Man arrested in bank hostage standoff

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A 35-year-old accused of holding five employees hostage during a standoff at a Minnesota bank that lasted more than eight hours was charged Friday with first-degree aggravated robbery, armed kidnapping and assault in Stearns County District Court.

Ray R. McNeary was arrested in the Wells Fargo bank shortly after the final hostage left the building.

While St. Cloud police said Friday that no firearm was found on McNeary or at the scene, Wells Fargo spokeswoman Staci Schiller had said Thursday that the suspect had “some sort of weapon.”

Law enforcement officers began negotiating with McNeary about 1:45 p.m. Thursday after a robbery was reported. The first hostage, a woman, was freed several hours later and ran to officers with her hands raised.

A few minutes later, a second woman emerged and was led away. Then, just before 8 p.m., a male bank employee emerged unharmed. A fourth person, a woman, walked out minutes later.

After the final hostage was freed about 10:15 p.m, officers moved in and arrested McNeary. Neither the hostages nor McNeary were injured, police said.

He remained jailed in Stearns County as of late Friday.