Bishop Appraiser Blog

Benton resident ID’d as bank robbery suspect
Tuesday, 06 April 2010
By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
4-3-2010

Steven Craig Wiswell, 49, of Benton, is the lead suspect in the Chase Bank robbery that occurred at 6 p.m. March 17 in Bishop. Wiswell is described as a white male, stocky build, between 5’8” and 5’11” with blue eyes and brown hair.
Wiswell is still at large and considered armed and dangerous. He has two pistols registered to his name, a 9mm and .44 magnum, is believed to be in possession of deadly hallow-point bullets and, according to law enforcement, has suicidal tendencies.
Wiswell was last seen at the Paiute Palace Casino just hours after the robbery, and a week later a suicide note was found at his residence on Clark Ranch Road in Benton. There are no other reports of his whereabouts.
The BPD issued an arrest warrant Friday morning for Wiswell, who has reportedly told friends that he wanted to “rob a bank, or a casino, and go out in a blaze of glory.”
During a press conference held Friday, Bishop Police Chief Kathleen Sheehan told reporters that Wiswell has made several suicidal comments to friends in the past, with the latest being a “suicide by cop” scenario.
During the press conference, Sheehan not only released the name of the suspect, she also explained how he was identified and gave some insight into Wiswell himself, how he committed the crime and what he might do next.
Sheehan said that the BPD had followed several leads about possible suspects including Wiswell, “and the case started building.”

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