DEARBORN, Mich. – A Dearborn bank robber who was discovered hunkered down inside a porta-potty is facing the possibility of 20 years in prison.
Charles William Woolery, 52, of Inkster, is accused of robbing the Dearborn Federal Savings Bank at 22315 Michigan Avenue at 3:04 p.m. March 2. He ordered a bank teller to smile and threatened to kill everyone if she sounded the alarm, officials said.
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Woolery was formally charged last week with bank robbery and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, if convicted.
Bank robbery
The teller said a man, later identified as Woolery, walked into the bank and handed her a note. He gestured to his hip, as if implying he had a weapon, according to the criminal complaint.
The note said, “Smile. Put all $10, $20, $50, $100 in bag. No dye pack. No GPS. Do not hit alarm til I leave or I will kill everyone,” authorities said.
She placed $1,690 into a black bag and handed it to Woolery, police said.
Officials said Woolery left the bank on foot.
Tracking Woolery
Security footage from inside the bank showed police that Woolery had been wearing a tan Carhartt suit, a black beanie hat and a black mask.
He fled west onto Tenny Street after leaving the bank and crossed Michigan Avenue to the north, according to authorities.
Officials said they found footage of Woolery heading toward the Hampton Inn, so they spoke with the manager there and reviewed surveillance footage from the hotel. It showed Woolery heading north through the vehicle entrance to the parking lot behind the hotel, according to the criminal complaint.
Woolery went slightly west in the parking lot and north along the buildings toward a porta-potty, officials said.
“At this point, Woolery appeared to enter a (porta-potty),” the criminal complaint reads.
Arrest and charges
Dearborn police officers went to the porta-potty and found Woolery inside, they said. He was taken into custody without incident.
Police found $1,690 in the front of Woolery’s hooded sweatshirt, court record show. A tan Carhartt-style suit was found on the floor of the porta-potty, according to authorities. They said they also recovered a black beanie-style winter hat, a black face mask, the robbery note and tan gloves.
Officials took Woolery to the Dearborn Police Station.
