Bank robbery suspect flees toward PSU

At 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 26, the US Bank branch at 410 SW Harrison St. was robbed. The suspect, later identified as Ryan Michael Homsley, 32, fled toward campus and was believed to have entered Smith Memorial Student Union.

Homsley, who was unarmed, used a demand note as a means of coercion in the robbery.

The Portland Police Bureau responded to the incident at 1:32 p.m., dispatching patrol officers and K-9 units from the Central Precinct who contacted bank employees and searched the area. The Campus Public Safety Office also responded by dispatching four officers, who guarded building entrances and aided in the search.

“In this case, we were in an assist role with our PPB partners,” since the original crime occurred off campus, said CPSO Chief Phil Zerzan.

Homsley was arrested Tuesday night by Washington County Sheriff’s deputies in Aloha, both for his involvement in the robbery and for a prior federal probation violation.

CPSO sent text messages, phone calls and emails to students during these events through the PSU Alert system, which notifies students of emergencies or dangerous situations.

The first alert was sent on Monday at 1:55 p.m. Two subsequent alerts contained a physical description of Homsley and a statement that he was no longer believed to be on campus.

“This is the reason we have PSU Alert—to keep the community informed. We encourage everyone to sign up for it,” Zerzan said.

Students can update their PSU Alert contact information by logging in to their BanWeb account and selecting “Personal Information.”