BEND, OR -- Bend Police responded to reports of a man robbing the Wells Fargo on Third Street Friday afternoon with dynamite strapped to his body. The call came in just after noon.
A 72-year-old La Pine man faces first degree robbery and kidnapping charges in connection with Friday's robbery. Police say Thomas Henderson also had a loaded gun when he entered the bank and demanded money. After about a half hour, police negotiators convinced Henderson to surrender. He allegedly held a bank employee hostage during that time.
The robbery shut down nearby streets for several hours while the OSP Bomb Squad responded from Salem. Those explosives were later determined to be fake.
Henderson was arrested, but was later released from jail because of concerns over his health. He was ordered to return to the jail at a later date.
This was the second bank robbery in Bend, last week. Brett Gillespie-Comstock was arrested Wednesday after allegedly robbing the Selco Credit Union on Highway 20. He's due in court December 23.
