Alexandria robbery suspect charged with 2 felonies

ALEXANDRIA — A West Fargo man was charged Monday, May 6 in connection with an armed robbery at Bremer Bank in Alexandria on May 2.

Victor Wallace, 49, was arrested in West Fargo Friday, May 3.

"Continued leads from the public and collaboration between multiple agencies led to the identification and arrest of the suspect in this case. Video surveillance provided by local businesses and personal residences played a crucial role in identifying and locating the suspect and the vehicle used," said Alexandria Police Chief Scott Kent.

Wallace has been charged with aggravated robbery in the first degree and felony theft in excess of $1,000. The first charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $35,000 fine, while the second carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.

According to the statement of probable cause in the case, Wallace handed a bank teller a piece of paper that said "put all the money from the drawer in the bag" written in pink lettering.

The bank teller saw a black semi-automatic pistol inside the bag, and provided the suspect with more than $1,000 in cash, after which point Wallace fled, the statement read.

Surveillance video of Wallace's vehicle captured a North Dakota license plate, and the registered owner was listed as residing in West Fargo, N.D., the statement read.

A search warrant was executed at that location, where authorities located two black handguns, the demand-letter, a wig with black dreadlocks, a facemask, a large amount of cash and gloves, the statement read.

Wallace was then taken into custody.

In connection with the arrest, search warrants for the vehicle and a residence in West Fargo were executed by members of the West Fargo Police Department and the Cass County Drug Task Force, which includes members of the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office and Alexandria detectives, according to a news release from the Alexandria Police Department.

The search warrants produced corroborating evidence connected to the robbery in Alexandria, Kent said.

Wallace has a substantial criminal history in Minnesota, with more than a dozen disposed cases to his name. These include multiple drug charges and traffic violations, disorderly conduct, damage to property and domestic abuse.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, West Central Minnesota Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation also assisted in the case.

A search for the man suspected of armed robbery in Alexandria focused on the 1700 block of Nokomis Street Thursday night, May 2.

The investigation led to a search warrant in that area at about 9 p.m. The warrant was executed by the Douglas County SWAT Team and other members of law enforcement. A code red warning was sent out to residents making them aware of the police presence in the area, according to the Alexandria Police Department.

Alexandria police officers began searching for the suspect at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2.

According to police, the man entered Bremer Bank at 720 Broadway Street in Alexandria at 4:25 p.m. and reportedly displayed a handgun to the teller and demanded money. He fled on foot. An undisclosed amount of cash was stolen.

The suspect ran eastbound from the bank. Officers set up a perimeter along the east side of Broadway. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office deployed a police dog to attempt a track but the suspect wasn't found.

Video surveilance images of the suspect were captured from the bank images of the suspect.

No one was physically injured, according to Kent.

Echo Press Reporters Travis Gulbrandson and Celeste Edenloff contributed to this story.

Al Edenloff / Alexandria Echo Press