EUGENE, Ore. – A southern Oregon couple was sentenced for robbing six local banks.
The Department of Justice said on January 27, 2017, John Steven Shepard of Trail robbed the Evergreen Bank in Rogue River. He made off with nearly $2,000 in cash. Shepard made his getaway in a vehicle driven by 39-year-old Kimberly Ann Blank, also from Trail.
Within a week, Shepard robbed another bank in Grants Pass. He fled the bank with over $10,000 in a vehicle driven by Blank.
Between February 7 and March 30, 2017, Shepard and Blank were involved with four additional bank robberies: Banner Banks in Riddle and Cottage Grove, Bank of the Cascades in Medford and an Umpqua Bank in Ashland.
Police were able to finally locate Blank after their final robbery. Shepard was found in a separate nearby vehicle. The couple was temporarily released from police custody while investigators obtained search warrants for their car and their home in Trail.
Following the initial investigation, Shepard and Blank were arrested on April 4, 2017, in Fortuna, California.
On April 17, 2019, they both pleaded guilty to multiple counts of bank robbery.
The Justice Department announced on July 30 Shepard and Blank were ordered to pay thousands of dollars of restitution. Shepard was sentenced to 51 months in prison. Blank was sentenced to 33 months in prison. Both will be subject to three years of post-prison supervision.
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