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Woman attempted to rob bank before taking money out of her own account: Hernando Sheriff

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Posted at 10:36 AM, Jun 02, 2023
and last updated 2023-06-02 10:36:35-04

SPRING HILL, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office said a woman attempted to rob a Wells Fargo bank in Spring Hill, Florida, Wednesday and made the investigation quite easy to solve.

According to the Hernando Sheriff's Office, around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, a woman, later identified as Vanessa Ortega, 31, came into the bank holding a bright blue object in her left hand that allegedly resembled a firearm.

The Sheriff's Office said Ortega then raised the object in the air and then yelled, "This is a robbery; give me all your money."

Ortega then allegedly went to the teller window and said she was only joking. She then withdrew cash from her own bank account and left the bank.

When detectives arrived, bank staff said they could identify Ortega because she was a regular customer at this branch. Detectives also identified Ortega because the HCSO said they had "previous law enforcement contacts with her."

Ortega was arrested at a separate scene where deputies were called to a disturbance.

The Hernando Sheriff's Office said Ortega told deputies she entered the bank with a "nerf style" gun and admitted to yelling, "This is a robbery, give me all your money." Ortega allegedly told deputies she was just joking about the robbery.

Ortega was arrested and faces two counts of attempted robbery with a weapon and given a $20,000 bond.