Regional Roundup

Local bank robbery charge dismissed

Local prosecutors on Monday dropped charges against a man accused of robbing a Lodi bank because he was indicted on federal charges that carry a stiffer penalty.

Robert Anthony McClary, 36, of Pittsburg, has been jailed since April 13, 2006, shortly after three masked men robbed Bank of the West, 229 S. Church St., and threatened to kill tellers if they didn't turn over money. A Lodi police officer spotted McClary allegedly shedding clothing near the bank, and he has remained jailed on a robbery charge, as well as a charge of violating his parole for second-degree robbery in Contra Costa County.

A robbery charge in state court carries a maximum penalty of nine years in prison.

According to a federal indictment handed down earlier this month against McClary, he faces as much as 25 years in federal prison.

Local prosecutors dismissed the charges so McClary would face the heftier federal punishment, said Deputy District Attorney Cindy DeSilva.

McClary and Neal Edward Peterson Jr., 24, were both indicted on June 7 in connection with the Lodi bank robbery. Peterson and two other men were also indicted on charges of other bank robberies in Northern California.

Officers find body in trunk of car

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Department confirmed Monday that homicide detectives are investigating the discovery of a body in the trunk of a car near Chrisman and Durham Ferry roads south of Tracy.

Sheriff's department spokesman Les Garcia said detectives have not released any details regarding the incident, and he reported only that a California Highway Patrol officer found a man's body in the trunk of the car and that investigators suspect foul play.

He did not say who the man was, how or when he died or how long the car had been there. Sheriff's department investigators are treating the case as a homicide.