WAUWATOSA, Wis.— A man from Milwaukee is facing a felony charge after police say he robbed a Wauwatosa bank and later admitted he had been planning the robbery.
Ryan Yerger Ashford, 33, is charged with one count of robbery of a financial institution.
According to the criminal complaint, Wauwatosa police were called to a PNC Bank in Wauwatosa around 1 p.m. August 15.
A bank employee told police a masked man entered the bank, announced he was robbing the place and ordered people to the ground before telling a teller to give him cash.
The suspect handed the teller a handwritten note demanding 400-thousand dollars in 100- and 50-dollar bills.
The teller began gathering cash, but the suspect became frustrated and walked behind the county, demanding, “give me everything you have.”
He put the cash into a black duffel bag and left the bank with $1,106, according to the complaint.
Surveillance video showed the suspect arriving in a gray 2024 Mazda CX-5. Police later learned the vehicle had been rented through Turo to Ashford.
Investigators went to a Milwaukee home on August 18 and arrested Ashford. Police say he was staying in the basement.
During a search, investigators found three handwritten bank robbery notes, a black balaclava mask, black shoes, red gloves, a black duffel bag and other items. They also found a handwritten “Mission Checklist” containing plans for robbing a bank in Chicago, along with escape plans.
The complaint says Ashford initially denied involvement but later admitted to robbing the Wauwatosa bank after investigators confronted him with evidence.
Ashford allegedly told investigators he researched bank robberies for weeks and originally planned to rob a bank near Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
He said he changed his plans and chose Wauwatosa because he believed law enforcement would have a slower response time.
According to the complaint, Ashford said he wanted to get $40,000 to pay his debts and then leave the country.
Ashford faces one count of robbery of a financial institution, a Class C felony punishable by up to 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine if convicted.
