ANDERSON, Mo. — A man suspected of attempting to burglarize the Tiff City, Mo., branch of The Cornerstone Bank was arrested early Saturday after he was found in the bank’s attic by a McDonald County, Mo., Sheriff’s Office deputy.
Tiff City is near the Missouri-Oklahoma line, west of Anderson.
Leonard Harmon, 20, of Wyandotte, Okla., was charged Tuesday with second degree burglary, second degree robbery and first degree property damage after his arrest by Deputy Chris Owens.
According to a probable-cause affidavit, Owens went to the bank about 5:30 a.m. after an alarm was set off. Owens and Deputy Richard Gidcumb checked the doors and windows and reported everything appeared to be intact and locked, but deputies found a ladder on top of the building
Owens said he found a 2-foot-by-2-foot hole in the roof that appeared to have been cut with a saw. A quick look into the attic failed to reveal Harmon, but when deputies checked the attic from inside the bank, they found the Harmon attempting to hide behind fiberglass insulation and duct work. Harmon was taken into custody without incident.
Harmon admitted he entered the bank by cutting a hole in the roof, according to the affidavit. Owens said Harmon told him he was going to force the first employee to arrive to open the bank vault so he could take the money.
Harmon was in the McDonald County Jail on Tuesday in lieu of a $5,000 cash bond. He is to be arraigned today in McDonald County Circuit Court.