Loan Agency Robbed In Racine, Mt. Pleasant Man Accused: Complaint

MOUNT PLEASANT, WI — A Mount Pleasant man is accused of robbing a loan company in Racine on Monday morning.

Police were called out to Heights Financial on the 1200 block of Lathrop Avenue in Racine around 7:30 a.m. that day, where an employee told them a man had just pulled a knife and said "you’re going to give me all the money that’s in here," police said in a criminal complaint.

Cedric D Atkins, 47, was charged in Racine County Court on Wednesday with robbery of a financial institution, online records show. If convicted, Atkins could face up to $100,000 in fines and up to 40 years of imprisonment.

The employee told police that the man had knocked at the business' door before it was open, and when the employee opened the door, the man asked what time it was and when they open, the complaint says. When the employee turned her back to look at the clock, the man pushed her aside and forced his way into the business, then he pulled a knife and demanded money, according to the criminal complaint.

The man demanded to be brought to the safe, to which the employee informed the man there was no safe, but the man had insisted and the employee began opening cash drawers, according to the complaint. Between three drawers, the employee gave the man $145, the complaint says.

The man told the employee to wait in the backroom and count to 50 and took the employee's phone, and when the suspect left, the employee waited and then walked out to try and get a license plate, according to the complaint.

According to the complaint, video footage corroborated what the employee told police and investigators managed to track down Atkins as a suspect through the license plate.

Officers interviewed Atkins, who at first denied being involved, but in the course of interviews, Atkins said he was not going to hurt anyone, that he was unsure of how much money he took, and that on his way home he had started tossing everything out of the window, including money, according to police in the criminal complaint.