Spaghetti Sauce Bank Robbery Suspect Due in Court

A Mount Clemens woman accused of robbing a Clinton Township bank with spaghetti sauce cans she claimed were explosives is slated for a court appearance this month.

Ophelia Neal, 53, is scheduled for a preliminary exam at 1:30 p.m. April 29 in 41B District Court in Clinton Township. Neal, who was a probation absconder at the time of her recent arrest, is being held in lieu of a $500,000 cash/surety bond, according to court officials.

She faces armed robbery, a life felony, and a 5-year explosive charge stemming from an April 6 hold up at Fifth-Third Bank on Harper. At the time, the robber demanded cash from a teller, claiming she had a bomb in a cloth bag. A bomb squad discovered her bag actually contained two cans of spaghetti sauce after she fled.

Police said they identified Neal by her physical description, noting she's 5'7 and 430 pounds, and other evidence from the crime. She was arrested soon after charges were issued for the bank robbery. Her prior convictions include uttering and publishing, entering without permission, assault with a dangerous weapon, drug charges and interfering with a crime report, criminal records show.