que sandwich, cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, ham & cheese wrap, garden salad FRIDAY, MARCH 21 Nachos, hamburger, Hawaiian pizza, turkey & cheese roll, American Caesar salad MONDAY, MARCH 17 No classes TUESDAY, MARCH 18 Chicken strips, cheeseburger, pepperoni pizza, ham & cheese roll, garden salad WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19 Corn dog, hamburger, cheese pizza, tuna pita, Cobb salad, sugar cookie Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, March 19, 2003