Valencia man pleads not guilty to series of bank robberies in LA, Orange counties

A Valencia man pleaded not guilty Thursday to a series of robberies at Southern California banks.
James Lee Hamill, 27, is charged with six counts of second-degree robbery and two counts of attempted second-degree robbery involving a string of bank robberies in Burbank, Newhall, Valencia, Pico Rivera and Orange between March and May, according to Los Angeles County prosecutors.
A robbery surveillance image released after the arrests of James Hamill, 27, and Samantha Yaworski, 22, both of Valencia.
Image courtesy Burbank Police Department
A robbery surveillance image released after the arrests of James Hamill, 27, and Samantha Yaworski, 22, both of Valencia.
Image courtesy Burbank Police Department
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Co-defendant Samantha Yaworski, 22, also of Valencia, pleaded not guilty to one count of attempted second-degree robbery.
Evidence collected at the scene of one of the robberies led investigators to identify Hamill as the suspected bandit and Yaworski as the alleged getaway driver in at least one of the robberies, according to Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green.
The two were arrested last Friday by Los Angeles police after they entered a U.S. Bank branch in the 10100 block of Riverside Drive in North Hollywood, Green said.
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Hamill and Yaworski are due back in a Burbank courtroom May 31, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require them to stand trial.
Hamill faces more than 11 years in prison if convicted as charged, while Yaworski could face up to three years behind bars, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Source: Oc Register