Man sought who tried to rob Wauconda bank with fake bomb

Wauconda police are trying to identify a disguised man who tried to use a fake bomb to hold up a bank.

Police Chief Doug Larsson said the suspect standing 6-feet tall entered Wauconda Community Bank at 495 W. Liberty St. about 2:15 p.m. wearing a wig, sunglasses and a hood, and carrying what looked to be packaged flowers for the staff.

Staff members opened the package after the man left and discovered a note claiming the package was a bomb, Larsson said. The instructions also said an undisclosed amount of money must be dropped off at a certain location, and when the money was delivered, instructions would be released on how to diffuse the bomb.

The contents of the package resembled a bomb to the bank employees, so they evacuated the building and contacted police, Larsson said.

"The staff clearly made the right decision to evacuate the building and call us," he said. "We were also concerned this was designed to draw away our resources so another robbery could take place, but that didn't happen either."

The Waukegan Fire Department Bomb Squad was called in to inspect the package, while police departments from Grayslake, Island Lake, Lake Zurich, Kildeer, Barrington Hills, Barrington, Cary, Round Lake Beach, South Barrington, Johnsburg and Lake County Sheriff helped secure the area around the bank.

Larsson said the bomb squad determined the contents of the package wasn't a bomb. He would not provide details about what was inside the package.

The FBI was contacted and they are assisting in the investigation.

"It seems to be an extortion plot at this point, but we are still investigating to try and figure this out," Larsson said. "We went to the drop point but there was no evidence of any connection to the threat."

Anyone with any information the robbery attempt should contact the Wauconda Police Department at (847) 526-2421.