Two armed men robbed Columbia Bank in Depoe Bay late Thursday morning, escaping with more than $50,000 before abandoning and burning their getaway car, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 11:48 a.m. callers reported two men concealed their faces, entered the bank and held staff at gun point, demanding access to the vault. The men then left the area in another car, which Newport Police located near Don Davis Park about an hour later.
Officers detained two men- one near Highway 101 and Highway 20 and the other in the Nye Beach area- after witnesses reported seeing the pair flee on foot.
Police used K9 officers to search the area and recovered clothing linked to the robbery, a backpack associated with the crime, more than $50,000 in cash, and two weapons.
Franco Armando Mereno Jr., 37, and Jonathon F. Schwentner, 43, were booked into the Lincoln County Jail on charges including first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping, and aggravated theft.