Man foiled in bank robbery attempt by lack of bag for money

A man was foiled in his attempt to rob a bank because he did not bring a bag with him, according to the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office. Joseph Alan Price, 61, of Okeechobee, walked into the PNC Bank on Friday, deputies said.

He had written a note demanding cash and handed it to a teller. The note instructed the teller to put the cash in a bag, but she told Price she didn't have a bag. Price, who did not show a weapon, pointed to the note, but the teller again told him she had no bag.



Empty-handed, Price left the bank and hopped on a bicycle he had left in a wooded area near the building. A bank alarm was activated and a sheriff's lieutenant had Price in custody within seven minutes, Sheriff Paul May said.

"This man was apprehended very quickly," May said. "A good description was given by bank personnel, (the lieutenant) was in the right place and the suspect is in jail, which is the right place for him." Price was charged with attempted bank robbery and is being held at the Okeechobee County Jail without bail.