The Stuart Police Department reports a man and a woman were arrested Friday morning   in Los Angeles, CA in connection to the Monday afternoon (May 20th) robbery of the First State Bank in Stuart. Twenty-Eight year old Wayne Eugene Palmer, Jr., and 19-year old Hannah Elizabeth Reisinger, both of whom are from Carlisle, PA., were taken into custody by the LAPD/FBI Los Angeles Fugitive Task Force. The pair were arrested after Stuart Police officers worked overnight in locating the suspects, using information that was obtained during their investigation.

This past Tuesday, officers from the Stuart Police Department and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office searched a room at a Super 8 in Adair, and were able to locate evidence from the bank robbery. The evidence obtained from Super 8 linked the two suspects to the crime. Stuart officers then began tracking the suspects and were able to locate them Friday in the Los Angeles area.

A call was made to the FTF. When the Task Force responded to the hotel, officers observed a man and a woman walking towards a car that matched the description given to them by Stuart officers. LAPD Detective Anthony Verret said “We saw a car that matched the description and when the suspects walked up to the car we immediately took them into custody.” Charges against the suspects are currently pending. Both suspects will be extradited to Iowa.

Stuart Police Chief David Reha said “We put a lot of energy and late nights into this investigation. We wanted to make sure that we caught the individuals involved as quickly as possible and allow the citizens of Stuart to feel safe that the individuals involved would not be striking again.”

The incident at the bank occurred at around 3:45-pm, Monday. A subject believed to be a female, who was wearing a bright green dress walked into the bank and handed a teller a note demanding money. The suspect was then seen leaving the bank on foot to the north. A witness later reported to police that the suspect climbed into the trunk of a car which was parked nearby in an alley.

If anyone has further information related to this case, contact the Stuart Police Department at 515-523-1896.