A 52-year-old Rochester man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly tried to get money from a bell-ringer with the Salvation Army.
Russell Harvey Staver was charged Friday in Olmsted County District Court with second-degree attempted aggravated robbery. He remains in custody in lieu of $25,000 conditional bond; his next court appearance has been set for Jan. 2.
The charge stems from an incident Dec. 17, when a volunteer with the Red Kettle Campaign reported Staver had approached him and asked for money at Kmart on Ninth Street Southeast.
The 60-year-old volunteer ignored him, the report says, and continued ringing the bell. Staver allegedly told the man he had a gun, then reached into a bag as if to produce a weapon.
The volunteer went inside the store and called police, who found Staver a couple of blocks away. No gun was found.
