‘Cotton Ball Bandit’ Hits Terra Linda Wells Fargo

The Cotton Ball Bandit has struck again.

The middle-aged serial bank robber was wearing his trademark beanie with earflaps and cotton ball flopping away as he hit a San Rafael bank on Wednesday morning, authorities said.

He held up a Terra Linda Wells Fargo Bank on 600 Las Galinas Avenue shortly after 9 a.m., San Rafael Police Department spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher said.

The FBI is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to his capture, Rohrbacher said.

The Cotton Ball Bandit has eluded authorities during a spree that began last December.

His most recent heist is his second in San Rafael and his ninth in Marin County, Rohrbacher said.

The bandit didn’t show a weapon when he approached a teller demanding cash and then abruptly left the bank through the front doors facing Las Gallinas Avenue, Rohrbacher said. 

The robber is described as a white male in his 40s or early 50’s.  He was wearing a black jacket, black gloves, dark-frame eye glasses, and a black baseball cap with writing or a logo on the front. 

The Cotton Ball Bandit’s robbery streak has included banks in Greenbrae, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, San Anselmo, and San Rafael. 

In some of the previous crimes the robber wore a knitted cap with ear flaps.

He often strikes on Wednesdays.

The attached photo is from the bank’s surveillance camera.

Anyone with information is asked to call San Rafael Police at 415.485.3000 or Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPS (8477).  This phone number accommodates all languages. 

Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. 

Tips can also be made online through Silent Witness at www.srpd.org/tips. 

Information can also be left on the FBI’s confidential tip line at 415.553.7400.