Federal charges have been filed against a suspect who was arrested in McHenry after he stole nearly $30,000 during a bank robbery in Kildeer, which he said he did because he was having financial issues.
The Kildeer Police Department responded around 10:30 a.m. on June 13 to the Bank of America, 20263 North Rand Road in Kildeer, for a report of an armed robbery.
An adult male, later identified as Pedro Perales, 56, of Fox Lake, entered the bank and an employee greeted him, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court.
Perales told the employee he needed help with a transaction and the employee went behind a teller counter.
Perales handed a note that read, “I have a gun give me all the money no one will get hurt,” according to the complaint.
The man held out a white paper bag and the employee began to fill it with money from the teller drawer.
Perales told the employee to be “as fast as possible, please,” and then stopped the employee from placing more money into the bag after saying it was “enough.”
No one was injured in the robbery. The FBI Chicago Field Office and Kildeer Police Department responded to the scene.
The employee told investigators they were in fear, felt threatened and complied due to the reference of a gun.
Perales, who was not wearing a mask, stole approximately $28,550 in cash, the complaint said. The robbery was caught on surveillance video.
Perales was seen entering a white GMC Acadia in the parking lot and fleeing the area.
The vehicle was entered into a database by law enforcement and it was later detected in McHenry around 7 p.m. that day.
The Kildeer Police Department, FBI, McHenry Police Department and the Johnsburg Police Department took Perales into custody following a traffic stop at the intersection of Route 31 and Alexandria Boulevard in McHenry, according to Kildeer Police Chief Steve Balinski.
The arrest was made without incident and a paper bag containing approximately $24,400 in cash was located.
“The success of this arrest was based upon great teamwork between our law enforcement partners and the use of available technology,” Balinski said.
Perales spoke to investigators and admitted to being the offender. He identified himself in the surveillance images, the complaint said.
Perales also said that he was having money problems and that is why he robbed the bank.
He was charged in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of bank robbery by force or violence.
Prosecutors sought to have Perales held in federal custody while awaiting trial but U.S. District Judge Gabriel Fuentes denied the request on Wednesday.
Perales was released on a $10,000 appearance bond with pre-trial conditions. His next court date has not been set.
In July 2023, the same Bank of America branch was robbed by a woman who was arrested after she stole $20,000 in cash while implying she was armed.