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Newhall Bank Robber Found Guilty, Facing More Charges In Ventura

A Palmdale man was found guilty of a Newhall bank robbery Wednesday, and expected to be sentenced in January, after he’s tried for similar crimes in Ventura County, said Deputy District Attorney Emily Cole.


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Demarie Mackey, 23, of Palmdale, was found guilty after a two-day trial and a very short deliberation in San Fernando at Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mackey’s trial began Tuesday morning, and a jury had reached a guilty verdict by 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Mackey was booked on one count of armed robbery, and other counts are pending an inter-agency investigation with another county, according to Detective Mike Staley of the Sheriff’s Department’s Major Crimes Bureau.

“He got caught red-handed on this one, and we know that he’s committed at least two others,” Staley said.

Mackey was spotted heading northbound on Highway 14 and pulled over by deputies from the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station in the Camry he allegedly was seen driving.

He was stopped near the Sand Canyon Road exit of Highway 14.

Mackey walked into a Bank of America location in Newhall with a handgun and a stocking over his head.

Mackey was pulled over 15 minutes after the robbery at Valley Street and Lyons Avenue, and was found with the cash and his disguise, Cole said.

“Detective Michael Staley led the investigation, and he did a fantastic job,” Cole said.

Mackey later confessed to Staley, and a tape of the confession was played in court.

Mackey previously had two prior convictions, however, at a hearing before the sentencing, the defendant’s counsel is expected to seek what’s known as a Romero waiver to remove the strike.

The District Attorney’s Office is planning to recommend a sentence of 25 years to life to the judge for when Mackey is sentenced on Jan. 24.

However, he will first be tried for similar crimes in Ventura County.


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Newhall Bank Robber Found Guilty, Facing More Charges In Ventura

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.