Nine Months Later, Details on U.S. Bank Robbery Still Unclear

The legal process rolled on for the suspected “Man in Black” bank robber last week when public defenders asked a judge to suppress evidence and statements they say were improperly obtained. But while that process continues, the Hopkins robbery that officials originally speculated he perpetrated is still not among the charges against him.

Mark Edward Wetsch has been charged with 13 counts of armed bank robbery in connection with incidents dating back to March 9, 2011.

St. Peter police arrested Wetsch after a Jan. 3 robbery in Brewster. that it was investigating whether he was the Man in Black thought to have hit numerous banks across the Twin Cities—including of the Hopkins branch.

But when the charges were unveiled in February, .

On Tuesday, Jeanne Cooney, director of community relations for the District of Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, told Patch via e-mail that Hopkins is still not included in the allegations against Wetsch.

Cooney said it is department policy to not comment on investigations. She could not say why Wetsch has not been charged, whether he’s suspected of involvement in the Hopkins robbery, whether another suspect has been identified or other details on the status of the investigation.

Meanwhile, Wetsch argues that he is innocent in all but one of the robberies he’s accused of. In a jailhouse interview with the Star Tribune, he admitted to the Brewster robbery but “vehemently denied” that he was the Man in Black.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our free daily newsletter