Denmark Bancshares

On March 3, 1949, three bank robbers walked into the Denmark State Bank and held the bank president, George DeBroux, at gunpoint, and placed nine other customers and employees in the open bank vault.[6] The robbers made out with almost all of the $38,000 that the bank had on hand that day.[6] Local residents formed armed posses in an attempt to catch the robbers, and county authorities set up road blocks in a 50-mile radius. The Federal Bureau of Investigation became involved in the search, and with their fingerprint analysis, they came up with a list of suspects. This was the first bank robbery in Brown County.[6]

The FBI set up an operation to catch the ringleader, Walter Swiedarke, who owned a gas station and used car lot. An FBI agent bought gas from Swiedarke's station and forced him to make change, of which the bills were identified later by serial numbers as having been a part of the stolen money.[6] The agent later went in to buy a car, to confirm that he had more bills, and while they were negotiating terms, the district attorney, two FBI agents, County Sheriff Zuidmulder, Green Bay police chief H.J. Bere, and several other police officers entered the office and arrested Swiedarke.[6] The other accomplices were apprehended over the next few days.[6]