Davis police say it was the combination of a diligent employee and an observant cop that led to the arrest of a suspected bank robber Thursday morning.

Paul Michael Schmeer, 29, of Humboldt County, is suspected of walking into the Chase bank branch at 330 E St. shortly before 9:30 a.m. and handing the teller a note demanding cash.

“(The note) also states that he has a gun, but no weapon was displayed or seen by bank employees,” Davis police Lt. Paul Doroshov said.

With cash in hand, the robber left the bank and headed toward his nearby vehicle. A bank employee followed him, taking note of the vehicle’s description and reporting it to Davis police.

A few blocks away, patrol Officer Gary Chudomelka spotted the suspect’s Jeep Liberty heading from southbound Richards Boulevard onto eastbound Interstate 80, Doroshov said.

Chudomelka followed the Jeep and, once backup officers caught up, stopped the vehicle near the Reed Avenue exit in West Sacramento, Doroshov said. Schmeer was taken into custody without incident.

Officers recovered a “substantial amount of money” from Schmeer’s vehicle, along with other evidence allegedly linking the suspect to the robbery, Doroshov said. He did not elaborate.

Schmeer, who reportedly has contacts in the Sacramento area, was lodged at the Yolo County Jail on suspicion of robbery. The incident also is being investigated by FBI, and authorities are looking into whether Schmeer is responsible for any other holdups, Doroshov said.

Police praised the efforts that led to the suspect’s swift capture.

“It was a good job by the bank employee for getting a good description, and a good job by the officer for being observant,” Doroshov said.

— Reach Lauren Keene at [email protected] or (530) 747-8048. Follow her on Twitter @laurenkeene

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Lauren Hartfield and Mario Alfaro, Davis Police Department crime scene technicians, arrive at Chase Bank, 330 E St. downtown, to investigate a robbery that occurred Thursday morning. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

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