COUNTYWIDE : Grand Jury Indicts 2 in Bank Holdups

Two men suspected of Ventura County bank robberies have been indicted by the federal grand jury in Los Angeles, FBI officials said Friday.

Jeffrey Scott Taylor, 31, of Thousand Oaks was indicted on federal bank robbery charges accusing him of five recent bank robberies, said Lawrence G. Lawler, special agent in charge of the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI.

The robberies took place in Simi Valley, Santa Barbara, Pasadena, Calabasas and La Canada, Lawler said.

The FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case and obtained a federal arrest warrant on Sept. 21. Nine days later, Taylor was arrested by sheriff’s deputies after a chase that began in Westlake Village and ended in Woodland Hills, Lawler said.

If convicted on all the charges, Taylor could be sentenced to 20 years and a $5,000 fine for each robbery, he said.

Anthony Ray, 32, of Oxnard was indicted on federal bank robbery charges stemming from the robbery Sept. 28 of the Security Pacific National Bank on North Ventura Road in Oxnard, Lawler said.

An Oxnard police officer arrived at the scene immediately after the robbery, saw a departing robber and a chase followed. It led to the apprehension and identification of Ray, Lawler said.

If convicted of the charge, Ray could be sentenced to 20 years and a $5,000 fine.