Accused bank robber chose worst possible paper for note demanding cash in Ohio, FBI says

A man in Ohio made law enforcement’s job a lot easier after making a massive mistake during a bank robbery on Monday, officials say.

The FBI says Michael Harrell, 54, walked into a U.S. Bank in Cleveland late Monday morning, then handed a teller a note demanding cash, Cleveland.com reported.

It might have gone off without a hitch if Harrell hadn’t written the note on a piece of paper with personal details.

Officials say Harrell wrote the note on the back of an Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles document that included his name and address, WJW reported. The teller even called Harrell by his first name before giving him an undisclosed amount of cash.

Because of the document, officials were able to quickly identify Harrell, who’s described as being 5-foot-7, thin and “wearing a black T-shirt, baseball cap, long camouflage shorts and dark sneakers,” WOIO reported.

Harrell hadn’t been caught as of Wednesday morning, and officials are offering a reward for information leading to his arrest, Cleveland.com reported.

“A lot of times, we’re sending out pictures, we have no idea who this person could be or what part of town they could be from. And when you present a note that has your name already on it and address, it helps law enforcement tremendously,” FBI Special Agent Vicki Anderson said, according to WJW.

This story was originally published July 31, 2019 at 7:58 AM with the headline "Accused bank robber chose worst possible paper for note demanding cash in Ohio, FBI says."