Man Arrested After Cda Bank Robbery Money, Robber’s Note Recovered

Police arrested a Hayden Lake man Thursday after authorities spotted him along a bike path moments after a nearby bank robbery.

Shane L. Barlau, 20, was arrested and booked into the Kootenai County jail on bank robbery charges.

Police also recovered the money stolen from Bank of America on Canfield Avenue near Silver Lake Mall, said Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Carl Bergh.

The robbery occurred about 9:30 a.m. Thursday when a man in blue jeans and a blue-gray hooded sweatshirt handed a Bank of America teller a note demanding cash. He appeared unarmed.

The clerk handed over less than $1,000 and the man fled on foot.

Moments later, a nearby Kootenai County sheriff’s deputy heard the man’s description on his police radio and spotted Barlau on a bike path along U.S. Highway 95, Bergh said. Barlau looked at the officer then took off into the woods north of a Target department store.

Officers from the Coeur d’Alene police, Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department and Idaho State Police blocked off the timbered area.

Barlau was caught attempting to exit the woods near Government Way and Wilbur Avenue, Bergh said.

Authorities combing the woods for evidence later found the note used in the robbery.

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