FBI: Man Tried To Open Account Before Robbing Bank
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A north suburban man was charged Friday with a knifepoint bank robbery Wednesday.
William Rozelle, 30, of the 2200 block of Kristan Avenue in North Chicago, was charged in a one-count criminal complaint filed Friday morning in U.S. District Court, according to a statement from the FBI.
He is charged with robbing the TCF Bank branch at 927 N. Green Bay Rd. in Waukegan at 10:07 a.m. Wednesday, the FBI said.
The complaint claims the suspect, believed to be Rozelle, entered the bank and began talking to a teller about opening checking and savings accounts, the FBI said. During the conversation, the suspect presented a state-issued photo ID card with Rozelle's name and Social Security number, the complaint said.
When the robber was told there was a fee required to open accounts, he left the bank, saying he needed to get money from his car, the complaint said. When he returned, he told the teller he was robbing the bank, then presented a handwritten note demanding $150,000 and indicating he had a gun, the complaint stated.
He then pulled a large knife from his sweatshirt, held it to the teller's side and told her to call out to another teller, the complaint said. He allegedly led two tellers to the vault, then ordered them to open it and put cash in his backpack.
He then told the tellers to get in the vault, but relented when they said the vault was too small and they wouldn't be able to breathe, the complaint said.
An audit by TCF Bank concluded that about $87,200 was taken during the robbery, the complaint said.
Rozelle was ordered held this morning pending his next court appearance, which has not been scheduled, the FBI said. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
