A 20-year-old Ramsey man is facing felony charges after he allegedly walked into a Spring Lake Park Wells Fargo branch, demanded $20,000 he had no account to claim, and refused to leave even after bank employees say he made comments about a mask and a gun. Joshua Cole Schallock was arrested following the confrontation on August 12, and Anoka County prosecutors filed charges against him two days later.
According to MN Crime, police responded to a hold-up alarm at the Wells Fargo that day after Schallock asked to withdraw $20,000 despite lacking both a bank account and identification. Bank employees denied the withdrawal request, and staff told officers they feared Schallock was threatening to rob the bank or harm them after he made comments referencing a mask and a firearm.
Schallock reportedly refused repeated requests to leave the branch, telling employees and officers that law enforcement already knew about the situation and would meet him there, and that 911 had called him. Officers ultimately escorted him from the bank, at which point they spotted a gun in his waistband. The weapon was identified as a black Glock, and officers seized it along with a magazine that contained multiple rounds, per the outlet's report.
Confusing Statements During the Standoff
Per the same account, both bank staff and responding officers noted that Schallock was not making much sense during and after the incident. He reportedly claimed someone had taken his money, said he needed his money, and said he would get the money himself, all while insisting he had an account at the bank. He also told officers he was not trying to scare anyone and said the gun was not loaded.
Schallock allegedly refused to leave until he got the money, later stating he would come back to get it — but also said he would not return with a mask and a gun to do so. The article does not resolve what prompted the erratic remarks, and no explanation for his mental state is offered in the charging details.
What Charges He Faces
Schallock faces attempted second-degree aggravated robbery, threats of violence involving reckless disregard of risk, and attempted simple robbery charges, all filed in Anoka County District Court. Aggravated robbery charges apply when an alleged weapon or great bodily harm is involved, while Minnesota law separates simple robbery under section 609.24 from aggravated robbery under section 609.245, as the outlet's reporting lays out.
The statutory exposure is steep even though no robbery was completed. Under Minnesota law, simple robbery carries up to 10 years, second-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 15 years, and first-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 20 years. But because Schallock is charged with an attempt rather than a completed offense, his exposure is effectively cut in half: under Minnesota Statutes § 609.245, Subd. 2 and § 609.17, Subd. 4, attempted second-degree aggravated robbery carries a maximum of 7.5 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, according to Hennepin County Attorney's Office guidance on the statute.
The threats-of-violence charge carries its own separate penalty. Under Minnesota Statute § 609.713, Subd. 1, threatening violence directly or indirectly in reckless disregard of causing terror carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and prosecutors need only show that the conduct created reasonable fear rather than prove intent to act, per Arneson & Geffen, PLLC. Minnesota renamed the offense from “terroristic threats” to “threats of violence” to move away from terrorism connotations in cases that do not involve extremist activity.
A Pattern of Weapon and Legal Trouble
Court records show this was not Schallock's first brush with weapons law this year. Before the Spring Lake Park incident, he was charged in Hennepin County District Court on April 10 with carrying a firearm or dangerous weapon in a public place without a permit, according to court records reviewed by MN Crime — a case filed just four months before the bank confrontation. He also has a pending Ramsey County underage consumption charge and a pending Ramsey County DWI charge, the outlet reports.
Statewide sentencing data offers some sense of how these cases typically resolve. Between 2020 and 2024, 131 people were sentenced statewide for second-degree aggravated robbery, with those who received executed prison terms averaging 35 months, according to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. For attempted first-degree aggravated robbery specifically, the commission's data shows 52 people were sentenced over the same period, with 36 receiving executed terms averaging 39 months — though Minnesota guidelines allow for stayed sentences or probation depending on a defendant's criminal history score.
A Small Department, a Familiar Kind of Call
Spring Lake Park is a small suburb of roughly 7,032 residents spanning just over two square miles north of Minneapolis along Highway 65, according to Census Reporter. Its police department has 13 POST-licensed sworn officers who field around 7,000 service calls a year and rely on Anoka County Central Communications for 911 dispatch, according to the city's police department. The case will be prosecuted by the Anoka County Attorney's Office within Minnesota's Tenth Judicial District, which handles felony matters for the suburb.
It isn't the first unusual incident at an Anoka County Wells Fargo branch. Back in August 2015, a man handed a teller at another Anoka County Wells Fargo a demand note claiming affiliation with ISIS, according to North Metro TV. Hoodline has also reported on a similar knife threat at a downtown Oakland Wells Fargo branch, where a suspect threatened a teller before fleeing on foot — underscoring that bank staff nationwide are trained to trigger silent alarms the moment a threat, implied or explicit, surfaces at the counter.
