St. Paul robbery suspect bagged at golf course pleads guilty

Star Tribune

Last update: November 3, 2009 - 8:58 PM

An unemployed St. Paul man with gambling debts has admitted that he held up a St. Paul bank, stashed the cash in his golf bag and went to a golf course to work on his game.

Frazier E. Turner, 50, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to holding up the TCF Bank at the Cub Foods store at 1177 Clarence St.

According to the charges, Turner, wearing a disguise, gave a teller a note demanding cash about 9 a.m. on July 27. He also threatened the teller with what she thought was a handgun covered by a newspaper. Turner fled in a blue van with $600.

About 45 minutes later, St. Paul police spotted the van at the Phalen Golf Course, about a mile north of the bank. Turner was near the van carrying a golf bag. He told police later that he was on his way to the driving range.

"I screwed up and got caught, and now I have to deal with the consequences," the charges quoted him as saying when he was arrested at gunpoint. A search found $570 in a zippered side pocket of his golf bag. In the van were a wig, eyeglasses and clothing that matched what the robber was wearing and four lottery tickets.

Turner told police that he has been unemployed since February and had racked up $3,500 in gambling losses over five months. He also told authorities that what the teller thought was a gun actually was a tool for golf shoe cleats. His sentencing has yet to be scheduled.

PAUL WALSH

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