Police: SC man robbed bank by convincing teller he needed money to pay hostages’ ransom

Police: SC man used hostage hoax to rob bank

CONWAY, S.C. — Police say a South Carolina man robbed a bank of hundreds of dollars by convincing a bank teller that a woman and child would be killed if he didn’t pay a ransom to their captor.

Court documents show 55-year-old Chester Wodecki was arrested Tuesday and charged with a federal count of bank robbery the next day.

Police say Wodecki told the teller at First Citizens Bank in Conway that the woman and child were being held hostage at a grocery store. But authorities say the story was a hoax that Wodecki invented because he needed money for rent and other bills.

Police say Wodecki took about $2,400 from the bank.

Officials at the Horry County jail did not know if Wodecki had an attorney, and his home phone number was unlisted.