Officials look for man in St. Martin robbery

May 22, 2004
Section: World;Nation
Page: 1A

Officials look for man in St. Martin robbery

Kelly Scott
Staff
St. Cloud Times Metro

By Kelly Scott
kscott@stcloudtimes.com

ST. MARTIN - Authorities were looking Friday for a man who robbed St. Martin’s only bank.

About 2:30 p.m. Friday, a man went into St. Martin National Bank, Stearns County Lt. Dave Nohner said. The man went up to a teller’s window, showed a handgun he had concealed in his waistband and demanded cash. The man took an undisclosed amount of cash from the bank in a white plastic bag, Nohner said.

No one was injured in the robbery, Sgt. Rob Schwegel said. No customers were in the bank when the robbery happened.

Authorities used a bloodhound in an attempt to track his scent but didn’t find the suspect.

Mayor Jim Rothstein said he remembered stories about the bank being robbed about 60 years ago but didn’t know details. This is the town’s first bank robbery in recent memory, he said.

“A lot of people don’t want to believe this is here,” he said. “This proves that we’re part of the real world.”

The town has a population of about 300 people, he said. It’s about 23 miles west of St. Cloud.

Efforts to reach the bank’s president were unsuccessful.

The robbery suspect was described as a white man, 20-24 years old, 5 feet 11 inches tall and 145-155 pounds. The suspect has a very light complexion, dark crew-cut hair and a neat appearance. He was wearing a blue hooded zip-up sweatshirt. The suspect used a handgun and wore a latex glove on one hand but did not mask his face. Authorities aren’t sure whether he used a car to get away.

Anyone with information should call their local law enforcement agency or the Stearns County Sheriff’s Department at 251-4240.

Photo courtesy of Stearns County Sheriff’s Department
This is a still photo from a St. Martin National Bank surveillance tape.