Man who tried to rob Paso Robles bank could serve life in prison, DA says
A Paso Robles man was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison for attempting to rob a local bank, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
A San Luis Obispo jury found Andrew William Gilbertson, 47, guilty of attempted robbery on Aug. 16, the District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
According to the release, San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Timothy S. Covello found that Gilbertson had two previous convictions — one in 2015 for second-degree robbery and in 2021 for arson. Both of those count as “strikes” under California’s “Three Strikes” sentencing law, subjecting Gilbertson to a life sentence.
During the 2015 robbery trial, Gilbertson, a convicted sex offender, made headlines for eating his own feces.
“Here in San Luis Obispo County, we will use every legal means to hold repeat violent offenders accountable to the maximum extent we can under California Law,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “When California’s Three Strikes sentencing law is followed and imposed, like it is here, it sends a strong message to other would-be violent criminals to think twice or perhaps choose another county in which to commit their crime.”
The District Attorney’s Office said Gilbertson entered Chase Bank in Paso Robles on Sept. 1, 2021, and tried to to exchange wet and dirty money.
“When Gilbertson was told that a bank policy prohibited exchanging the money based on the condition of the bills, he passed a note that had been written on a Chase Bank envelope which read, ‘Give me all the money,’ ” the agency said.
Gilbert then “brandished what the bank teller believed to be a gun” from inside a plastic bag, and said “I have a gun. Who do I need to shoot?” the release said.
The case was investigated by the Paso Robles Police Department with the help of the District Attorney’s Office’s Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Kristin Barnard, the release said.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
