Newport Police Officers were dispatched to the Elizabeth Street Inn on a report of an armed robbery that had just occurred. Further investigation revealed a single suspect had entered the business armed with a firearm, and claiming to have “a bomb”. The suspect demanded an employee at the business surrender money from the business cash register. The employee complied. Once the suspect obtained the money, the suspect ordered the employee to the floor, where the suspect bound the employee. The suspect fled, and the employee was able to break free from his restraints. As the employee was calling the authorities, the suspect re-entered the business and again confronted the employee. The employee relayed this information to dispatch, then fled to an upstairs area. Police Officers arrived and searched the area but, were unable to locate the suspect. On September 5, 2013, the Silver Cloud Inn located at 2426 NW Vaughn in Portland, Oregon was robbed at gunpoint by a masked subject wielding a handgun and purporting to have a bomb. The robber bound the hotel employees and a delivery person by the hands and stole money from the hotel. Portland Police robbery detectives initiated an investigation. The next day, a similarly described subject robbed the La Quinta at 8815 SW Sun Place in Wilsonville, Oregon. The robber was wielding a handgun and purporting to have a bomb. The robber bound the hotel employees, and stolen an undisclosed sum of money. Portland robbery detectives consulted with investigators with Clackamas County Sheriff, and a joint investigation ensued. The robbery pattern continued sporadically, with additional robberies occurring in Gresham, Hood River, Cannon Beach, Albany, and Newport, Oregon, and one in Woodland, Washington. The Cannon Beach Police Department was able to develop a lead, which led to a person of interest. Additional investigative follow up by Portland Police Robbery detectives and the Cannon Beach Police Department resulted in the identification of Ernest Lee Dean, age 40, as the suspect. Additional investigation also implicated Dean in a bank robbery in Lake Oswego. On the morning of Friday, February 21, 2014, the Portland Police Special Emergency Reaction Team arrested Dean in a high risk traffic stop at the intersection of North Lombard and North Delaware. Portland Police robbery detectives, with direct assistance from the Cannon Beach Police Department, Newport Police Department, and the FBI, executed several search warrants throughout the day, resulting in the discovery of evidence linked directly to the crimes. This investigation was a collaborative effort among the Portland Police Bureau, the Cannon Beach Police Department, the Newport Police Department, the Albany Police Department, the Hood River Police Department, the Gresham Police Department, the Lake Oswego Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If anyone has additional information about Ernest Lee Dean or the robberies, they are encouraged to contact Newport Police Det. Mitch France at 541-574-3348.
