Crime & Safety

Berkeley Man Pleads Guilty - Left Stickup Note with Fingerprints at Bank

A Berkeley man has pleaded guilty, along with an Oakland accomplice, to an armed bank robbery in which he left behind a robbery note with hi

By Sara Gaiser, Bay City News Service

Two men pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery in federal court in Oakland Thursday, according to federal prosecutors.

In their plea agreement, Calvin Earl Odom, Jr. 25, and Craig Goatley, 27, admitted to robbing the Citibank at 1526 Webster St. in Alameda on Aug. 3, 2013, according to Lillian ArauzHaase, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of Justice.

The two men stole nearly $9,000 in the robbery, in which they both brandished handguns. The handguns were later identified as pellet guns, according to ArauzHaase.

Odom, a Berkeley resident, was also indicted for the June 3 attempted robbery of a Mechanics Bank branch in Berkeley, but did not plead to that robbery today.

The two men were arrested on separate charges on Aug. 14 after a high-speed chase in a stolen car driven by Goatley, according to the complaint.

They were indicted for the robberies on Oct. 10, ArauzHaase said.

Odom was identified as a suspect in the Alameda robbery after he left a note at the scene with his fingerprints on it, the complaint said.

Both suspects were identified by witnesses, and Goatley was found to have a cellphone with messages on that potentially referring to the robbery and photos taken of stacks of dollar bills, the complaint said.

Goatley and Odom are scheduled to be sentenced on April 10. The maximum penalty for armed bank robbery is 25 years in prison.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. – Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.    


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.