Local News in Brief : Countywide : Trio Arrested in String of 31 Bank Robberies

Two Orange County men believed responsible for at least 31 bank robberies throughout Southern California have been arrested along with a third man by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies acting on an anonymous tip about a suspicious car, a sheriff’s spokesman said Monday.

Sheriff’s Deputy Gabe Ramirez said the three were arrested in Walnut late Sunday and booked for investigation of bank robbery, and were being held without bail. They were sought by the FBI, the U.S. marshal’s office and police in La Habra, the City of Orange and Pasadena. They also were being sought for parole violations, Ramirez said.

The suspects were identified as Edward Serrano, 37, of Huntington Beach, James Basnight, 38, of Newport Beach, and Dennis McCrudden, 37, a transient.

Ramirez said an unidentified caller told deputies at the Walnut sheriff’s station that he was suspicious about a car parked near a house trailer. A check of the license plate revealed that the car was stolen and had been used in a bank robbery.

Also arrested were the house trailer residents, Charles Rasmussen, 38, and his wife, Cynthia, 31, who were booked on suspicion of harboring a known felon. They were being held in lieu of $5,000 bail each, Ramirez said.