Hy-Vee bank robbery suspect found hiding near store

The man accused of trying to rob a bank inside the West Broadway Hy-Vee was found hiding in bushes near the store.

Columbia police arrested Jeffrey A. York, 59, Friday afternoon after they were sent to Hy-Vee on reports that a man with a backpack had robbed the Commerce Bank branch inside the store, handing the teller a note saying he had a bomb in his pack and a gun. Police evacuated the store with about 100 people inside, according to a probable cause statement, and the bomb squad was sent to the scene.

A woman identified York as the suspect and told police she had given him a ride to the store without knowing his plan to rob the bank, a Columbia Police Department detective wrote in the statement. After the robbery York returned to the vehicle, but then left on foot, leaving the backpack behind in the vehicle, according to the statement. Store customers took photos of him while he was in the vehicle, the statement said.

It’s not clear whether there was a bomb inside the backpack, but the bomb squad “rendered it safe,” a police spokesman said Friday.

Police found York about 200 yards from the store “hiding in foliage,” the statement said. He admitted writing the note the robber handed to the teller and had cash on him from the robbery, the statement said.

York has been charged with first-degree robbery and first-degree making a terrorist threat. He was being held in the Boone County Jail on Monday without bond. An initial court appearance was set for Monday afternoon.