PORT TOWNSEND – Cory Alexander Furford pleaded not guilty Tuesday to second-degree robbery in connection with the Nov. 13 bank robbery of Washington Mutual’s Port Townsend branch.
“Somebody was forcing him to do it,” said Furford’s court-appointed attorney, Ben Critchlow.
Critchlow argued in Jefferson County Superior Court that the probable cause statement included in court records does not support the charge faced by the 18-year-old Oak Harbor man, a former Port Angeles resident.
“It’s not my intent to attack probable cause now, but to reserve that right,” Critchlow told Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser while appearing on a courtroom monitor broadcast from Jefferson County jail in Port Hadlock as he stood beside Furford.
But Critchlow did argue against the content of the probable cause statement.
“I don’t see that there’s any threat or use of force in that statement. I don’t even know if that constitutes robbery as charged,” Critchlow said.
According to the statement, Furford walked into the Washington Mutual bank, 419 Kearney St., at about 1:55 p.m. on Nov. 13 and handed a teller a note.
The note read, “Sorry! Give me your money or the man outside [will] shoot me!,” court records show.
Furford walked out of the bank with $1,961 and took the Port Townsend ferry to Keystone, court records show.
He was arrested at Everett’s Paine Field airport on Friday, as a result of police receiving several tips from people who recognized Furford from a surveillance photo published in the Peninsula Daily News and elsewhere.
“Mr. Furford’s account is ludicrous,” Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Juelie Dalzell said to Verser.
She said Port Townsend police are investigating the existence of another person involved in the robbery, but that the department has not found anyone.
The investigation is ongoing.
Critchlow argued that the bail amount of $100,000 set the previous day should be reduced because Furford is not a threat to the community.
“The fact that you walk into a bank and rob it mid-day clearly is a threat to the community,” Dalzell countered.
Verser reduced the bail amount to $10,000, and Furford remained in jail as of Tuesday night.
The trial was scheduled for Jan. 14 and Jan. 15. Furford’s next court appearance will be Dec. 14.
