Prosecutors are working to settle battery and bank burglary charges with a man known to law enforcement as the "No Face Bandit."
Federal and state prosecutors were close to settling with Peter Klein, 50, of Aromas, on a list of armed bank robbery, false imprisonment and possession of stolen property charges last summer, Deputy District Attorney Cindy Hendrickson said. But then, Klein allegedly assaulted a fellow inmate without provocation. Her office added a count of battery causing serious bodily injury to his charges, staining what had been an otherwise clean record, Hendrickson said.
According to a witness and the inmate Klein allegedly assaulted, the attack was unprovoked, Hendrickson said. Klein did not have a weapon but used his fists to knock his fellow inmate unconscious, she said. The victim described the attack only after he regained consciousness in the hospital, and another inmate who witnessed the attack corroborated his story, Hendrickson said. Though she described the attack as unprovoked, "the defendant has a story about what provoked him," she said. Hendrickson would not dilate further on the attack and referred questions to Klein's attorney, Deputy Alternate Defender Tim Fukai, who did not immediately return a phone call.
Klein appeared in court Tuesday afternoon, but had his case continued to 9 a.m. Nov. 6 in Department 109 at the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill. In the meantime, Hendrickson said she has made an offer to Klein and his attorney regarding the battery. She would not describe that offer or the original settlement details stemming from the robbery charges. However, the battery charge will add time to the original settlement, she said.
"We have to resolve the new case first, whether by settlement or trial," Hendrickson said. "One way or another, it needs to be litigated first."
In addition to the battery charge, Klein stands accused of 11 federal counts of armed bank robbery and 27 felony counts of false imprisonment, robbery and possession of stolen property brought against him by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.
His charges stem from a year-long spree of robberies in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties - including at four Gilroy banks - according to court documents.
Gilroy police arrested Klein March 27 after they were called by an off-duty San Jose police officer stopped at a red light near Chase Bank on First Street, according to police reports. The officer saw customers inside with their hands in the air and believed the situation looked suspicious.
Local prosecutors charged Klein with the Chase robbery along with six other bank robberies in Santa Clara County. Federal charges include these robberies along with four robberies in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Klein's charges in Santa Clara County carry a maximum prison sentence of 27 years and four months, according to prosecutors.
Sara Suddes Sara Suddes is the education reporter for South Valley Newspapers. Send her an email or (408) 847-7158.
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