Robbery of Kline Bank Branch in Cologne, Minnesota

On March 9, 2011, at approximately 7:40 a.m., the Kline Bank branch located at 210 Paul Avenue North, Cologne, Minnesota, was robbed by a lone masked man. The robber waited in the bank’s front foyer area for a female employee to open the bank for business. He surprised the employee and displayed a knife. The employee let the robber into the bank and also into the bank’s vault. At one point during the robbery, the robber displayed a handgun and told the teller he would shoot her if she did not cooperate with him. The robber took an undisclosed amount of money from the vault and left the bank on foot. The female employee did not sustain any physical injuries.

The robber is described as a white male, approximately late 30s to early 40s, about 6’ tall, and weighing about 200 pounds. He wore a tan or wheat-colored Carhart-type coat, black pants, black gloves, black mask, and sneakers. It is believed that he is the same individual who robbed the First National Bank of the Lakes branch in Orono on February 17, 2011, and possibly three to four other banks in the metro area over the past two months. No bank surveillance camera photos are available at this time.

Ralph S. Boelter, Special Agent in Charge of the Minneapolis Office of the FBI, requests that anyone with information regarding this bank robbery contact the Minneapolis FBI Office at (763) 569-8000, the Carver County Sheriff’s Office at 952/361-1231, or Crime Stoppers at 800/222-8477.