BRADENTON – A 60-year-old man is under arrest after robbing a Bradenton bank on Friday morning before being quickly located with the assistance of the Sarasota Police Department.
Just before 11 a.m., Joel Bales, 60, entered the Wells Fargo bank located at 2901 53rd Ave. E. in Bradenton. Bales placed a bucket hat on the counter and said, “This is no joke, this is a robbery, give me all your money and no dye pack”. The teller complied, handing over an undisclosed amount of cash.
Bales fled the bank in a white van, traveling southbound on U.S. 301. Through the investigation, detectives from the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office quickly developed information about the suspect and his vehicle, which was shared with the Sarasota Police Department. Sarasota officers located the van in the 1700 block of Washington Blvd (US 301) a short time later and detained Bales until Manatee County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrived.
Detectives believe Bales acted alone and that no other suspects were involved. All the money was recovered.
Bales is charged with robbery and will be booked into the Sarasota County Jail.
The investigation remains ongoing.