News and Press Releases
Lindstrom man indicted for robbing Lake Area Bank
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2012
MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 63-year-old Lindstrom man was indicted for the July 9, 2012, armed robbery of the Lake Area Bank in Lindstrom. John Harold Manthey, Jr., was specifically charged with one count of armed bank robbery. The indictment alleges that on July 9, 2012, Manthey stole approximately $30,297 from the bank.
According to a law enforcement affidavit filed in the case, Manthey entered the bank at 9:30 a.m. and was immediately recognized and greeted. He then reportedly climbed over the tellers’ counter, a large knife and a paper shopping bag in hand. While allegedly pointing the knife at one of the tellers, he ordered her to, “Fill the bag; large bills first… I want it all!” After receiving the money, along with a hidden dye pack, he purportedly moved on to the next teller, still brandishing the knife. At Manthey’s direction, that teller reportedly emptied her cash drawer onto the counter, and Manthey swept the money into the paper bag. The teller, unknowingly to Manthey, also added another dye pack to the bag. Manthey then allegedly ordered the second teller to give him the money from the drive-up cash drawer. After the teller poured that money into the paper bag, Manthey left the building through the front door.
The affidavit states that while the robbery was under way, several bank employees pushed the robbery alarm. As a result, local police shortly arrived on the scene. They immediately spotted Manthey sitting in the grass next to the steps of a nearby residence. He was arrested without incident. The police recovered cash and a large kitchen knife from a paper bag. Both items were covered with red dye from the exploded dye-packs.
If convicted, Manthey faces a potential maximum penalty of 25 years in prison. All sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge. This case is the result of an investigation by the Lakes Area Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Laura M. Provinzino.
An indictment is a determination by a grand jury that there is probable cause to believe that offenses have been committed by a defendant. A defendant, of course, is presumed innocent until he or she pleads guilty or is proven guilty at trial.
