Charges: Accused Inver Grove Heights bank robber says it ‘was a joke’

A man who is now facing criminal charges after he allegedly robbed an Inver Grove Heights bank last week told police it “was a joke,” court documents state.

Joshua Richard-Wallace Johnson, 22, was formally charged Wednesday with aggravated second-degree robbery.

Inver Grove Heights police arrested him on Monday after searching his home and finding evidence that linked him to the robbery.

Police initially responded to a panic alarm at the Wells Fargo along Buchanan Trail just before 5 p.m. Friday. However, the suspect had already fled by the time officers arrived at the bank.

Court documents state that a bank teller said the robber showed him a note that said something like, “give me $150,000 or I will shoot you,” then ran off after the teller emptied the cash drawer.

Surveillance footage from the bank and a nearby gas station showed a person who appeared to be wearing the same clothing. Officers then tracked the vehicle at the gas station to Johnson.

When officers showed up to search his home on Monday, a criminal complaint states that Johnson answered the door, was arrested and then told police that what happened Friday “was a joke” and “it must not have been very funny.”

He then told police he hid the money under his sister’s bed, and officers found the cash, clothing that matched the suspect’s and the key to the car spotted at the gas station, according to court documents. Inside the car were sunglasses and a face mask matching what the suspect wore.

Johnson made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and had his bail set at $75,000 without conditions or $50,000 with conditions. His next hearing is set for June 27.

He’s facing up to 15 years in prison, if convicted.