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Press Release

Waite Park Man Charged In St. Cloud Bank Robbery, Hostage Situation

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS – A federal criminal complaint was filed yesterday charging a Waite Park man in connection to a St. Cloud bank robbery and hostage situation.

According to court documents, on May 6, 2021, Ray Reco McNeary, 35, entered a Wells Fargo Bank in St. Cloud and alleged that there was fraud on his bank account. After the bank manager was unable to locate any accounts belonging to McNeary, McNeary became enraged and demanded that $60,000 in cash be taken from the vault and placed in a bank bag. The bank manager activated the silent panic alarm, notifying law enforcement of a problem at the bank.

According to court documents, upon arrival, St. Cloud police officers learned that five employees of the bank were being held hostage by McNeary. Multiple times throughout the incident, McNeary held a pair of scissors against the bank manager’s neck and back. FBI hostage negotiators spoke with McNeary repeatedly during what turned out to be an eight-hour standoff. During the course of negotiations, four of the employees were allowed to leave the bank. The standoff ended at approximately 10:24 p.m. when the bank manager fled the bank and law enforcement moved into the bank and arrested McNeary.

McNeary is charged with one count of bank robbery. If convicted, McNeary faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk of the District of Minnesota; and Special Agent in Charge Michael Paul of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office made the announcement.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the St. Cloud Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Steinkamp is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Updated May 13, 2021

Topic
Violent Crime