Blowtorch bandit wanted in St. Cloud bank, vending machine incidents

Police in St. Cloud, Minnesota are looking for a suspect believed to be involved in three incidents of vandalism, property damage and theft on Friday, Sept. 1. In each of the incidents, the suspect used a blowtorch, and police have released a surveillance image in hopes of catching the culprit.

At 3:09 a.m., officers responded to Bremer Bank at 4150 2nd Street S. The caller was dropping off a deposit at the bank and noticed a broken window. Investigators discovered a rock was used to break a window and gain entry into the bank. Once inside, the suspect used a blowtorch to get into the teller drawers, and left with an unknown amount of cash.

At 8:03 a.m. officers responded to Wells Fargo at 200 33rd Avenue S. In this incident, a rock was used to break the drive through window, but the suspect was unable to gain entry. The suspect also tried to use the blowtorch in an attempt to melt the glass, but was unsuccessful.

At 9:15 a.m., officers responded to a report of vandalism at an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Quarry Road. The caller reported that someone tried to use a blowtorch to melt open the change box on a vending machine. Officers learned that at 10:05 p.m. Thursday night, St. Cloud firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the same location. It is believed the suspect in the vandalism set off the fire alarm when they were attempting to break into the vending machine.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200, or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 320-255-1301,1-800-255-1301, or at www.tricountycrimestoppers.org