59-year-old man arrested in connection with Port St. Lucie bank robbery

PORT ST. LUCIE – Investigators arrested a man in Palm Beach County accused of robbing a local bank over the weekend, police said.

Port St. Lucie police reported Dennis Cleary, 59, was caught Monday in Lantana after investigators said they linked him to the Saturday robbery of the Chase Bank in the 1200 block of Southeast Port St. Lucie Boulevard.

Police developed Cleary as a suspect based on the video surveillance system at the bank, information from the public and earlier interactions with law enforcement, said Sgt. John Dellacroce, police spokesperson.

Police worked with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office closely in the case and used “various investigative techniques to locate him in Lantana,” Dellacroce said.

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Cleary was apprehended in a business parking lot.

Cleary, who is not from the area, had been staying temporarily at different locations in Port St. Lucie before the incident, Dellacroce said.

In the Saturday incident, he's accused of “demanding money from a teller, she handed over the cash and he fled the bank with the cash,” Dellacroce said.

Cleary was booked in at the Palm Beach County Jail based on charges stemming from the Port St. Lucie police investigation, Dellacroce said. He faces robbery and grand theft charges related to the bank robbery.

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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 59-year-old man arrested in connection with Port St. Lucie bank robbery