A 37-year-old West St. Paul man told police that he had to rob a bank so he could pay his rent and dodge eviction from his apartment.
That's the explanation spelled out in charges filed Thursday against Lewis Ross, accused of second-degree aggravated robbery in the holdup Tuesday of the TCF Bank in the 1500 block of Robert Street.
According to the criminal complaint:
A teller told police that Lewis presented a note saying he had a gun and wanted money. The teller gave Lewis $200 and a hidden exploding dye pack. Lewis fled with the money and the pack.
Lewis was allegedly seen dropping items behind a nearby store. Clothing matching what Lewis wore during the holdup, red-stained currency and a threatening note demanding cash were found abandoned.
Lewis entered another store nearby, where red stains were found on the bathroom floor, in the toilet bowls and around sink faucets.
Police tracked Lewis to his apartment in the 300 block of Marie Avenue, less than 2 miles from the bank, and arrested him. That's when he allegedly told officers that he committed the crime because he needed rent money.
PAUL WALSH
