Alleged 'Bag Lady Bandit' craps out at area casino

A handbag-toting suspect in a string of Northern California bank robberies, including Saturday and Monday heists in Roseville, was arrested at Jackson Rancheria Casino late Tuesday night after being spotted by a casino employee earlier in the day.Cathy Lynn Longley, 39, of San Jose was taken into custody by authorities and transported to the Placer County Jail, where she is being held on $950,000 bail. She is also a suspect in an April bank robbery in Rocklin. Known as the "Bag Lady Bandit," her last listed occupation is as a housecleaner.Jackson is located 50 miles southeast of Roseville. Police from Roseville, Rocklin and FBI authorities drove to the casino late Tuesday night after being contacted by Jackson Rancheria tribal police, said Rich Hoffman, spokesperson for the Miwuk band that runs the casino."She was first spotted by one of our surveillance personnel at about 11 a.m. Tuesday," Hoffman said. "He recognized her from the news coverage, and called up to surveillance and had them turn cameras on her. She was on the way out to the parking lot and they captured an image of her license plates as well."Those images were forwarded to tribal police, who contacted the FBI and police from Roseville and Rocklin."A process was put together if she were to return, and she did return that evening," Hoffman said, estimating that time frame to be between 10-11 p.m. Tribal police de-tained Longley and waited for the other agencies to arrive.Roseville Police Lt. Mike Blair said the assorted law enforcement interviewed the woman and found evidence on her that suggested this was no ordinary gambler."They met with tribal police, who had the woman detained. They were able to locate some evidence that connected her to the robberies," Blair said. The items included handbags, clothing that matched attire captured in bank surveillance videos, and notes matching the description of those passed to tellers in robberies, said Blair. Longley, who would pass a note to bank tellers and leave with cash in a handbag, was arraigned Friday in Placer County Superior Court on three counts of second-degree felony robbery for the Roseville and Rocklin cases. Those cases must be resolved before she faces counts charging her with a dozen other robberies, the first of which was in March. The FBI believes she is responsible for heists in Santa Cruz, Fremont, Los Altos, Union City and Los Gatos, among others.