RALEIGH, N.C. — A 66-year-old man who demanded money from a North Carolina bank isn’t being charged with a crime, officials say.
The man was at a Wells Fargo in Wilmington on Thursday when he handed a teller a note with his request, according to police spokeswoman Linda Thompson.
But then the would-be robber had an apparent change of heart.
“He went to another teller in the bank and then gave her the money back and told her to call the police,” Thompson, with the Wilmington Police Department, told McClatchy News.
It happened at Mayfaire, a Wilmington area dotted with clothing stores, restaurants and other businesses.
The bank was evacuated, and the 66-year-old later came outside the building, Thompson said.
He left behind his backpack, and a bomb squad came to check it out, according to police. Officers say the bag was cleared, and the man was brought into custody.
He never displayed a weapon, and his note didn’t include threats, according to Thompson.
“The DA and FBI have both declined to press charges citing that the suspect suffered from mental problems,” she wrote. “He is currently being committed to a mental health facility.”
Police haven’t publicly identified the man.
HOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): ROBBER-RETURNEDMONEY
