St. Paul Man Arrested for the Bank Robbery of Park Midway Bank

Ralph S. Boelter, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis FBI office, today announced the federal arrest of Robert Lee Russell, 56, of St. Paul, Minnesota, for yesterday’s armed robbery of the Park Midway Bank in St. Paul.

Shortly after the bank robbery, at approximately 2:30 p.m., two Excel Energy employees observed the bank robber departing the area of the bank in a purple or maroon Dodge Caravan. The employees pulled up next to the vehicle and observed the suspect holding a silver handgun. Investigators subsequently contacted the vehicle’s registered owner, who advised that Russell had been in possession of the vehicle all day. The registered owner later told investigators that Russell had phoned her at 5:02 p.m. from a telephone number that was found to have originated from the Walmart store in Stillwater, Minnesota. Investigators went to the Walmart and reviewed store video surveillance tape, which showed Russell purchasing clothes and a backpack, and changing into the new clothes in a bathroom. Russell also bought a roll of quarters before going to an adjoining liquor store where he made a number of purchases. He returned to the Dodge Caravan and drove east from the Walmart. Two $20 bait bills taken from the Park Midway Bank during the robbery were recovered from the till at the Walmart where Russell bought his new clothes.

Shortly after midnight on August 5, 2010, Wisconsin State Troopers responded to a motor vehicle accident involving a Dodge Caravan. The Troopers identified the driver of the Caravan as Russell, who appeared to be intoxicated. The Troopers ran the license plate through law enforcement databases and learned that the vehicle was wanted in connection with the Park Midway Bank robbery the previous day. The initial inventory search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of cash inside a backpack. Troopers had the vehicle towed from the accident scene pending further investigation. Russell was taken to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, where he remains for treatment for injuries he suffered in the accident.

On Wednesday, August 5, 2010, a federal criminal complaint was filed in United States District Court, District of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, charging Robert Lee Russell with one count of bank robbery. He is expected to make his Initial Appearance before a Federal Magistrate in Madison, Wisconsin, within the next 24 hours.

This investigation is a joint effort by the St. Paul Police Department, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota State Patrol, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the FBI. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota is prosecuting this case.

The charges in a federal criminal complaint are merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.