Suspected Bank Robber Arrested

LAS VEGAS—The FBI and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department have arrested a suspect in a bank robbery that occurred in downtown Las Vegas late last month that temporarily shut down traffic in downtown Las Vegas due to the threat of an explosive device. Darrell Cleon Bolar, 48, of Las Vegas, was arrested on Friday, January 9, 2010, based on a Complaint filed in United States District Court, accusing Bolar of Bank Robbery.

The robbery occurred at a Nevada State Bank branch located at 230 S. Las Vegas Blvd., at approximately 9:06 a.m. on December 30, 2009. The suspect entered the bank, placed a package on the counter in front of a teller station, implied that there was an explosive device in the package, and demanded money. After the teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect left the bank, leaving the package on the counter. The bank was evacuated, and a Metro ARMOR team removed the package and rendered it safe. Upon further inspection, the package was found to contain no explosives. Traffic surrounding the bank, which is located in a busy downtown section of Las Vegas, had to be re-routed for several hours following the robbery.

FBI Las Vegas Special Agent in Charge Kevin Favreau noted the outstanding police work performed by Metro and the FBI, and the assistance of the public through Metro’s Secret Witness program, as keys to the arrest of this suspect.

Bolar was arrested without incident Friday afternoon by FBI Agents at his apartment, located at 3955 Swenson St., in Las Vegas. Bolar will appear before a United States Magistrate Judge for his initial appearance at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday, January 12, 2010.