Home » Santa Clarita News » Crime » Court » Woman Sentenced, Man Goes To Hearing In Bank Robbery Case

Woman Sentenced, Man Goes To Hearing In Bank Robbery Case

A Valencia woman was sentenced Monday, and her boyfriend had a preliminary hearing date set after the duo were charged in connection with a string of bank robberies.


Sponsored Articles


Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox.

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.”

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.

Yaworski pleaded no contest Monday, and was immediately sentenced to 364 days in jail and 3 years of formal probation, according to officials.

Hamill is expected to return to court on September 11 for his preliminary hearing.

Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Woman Sentenced, Man Goes To Hearing In Bank Robbery Case

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

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.