Bank Robbery Suspects Arrested

Riverside, Ca-  Riverside Police have arrested suspects in connection with two separate robberies at the Provident Savings Bank located at 3756 Central Avenue in Riverside. On October 19, 2004, a lone white male suspect robbed the bank of an undisclosed amount of money. He fled on foot and escaped while the police were responding to the bank.

On October 25, 2004, the same white male entered the bank again and committed a second robbery. He fled on foot but was spotted entering a get away car in a parking lot nearby. A citizen noticed what he believed to be a suspicious person waiting in a car in the parking lot of the Walgreens at 6600 Magnolia. He watched as the first suspect entered the car. He noted a description of the car in detail as it drove from the parking lot and provided that description to Riverside Police when they arrived. The investigation was assigned for follow up to Riverside Police Detective Greg Rowe.

On October 27, 2004, Detective Rowe was checking leads in the Bloomington area of San Bernardino County and in the downtown area of Riverside. He found the car that had been described by the citizen witness at Walgreens. Detective Rowe followed the car until patrol officers could arrive to help with a traffic stop. They stopped the car at Redwood and Dexter near Fairmount Park.

Ronald Cory, 42, of Bloomington was driving the car. He was positively identified as the driver of the car during the second robbery on October 25. His female passenger was questioned and released. Detectives were able to piece together evidence that led to the identification of the primary suspect, Ronald Lee Hiffines, 49, of Riverside. Officers and Detectives from the Riverside Police Metro Team and Gang Unit conducted a surveillance of the area where Hiffines was believed to reside. At approximately 8:30 PM, Hiffines was arrested while walking down the street near his Tenth Street residence.

Cory and Hiffines were booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. They were charged with Robbery, Conspiracy to Commit Robbery and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
 

Ronald Cory		Ronald L Hiffines