Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2008

Police nab suspect in check-cashing robberies

By the Herald staff

Kennewick police tracked down a 24-year-old suspected of using a shotgun while robbing two Kennewick check-cashing businesses this month.

Agustin Monteon of Pasco was booked into the Benton County jail Monday on suspicion of first-degree robbery.

He was arrested in connection with a Sept. 8 robbery at Check into Cash, 4711 W. Clearwater Ave., Sgt. Christian Walters said.

In that robbery, the suspect was armed with a shotgun as he walked into the store just before 2 p.m. and demanded cash, police said.

Monteon also is suspected of robbing Check'n Go, 3015 W. Kennewick Ave., a week later on Sept. 15. That robbery occurred around 1:45 p.m. and the suspect also had a shotgun, police said.

Detectives got a tip Monday about a vehicle used in last week's robbery and were able to track people associated with the vehicle, Walters said.

Monteon, who was associated with the vehicle, was positively identified as the armed robber, he said.

The vehicle was found in Pasco, and Kennewick and Pasco detectives arrested Monteon a short time later.

Monteon was out on pretrial release on a Franklin County Superior Court case. His trial for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon is set for Oct. 15.

He's accused of attacking a man with a baseball bat July 11 outside a taco truck in Pasco.