Central Coast Bandit had bank robbery notes in her car

September 4, 2013

Officers serving a search warrant the day after the arrest of the Central Coast Bandit discovered notes and clothing that tie the suspect to the robberies.

Christina Padilla, 50, has been in jail since August 23 when several San Luis Obispo County law enforcement agencies teamed up to chase her from the Golden 1 Credit Union in San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles, where she crashed her car. She is suspected of robbing six banks in California in eight months.

During the search of her home officers found clothing and glasses that match articles the Central Coast Bandit had worn during the robberies including a graphic t-shirt that read “Garden Isle of Kauai.” A t-shirt with the same graphic was worn by the robber who held up the Pacific Western Bank in Pismo Beach on August 14.

In a rental car Padilla was driving before her arrest, officers found two notes, a bottle of methadone and a loaded BB gun.

“Do not make a scene. Hand me all of your large bills only. I will shoot you,” one of the notes said. “Quickly hand me all of the large bills. No ones,” the second note said.

Shortly after Padilla confessed to the robberies, she plead not guilty to nine counts of second degree robbery and burglary, two counts of attempted robbery and charges of felony evading of an officer and assault with a deadly weapon.