Escapee sentenced for robbery spree that ended in Las Vegas

A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty to robbing nine banks after escaping an Oregon correctional facility was sentenced Monday to an additional 15 years behind bars.

William Etheridge, 57, made his May 2017 escape from Northwest Regional Reentry Center in Oregon, where he was serving time for a federal bank robbery conviction, the Department of Justice said.

Over the next two months, Etheridge robbed or attempted to rob 10 banks in Oregon and Washington, the Justice Department said.

Etheridge was arrested by Las Vegas police in July 2017 after he stole about $18,000 at gunpoint from a local credit union and carjacked a vehicle with two people inside, court documents show. He asked the carjacking victims to drop him off at a motorcycle dealership, where police caught up to him.

He pleaded guilty in October to 11 counts of robbery, carjacking and escape, the Justice Department said. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey sentenced Etheridge in Las Vegas to 15 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay about $18,400 in restitution.

Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.