Bradley Robinett- Washington- 2009 (CAPTURED)

Cops: Ex-Marine Uses Survival Skills To Evade Arrest

Cops say he did not use a firearm in his first known robbery; he slipped a note to the teller demanding money.

On June 8, 1998, Bradley Steven Robinett robbed a Seattle First National Bank in Bremerton, Wash., taking off with more than $1,000 cash. A few weeks later, he robbed a Bank of America branch in Tigard, Ohio, but this time he came armed. Cops say he surveyed the bank until he determined exactly when they filled their ATMs. He got away with nearly $50,000.

It would be almost five years before cops were able to pin these robberies on Robinett, a former Marine who was dishonorably discharged after an alleged theft while on base. They discovered that he had been hiding loads of firearms underground in Washington’s Olympic National Forest, and when cops unearthed a few of his spots, they found the firearms and car key duplicates.

In 2003, cops say Robinett came across an unattended police car and stole the pistol and body armor that had been issued to a Seattle police officer.

Robinett eluded capture until a cop in Washington checking license plates at a Bremerton motel came across a set of stolen ones. The motel owner identified the car as belonging to Robinett, who was quickly arrested for car theft.

But when cops ran his name through the system, the two bank robberies popped up. Robinett was convicted of multiple counts of bank robbery, unlawful use of firearms, auto theft and possession of stolen property. He was sentenced to seven years in federal prison.

A Life Of Crime Continues

Cops say Robinett fled from his stolen Honda Pilot in November 2009, taking with him only a duffle bag.

On Aug. 19, 2009, Robinett was released from prison and was supposed to carry out his probation in Washington state -- but cops say Robinett never intended to finish his time.

According to police, Robinett took off for the Northwest and resumed his life of crime. They say he stole a Honda Pilot from a home in Portland, Ore., and a license plate from Vancouver, Wash. Cops believe Robinett would “borrow” keys just long enough to make a copy and then return them, unnoticed. This way he had a fleet of cars at the ready if he ever needed to make a quick escape.

After replacing the plates on the SUV, cops say he took off for Bainbridge Island, Wash., located just across Puget Sound from Seattle. But his ability to evade the law was about to be put to the test. According to police, an officer passed Robinett in his vehicle and had a hunch that something was not right. The cop followed Robinett and ran the license plate. When he discovered the plate was stolen, he attempted to pull Robinett over, but a chase ensued and ended when Robinett high-centered his Honda Pilot onto a boulder at the edge of a trail. But before cops had a chance to get him, Robinett took off on foot, hijacking a kayak at the water’s edge and paddling 10 miles across the Puget Sound.

Cops searched the car Robinett abandoned and found firearms and body armor. They say it appeared he had been living out of the vehicle.

Robinett was last seen in November 2009 when he had another run-in with police. A dedicated detective checking license plates in a Bellevue parking structure in Bellevue discovered yet another Honda Pilot with stolen plates. The officer camped out near the vehicle, hoping to eventually confront the driver, and that’s when the SUV started backing up: Robinett had been hiding inside all along. A chase ensued inside the garage, but the detective was able to beat him to the exit. But Robinett abandoned his vehicle again and took off on foot, disappearing into a crowd of people outside a community college.

Cops Say He Has Extensive Survival Skills

Bradley Steven Robinett is facing charges of escape, felony possessing firearms, and interstate transportation of stolen vehicles. Cops say he has extensive survival training and may still have hidden stashes of firearms. Robinett is a white male with brown hair and brown eyes, standing about 6 feet tall and weighing 165 to 170 pounds. If you think you see him, check out his right index finger: Cops say the top of it is missing due to a firearm accident from childhood.

Investigators have been hard at work trying to bring in Robinett. If you have any information please call our Hotline right away at 1-800-CRIME-TV. Remember: You can remain anonymous.

Other physical notes from AMW.COM archived profile: a known alias is Glenn Connor. Robinett is in his early-mid 40's. His possible locations aside from where he was last seen are listed as Olympic Peninsula, Washington, Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Washington.

Thoughts? I feel Robinett is one of those underrated fugitives in that thankfully no one was seriously physically harmed but the longer the search goes on for him, the more potential for danger to happen. For example, many people tried to make Chad Dasher, an escaped house and car burglar and non-AMW related case we covered on this forum, out to be some kind of folk hero because of the way he was constantly able to escape police, not realizing even if he really had no intention of harming civilians, he put plenty of innocent lives at risk in his wild police chases and in the end potentially even put his own children at risk. Thankfully, no one seems to be making Robinett out to be a hero in this case but he still needs to be caught as he if continues his criminal ways (which he allegedly did right after getting out of prison), police and civilians are at risk. Robinett is a survivalist and these guys are always harder to capture than the average criminal. But even Eric Rudolph had to surface on the land eventually and was captured. So my guess is he's still living in the wilderness somewhere, but it doesn't mean he can't be caught.