Mother Nature gave police in Waterville an assist Tuesday morning when a man who allegedly robbed a bank fell on the ice in front of a police officer.
It all started at about 10:10 a.m. when a man with a handgun entered the Bangor Savings Bank on Upper Main Street and demanded money, according to the Waterville Police Department.
The suspect, 38-year-old Jason Mackenrodt, fled the bank with an undetermined amount of cash across Main Street and into the parking lot of nearby Chinese restaurant Ming Lee, according to Waterville police. That’s when police say Mackenrodt took a spill on the ice, dumping the cash and his gun onto the pavement.
Bystanders quickly scooped up the cash as the wind blew it away.
It turned out Mackenrodt fell in front of Special Agent Glen Lang with the Maine State Police, who was sitting in his car, according to Waterville police. When Lang saw the gun and cash, Lang tackled Mackenrodt as he attempted to flee, police said.
“That was great luck and great action on the part of Lang, to put that together so quickly and get out of the vehicle and apprehend him,” Waterville police Chief Joseph Massey told the Waterville Morning Sentinel.
Mackenrodt was charged with robbery, terrorizing and a probation hold, according to the Morning Sentinel. He was taken to Kennebec County Jail in Augusta, where he is being held on $25,000 bail.