Bakersfield man gets 14 years in prison for SLO bank robbery

A Bakersfield man facing charges related to two bank robberies in San Luis Obispo and Goleta was sentenced Thursday to 14 years in state prison.

Johnie Dean Arnold, 54, pleaded no contest late last month to two felony charges of second degree robbery, charges that carried several criminal enhancements for using a firearm in the commission of a crime.

On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Michael Duffy sentenced Arnold to 14 years in prison and ordered him to pay a state restitution fine of $8,400, according to court records.

Arnold made off with about $5,000 from Heritage Oaks Bank on Froom Ranch Way in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 4, according to the San Luis Obispo Police Department.

Witnesses told officers that Arnold entered the bank, approached one of the open teller windows, displayed a handgun and demanded money. Once that teller complied, Arnold moved on to a second teller before fleeing in the direction of the Home Depot. He was linked to a similar robbery at a Union Bank in Goleta on Nov. 2.

A tip led San Luis Obispo police to Arnold’s home in Bakersfield, where he was arrested without incident.

This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Bakersfield man gets 14 years in prison for SLO bank robbery."