Pa. robbery suspect caught 'red-handed' due to dye

[November 03, 2010]  CHARLEROI, Pa. (AP) -- The FBI says a southwestern Pennsylvania bank robbery suspect has been caught "red-handed."

Fifty-year-old Kurt Fritzel, of Charleroi, is in jail after police and the FBI say he robbed a Citizens Bank branch a few doors down from his apartment. Witnesses say a dye pack hidden in the money he stole exploded in his hands, creating a red cloud that led authorities to his home.

Authorities searched Fritzel's apartment above a thrift and used furniture shop Monday after the heist. Senior FBI Agent David Hedges, who heads the bureau's Charleroi office, declined to comment except to call it a "pathetic case."

Online court records don't list an attorney for Fritzel.

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Information from: Observer-Reporter, http://www.observer-reporter.com/

[Associated Press]

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