Man Allegedly Used Note With His Name On It To Rob Bank
(CNN) -- In the pantheon of great capers, this will not be included.
Late Monday morning, Michael Harrell walked into a U.S Bank in Cleveland and handed a teller a note demanding money, the FBI said in a statement. Surveillance footage shows he wore a ball cap, but made no attempt to obscure his face.
What's more curious is that he made no effort to obscure his name and address, either, authorities say.
"When the teller took the note and looked at it and looked at the other side, she saw his name. He had used a note that he had used earlier at the (Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles) and it had his name on it," special agent Vicki Anderson of the FBI's Cleveland office told CNN affiliate WJW.
The note said, "This is a robbery. Don't get nobody hurt," according to a Cleveland police field case report.
The bank teller gave Harrell $206 and called police with the information from Harrell's BMV form, WJW reported, setting off one of the least complicated manhunts in law enforcement history.
The teller later told police Harrell was a regular at the bank, often coming in for cash advances, according to the case report. She even called him by his name when handing the money over, she said, according to WJW.
The 54-year-old has since been arrested, said Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia, spokeswoman for the Cleveland Division of Police. It wasn't clear when the arrest was made, but Anderson told CNN she believes it was Tuesday.
This wouldn't be the first time a criminal outed themselves by leaving behind an incriminating piece of evidence, Anderson said.
"We've had individuals drop things on the way out the door that they didn't intend to obviously. We've had individuals drop cell phones that have all their identifying information in it," she told WJW.
"When you present a note that has your name already on it and address, it helps law enforcement tremendously."
The Cuyahoga County District Attorney's Office told CNN it has not yet received any charges against Harrell. Ciaccia could not be immediately reached to determine when charges would be forthcoming.
It's not clear if Harrell has retained a lawyer.
The-CNN-Wire
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