Arrest made in Hilmar bank robbery

A 33-year-old Turlock man was arrested Tuesday, accused of robbing a bank in Hilmar, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office said.

Zeb B. Grunloh was booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion of robbery. Bail was set at $50,000, according to booking records.

Investigators served a search warrant around 10 a.m. Tuesday at a home in the 3000 block of South Mitchell Road and arrested Grunloh, Detective Sgt. Chuck Hale said.

Deputies said the suspect entered the Farmers & Merchants Bank just after 3 p.m. Monday and passed a note to a bank clerk. The bank employee believed the robber may have been armed, but no weapon was seen, deputies said.

No weapon was recovered during the search of Grunloh’s home.

Hale said the arrest was the product of a solid investigation and “great assistance” from the public. Deputies received more than a dozen phone calls Monday night after a security-camera image depicting the bank robber was posted at www.mercedsunstar.com.

Hale praised the public and area business owners and other concerned citizens for their help.

“I can say that community assistance with this investigation allowed us to wrap it up in less than 24 hours,” Hale said.

Investigators said Grunloh was in possession of some money, but it remained unclear whether that was the money taken from the bank.

This story was originally published March 1, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Arrest made in Hilmar bank robbery."