Alleged thief attempts to rob bank with stolen three-month-old kitten in hand

Beltsville Community Cats says Magnolia, a 3.5-month-old tuxedo kitten, is known for ‘stealing hearts.’ (Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page)

A man accused of attempting to rob a bank in Maryland tried to use a three-month-old kitten known for “stealing hearts” as an accessory, a non-profit rescue group says.

The alleged robber was arrested after he rushed out of a PNC Bank branch in Beltsville, Md., clutching a kitten that an animal rescue group said he had stolen earlier from the cat adoption area of a pet store, NBC4 Washington reported on Tuesday.

“Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal,” wrote Beltsville Community Cats on its Facebook page.

Beltsville Community Cats, a non-profit cat rescue group, partners with local businesses, including the pet store where Magnolia was allegedly taken.

The man had reportedly been visiting Magnolia, a 3.5-month-old tuxedo kitten, at the Pet Supplies Plus almost every day for a few weeks before his alleged crime.

Stephanie Stullich, president of Beltsville Community Cats, told NBC4 Washington that she immediately drove to the store after an employee alerted her to the alleged theft at about 10:30 a.m. on Monday.

Stullich recounted seeing police cars and soon learned about the alleged bank robber that brought the kitten inside the bank.

“Apparently, he went into the bank with the cat in his arms, and he walked up to a bank employee and said, ‘Can you hold this?’ And then he wrote a note and handed it to a bank teller and it said, essentially, give me all your cash,” she told the news outlet.

Beltsville Community Cats joked in a Facebook post that although Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her,” she is still available for adoption. It added that “Magnolia is back to doing what she does best: stealing hearts.”