Man enters SLO County bank, waves magic wand and asks for $5,000. Was it a robbery?

A bizarre incident at Mechanics Bank in Cambria on Wednesday left locals puzzled.

“A white male adult, approximately 30 years old with a full beard” walked into the bank at 1070 Main St. on Wednesday, according to Tony Cipolla, spokesman for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

The man “went up to a teller, waved a wand with a light at the end, and asked (not demanded, asked) the teller for $5,000,” Cipolla said.

The teller asked the man if he had an account with the bank.

The man replied “with another wave of the wand that he did not have an account and again asked the teller for $5,000,” Cipolla said. “When the teller said no, the man waved his wand one more time and left the bank with no money.”

“We are not classifying this as an attempted robbery because it doesn’t meet the criteria,” Cipolla said. The man did not demand the money. The teller was not in fear or intimidated to turn over any money, etc.”

Bank employees were cautioned by management to not talk about the incident, and bank officials declined to comment.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.