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Case Continued For Valencia Couple Accused Of Bank Robbing Spree

The case of a Valencia couple accused of robbing multiple banks throughout Southern California was continued Tuesday.


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James Hamill, a 27-year-old Valencia resident, is believed to be responsible for several bank robberies in Southern California over the span of two months.

Burbank Police detectives also identified Hamill’s accomplice, who allegedly acted as a getaway driver in at least one of the robberies. She has been identified as 22-year-old Valencia resident Samantha Yaworski, Hamill’s girlfriend.

“The robbery spree began in March of 2018 and spanned about two months, during which two U.S. Bank locations in the City of Burbank were robbed,” said Sgt. Derek Green with the Burbank Police Department.

The first robbery was on April 20, when a man entered the branch on the 1700 block of W. Olive Avenue in Burbank and produced a note demanding money.

“A witness inside the bank attempted to detain the suspect, but was unable to,” Green said.

The suspect was armed with a pellet gun resembling a real handgun, which he left behind at the scene.

“The gun was certainly an important piece of evidence,” Green said. “However, the gun itself was not what led to his identity.”

Related: Valencia Couple Arrested After Spree Of Bank Robberies

Those details are being withheld until the case is closed, he said.

Then on April 30, at around 2:15 p.m., the same suspect robbed a U.S. Bank branch located on the 200 block of N. San Fernando Boulevard in Burbank, again producing a note demanding money.

Burbank Police detectives investigating these cases met with investigators from surrounding law enforcement agencies and learned the same suspect was likely responsible for additional bank robberies in Newhall, Valencia, Pico Rivera and the city of Orange, as well as an attempted bank robbery in Van Nuys, officials said.

On May 2, arrest warrants were issued for Hamill and Yaworski, and on May 4, both were arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department after they entered a U.S. Bank located in the 10000 block of Riverside Drive in North Hollywood.

“The two were spotted by bank employees standing in line at the bank, (who) recognized them and called 9-1-1, which led to a fast response from the LAPD,” Green said.

On May 7, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed six counts of robbery in addition to two counts of attempted robbery against Hamill, and one count of attempted robbery against Yaworski.

Hamill remains in custody and is being held on $400,000 bail. Yaworski is being held on $50,000 bail.

They both pleaded not guilty on May 10.

Both Hamill and Yaworski are due back in court on August 13 for another preliminary setting.

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Case Continued For Valencia Couple Accused Of Bank Robbing Spree

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About Michael Brown

Michael Brown has lived in Santa Clarita his whole life. Graduating from Saugus High School in 2016, he continued to stay local by attending The Master’s University, where he achieved a Bachelor's Degree in Communication. Michael joined KHTS in January of 2018 as a news intern, and has since gone on to become the News Director for the KHTS Newsroom. Since joining KHTS, Michael has covered many breaking news stories (both on scene and on air), interviewed dozens of prominent state and federal political figures, and interacted with hundreds of residents from Santa Clarita. When he is not working, Michael enjoys spending time with his family, as well as reading any comic book he can get his hands on.