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June 22, 1999
Hanska resident charged with La Salle bank robberyStanoch arrestedSunday at airportBy GUY PRIEL Journal Staff Writer MINNEAPOLIS -- A 31-year-old Hanska resident made his first appearance in federal district court Monday in connection with the May 28 armed robbery of the Citizens Bank of New Ulm in La Salle. Michael Anthony Stanoch was arrested Sunday at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by FBI agents and the Airport Police as he arrived on a flight from Miami. He was returning from his honeymoon. Stanoch allegedly stole approximately $12,500 in cash during the robbery, according to the criminal complaint. During his court appearance Monday in Hennepin County, he listened to the charges and learned his rights. His second appearance is scheduled for Monday, June 28 at 10:30 a.m. He was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. Local law enforcement officials knew Stanoch had gone on a cruise. "He didn't escape to avoid prosecution," said Brown County Sheriff's investigator Bob Christensen. Stanoch, who lives at 202 Broadway in Hanska, has only been a resident of the city for the past few months. He had lived in Mankato for several years prior to this, but he was originally from northern Minnesota, Christensen said. "We narrowed it down to Stanoch after we executed a search warrant of his residence last Friday," Christensen said. Law enforcement officials recovered incriminating evidence from the house. When the residence was searched, agents found a black hooded sweatshirt hidden among blankets in the garage. Agents also found two black BB guns resembling semi-automatic pistols, according to an FBI affidavit. Agents also found a blue, zippered bank bag fitting the description bank officials gave on the day of the robbery. The bag was located near the guns and the sweatshirt. The residence is owned by Gerald and Sarah Olberg of Hanska, parents of Stanoch's wife Joy Einerwold, who lives there with her three children, according to the affidavit. Eyewitness reports on the day of the robbery indicate that the robber was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, sunglasses, jeans and latex gloves. The tellers handed him a large blue, zippered bag containing the cash, including $300 worth of previously recorded bait bills, according to the FBI affidavit. The bait bills are currency whose serial numbers are available to law enforcement agencies. "A dark, red/burgundy four-door Buick was observed parked in an alley/driveway about half a block away from the bank prior to the robbery. It was not observed at that location after the robbery," the affidavit stated. Events leading up to the search warrant on June 18 began on June 10, when New Ulm Police Officer Doug Wiesner told the FBI that Stanoch had written a bad check for $852 to Patterson's Jewelry in New Ulm on April 23. The check was written on a closed Norwest account. On June 10, Stanoch paid Jim Patterson $860 in $10 bills, but none matched the serial numbers of the bait bills, according to the affidavit. Stanoch's description matched the approximate description provided by bank tellers on the day of the robbery, which indicated the suspect was a 5-foot-10-inch white male in his 30s weighing approximately 170 pounds. Stanoch has a 1992 burgundy Buick Park Avenue four-door sedan, according to the affidavit and witnesses. Stanoch worked as a tire service person at Tire Associates in Mankato, but he quit his job on May 10 when he started working at Lloyd Lumber in Mankato, according to information from the federal attorney's office. He was not at work on the day of the robbery or the day before the robbery, according to Lloyd Lumber personnel. Stanoch was scheduled to return to work Monday after his honeymoon. Stanoch told his mother-in-law Sarah Olberg that he had gathered his assets and made an $82,000 deposit at Alliance Bank in Hanska, but records subpoenaed from the bank on June 16 indicated that there was no account at the bank and no record of a deposit, according to the FBI affidavit. Einerwold deposited approximately $5,600 into her checking account at Alliance Bank between June 1 and June 10 . If convicted of armed robbery, Stanoch faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000. Karen Bailey, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's office, said that there are a variety of guidelines involved in determining exactly what type of sentence might be assigned. "The maximum federal sentence is 20 years for robbery and five years for use of a firearm, but criminal history is also figured in when sentencing is determined, as well as other factors," she said. Information regarding possible prior arrests was not available nor released by the state. The Watonwan County Sheriff's Office, St. James Police Department, New Ulm Police Department, Brown County Sheriff's Department, Minnesota State Patrol and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension assisted the FBI with this case.
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