SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO
Foiled bank robbery in Deming leads to federal charge
Zachary Clay, 41, accused of holding up bank with a hatchet
Published
Modified
A man accused of flashing a hatchet during a bank robbery attempt in downtown Deming made an initial appearance in Las Cruces’ federal courthouse Monday.
Zachary Clay, 41, of Las Cruces, has been charged with attempted bank robbery following his arrest Thursday.
According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, Clay entered the bank around 9 a.m. wearing a red hooded sweatshirt with a hatchet visibly attached at his waist. Security footage from the bank purportedly shows Clay passing a handwritten note to the teller with some words crossed out reading, “Real fast the money in large bills and hand them over. And don’t trip the alarm.”
Service was not fast, however: The affidavit states that the teller instructed him to wait and pretended to move toward the vault as they informed another employee of the situation.
Clay allegedly approached another teller, who told him to wait, before entering the office of a bank officer — who was on the phone and also told him to wait. The affidavit alleges Clay showed his hatchet to two employees before he heard police sirens “and decided to walk out of the bank before he was able to obtain any of the bank’s money.”
He was greeted by Luna County Sheriff’s deputies outside the front entrance, the affidavit states.
Clay allegedly admitted to the theft, telling deputies he needed money to repay a debt, the affidavit states. He faces federal charges because the bank’s deposits are federally insured.
If convicted, Clay faces potential fines and a prison sentence of up to 20 years. It was not clear whether he had an attorney as of Monday evening.
Algernon D’Ammassa is the Journal’s southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.
