Charges laid after a bank was threatened with a poisonous snake

One man has been charged after police say he handed a bank employee a note saying he had a poisonous snake.

Calgary police have charged 38-year-old Wyatt Robert Boden with two counts of robbery, two counts of wearing a disguise with intent, taxi fraud, and breaching a probation order.

They say that last Friday the suspect entered a TD bank and handed a note to an employee demanding cash while claiming he was in possession of a poisonous snake.

The suspect then fled the area in a taxi with an undisclosed amount of cash prior to police arrival.

No injuries were reported and police don’t believe the man actually had a snake.

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Nearby officers were able to quickly locate the taxi and subsequently apprehend the suspect. The taxi driver didn’t know about the suspect’s intention to rob the bank and was not involved in the incident.

Calgary police believe this was one of two bank robberies Boden was involved with last week. He had been released with conditions pending his next court date after being arrested in connection to a robbery earlier that week.

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On Tuesday, March 10 an unknown man wearing a disguise entered an RBC bank and passed a note to an employee demanding cash.

The suspect fled the area with an undisclosed amount of money. No injuries were reported and bank staff quickly called the police.

When they got to the scene, police collected witness statements, including a description of the suspect. The Robbery Unit detectives were able to quickly identify a possible location for the suspect at a nearby hotel.

After determining the suspect checked out of the hotel, police continued their search for the man who was suspected to have checked into a different hotel.

A short time later, the suspect was located and arrested at the Deerfoot Inn and Casino.

He will next appear in court on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the police by calling 403-266-1234. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers.