STUART, FL – A Florida man was apprehended after a failed attempt to burglarize a local bank, following a peculiar sequence of events captured on surveillance cameras, according to authorities.
Colton Vanhonhenstein, 33, was seen purchasing a face mask at a gas station on the evening of Saturday, June 15, before crossing the street to a Wells Fargo bank branch. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office reported that Vanhonhenstein’s intention was to conceal his identity as he attempted the burglary.
The bank, which was closed but inexplicably left unlocked, became the scene of the attempted crime. Security footage revealed Vanhonhenstein entering the bank, but he did not get far. The bank’s alarm system alerted the sheriff’s office to a “robbery in progress,” noting that the suspect was masked.
By the time deputies arrived, Vanhonhenstein had already fled the scene. The alarm company later disclosed that a delay in their system resulted in the sheriff’s office being notified an hour after the incident began.
Despite the delay, law enforcement utilized the gas station’s security footage to track down and arrest Vanhonhenstein. He was charged with burglary, although his only acquisition from the bank was the five-dollar mask he purchased to disguise himself.
Authorities are now investigating why the bank’s doors were left unlocked and the reasons behind the alarm system’s delayed response.