Florida man charged with robbery after making 1 cent withdrawal at the bank
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Sumter County Sheriff’s Department/Google Maps
A man has been charged with robbery after attempting to withdraw one cent from the bank.
Yes, you heard that right - he tried to withdraw the least amount of money possible.
What he was going to do with it is another thing entirely... can you even get anything for one cent these days?
Well, it couldn't have happened anywhere other than the Sunshine State of Florida.
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So, how do you get a felony requesting to withdraw money from the bank?
Well, Michael Fleming found out exactly that on June 29 when he went into a Chase branch in Lady Lake - a town in Lake County - and handed the man behind the counter a withdrawal slip for one cent.
The bank teller explained that he couldn't process his request, with court documents obtained by Law&Crime stating: "The defendant was told he could not be given $00.01, at which time [Fleming] advised 'So you want me to say the other word?'
“The bank teller, in fear that violence was imminent, notified law enforcement.”
The employee then decided to call the cops to try and de-escalate the situation, resulting in the Summerfield man being handcuffed and taken into custody.
Officers stated there was probable cause to believe he had violated robbery laws when speaking with the bank teller.
Fleming - who doesn't have an account with Chase bank - was then taken to jail where he was fingerprinted and had a mugshot taken, before having a $5,000 bond placed on him.
But Fleming then gave his own version of events to deputies.
“The defendant advised he drove to the Citizens First Bank, but it was closed, so he then drove a few parking lots over to the Chase Bank,” the affidavit reads.
“The defendant described walking into the bank, filled out a withdrawal slip for $00.01, provided it to the bank teller who advised we can’t give you one cent, at which time the defendant advised ‘So you want me to say the other word?’, at which time the bank teller had some kind of realization of what was taking place, and stepped away from the counter.”
He then allegedly said to police: "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."
Court docs continued: "The defendant advised he was expecting the bank teller to give him the $00.01, at which time he would then sit in the chair and wait for law enforcement.
"The defendant advised after not receiving anything from the teller, he just waited in the lobby for law enforcement to arrive. The defendant advised his goal was to be arrested."
Law enforcement went on to note that no money was obtained during the alleged robbery attempt.