Man facing federal charge in St. Cloud bank hostage case
A man accused of holding five employees hostage during a more than eight-hour standoff at a Minnesota bank was charged Thursday in federal court.
Ray R. McNeary, 35, was charged earlier in state court for the May 6 incident at a Wells Fargo bank in St. Cloud, Minn. Police said they had dealings with McNearly going back at least a decade, including violent crime.
Authorities said the standoff began when the suspect came to the bank and was disgruntled about a prior transaction. Court documents show that McNeary held a pair of scissors against the bank manager’s neck and back on several occasions. All of the hostages were either released or escaped.
McNeary, of Waite Park, Minn., is charged in federal court with one count of bank robbery. He faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison if convicted.
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