Possible break in Alexandria bank robbery?

Authorities may have caught a break in the search for a suspect who robbed an Alexandria bank on December 29.

On Tuesday, a 49-year-old Minneapolis man was spotted driving near St. Peter in a vehicle that was used in the robbery of the Rolling Hills Bank in Brewster earlier that day.

He was arrested and is being held in the Sherburne County Jail, according to the FBI.

Authorities are investigating whether the driver could be the “Man in Black” – a suspect who held up several banks across the metro area. He received the nickname because in his first few robberies, he was wearing all black clothing.

Law enforcement agencies from several cities are working together to determine if the Man in Black also robbed banks in Alexandria, Hastings, Orono, Faribault and Columbia Heights.

“We’re reviewing a lot of unsolved bank robberies,” said FBI spokesman Kyle Loven.

The suspect has not been charged with any bank robbery.

In the Alexandria robbery, a suspect entered the Glenwood State Bank at about 5:30 p.m. during business hours and walked straight to the front teller in the lobby. He was wearing a green zip-up waist length jacket. He also had a bright multi-colored stocking hat over the top of what appeared to be a solid dark-colored ski mask, light blue denim jeans and dark-colored gloves.

The suspect demanded money while brandishing what witnesses described as a small handgun. He was given an undisclosed amount of money and left the bank, which is located at 2221 South Broadway.

The suspect is described as possibly a white male, less than 6 feet in height.

The Alexandria Police Department is encouraging anyone with information or those who think they may have seen something connected to the robbery to contact police at (320) 763-6631.

Tags: crime news, local news, news, robbery