Man dressed in Santa hat allegedly robs bank and threatens to blow it up

BRIDGETON, Mo. (TCD) -- A 58-year-old man was arrested Saturday for allegedly robbing a bank and threatening to blow up the building — all while dressed up like Father Christmas.

The St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announced on Twitter that Kenneth Hopper was taken into custody and charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree terrorist threat. Hopper allegedly stole $1,000 from a bank in Bridgeton and did so "with the threat that he would blow up with bank with a bomb."

He allegedly repeated the threat when he was apprehended by St. Ann Police. Hopper, who has a white beard, was reportedly "wearing a Santa Claus hat," according to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office statement.

Officers shut down the street near the bank because of the threat.

St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez told KTVI-TV, "We got him into custody in the back of our vehicle and he started with spontaneous utterances that there’s a bomb in the car."

The bomb threat turned out not to be real. St. Ann Neighborhood Watch confirmed on Facebook, "We also want to recognize the Regional Bomb and Arson Unit who deployed their robot that confirmed what the St. Louis Lambert International’s bomb sniffing dog had indicated — that there was NO BOMB in the car."

KSDK-TV reports Hopper complained of chest pains and was transported to a nearby hospital. He was booked into the St. Louis County Department of Justice Services and was being held on $100,000 cash-only bond.

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