Man busted for one-cent bank robbery

After a man handed a bank teller a note demanding cash, police swooped down on a Chase Bank branch in Florida and arrested the unarmed suspect for robbery.

The amount he allegedly sought: One cent.

The unorthodox robbery bid, cops say, occurred Saturday afternoon in Lady Lake, a town about 50 miles north of Orlando.

According to an arrest report , Michael Patrick Fleming, 41, walked into the bank, filled out a withdrawal slip, and handed it to a teller. “The defendant was told he could not be given $00.01,” police noted.

After being denied a penny, Fleming, who does not have a Chase account, reportedly told the teller, “So you want me to say the other word?” The teller “was in fear that possible violence was imminent” and “notified law enforcement,” cops said.

When police responded to the 911 call, Fleming was still inside the bank. He was taken into custody and transported to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, where he agreed to be interviewed by investigators.

Fleming said he initially went to Citizens First Bank–which was closed–before driving to the nearby Chase branch. After confirming the bank employee’s account of the episode, he said, “Most of the time, the way tellers are trained if someone comes in to rob you, you give them the money and let them go.”

Fleming claimed that he was expecting the teller “to give him the $00.01,” adding that he “would then sit in the chair and wait for law enforcement.” Pictured above, Fleming “advised his goal was to be arrested.”

That plan worked to perfection, with Fleming being collared on a felony robbery count. He is locked up in lieu of $5000 bond, according to jail records.

It is unclear why Fleming, who does not appear to have a criminal record, wanted to be busted.

Until recently, Fleming rented a mobile home in Summerfield, a central Florida community about 10 miles away from the Chase branch. He was evicted from the residence in May for failure to pay his $900 month-to-month rent.

THE SMOKING GUN

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