Man, 44, Charged In Downtown St. Paul Bank Robbery

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 44-year-old St. Paul man faces a charge accusing him of robbing a Wells Fargo bank in downtown St. Paul Monday.

According to the Dakota County Attorney's Office, Brian Jerome Pawlak is charged with second-degree aggravated robbery in connection to the Jan. 12 incident.

The criminal complaint states that at 8:50 a.m. on the day of the incident, St. Paul police officers were sent to the Wells Fargo bank located at 30 East Seventh Street on a report of a robbery.

The robbery suspect had earlier approached a teller and produced a note that read "I have a gun 20's 50's 100's." He also unzipped his coat and reached into it as if he were going to produce a gun. The teller then grabbed a handful of cash and gave it to the robbery, who replied "that's good" and fled, the complaint said.

The incident was caught on surveillance video.

Later that day, a security officer at Saint Joseph's hospital identified the suspect as Pawlak and said he lived at 538 St. Peter Street. There, a building manager immediately identified the robber as Pawlak and said he always wears the same jacket and hat that the robber is seen wearing in the surveillance video.

Pawlak was tracked down at 9 p.m. to a Motel 6 on 2300 Cleveland Avenue, Roseville. After executing a search warrant, Pawlak and two other people were found inside with thousands of dollars of cash. Drugs were also found in the room.

According to the complaint, Pawlak left that morning and came back with money that he said he had received as an inheritance from his mother. He has a prior theft from person from Ramsey County in 1992.

If convicted, Pawlak could face up to 15 years in prison and/or a $30,000 fine.