A 70-year-old Kansas man, John Ripple, in a desperate attempt to get away from his troublesome wife decided to rob the Bank of Labor, Kansas, hoping to be sent to jail.
According to reports, the desperate man walked into a local Bank in September 2016 and handed over a note to a teller notifying him that he had a gun and demanded to be given money.
The frightened teller gave him $3,000 the 70-year-old waited for the police in the bank lobby. When he was approached by the bank security, he affirmed to the security that he was the guy he was looking for. He willingly waited for the police to arrive alongside the security guard.
The man told the court on Tuesday that his action was a result of the depression he was suffering at the time.
As indicated in the court records, Mr. Ripple was in possession of the note he handed to the teller which was written in the presence of his wife. He told her that he would rather go to jail than live with her.
Although the crime Ripple committed could have had him spending the next 37 months of his life in prison, The federal judge sentenced him to only three years of supervised probation, as well as 50 hours of community service. This came after John Ripple revealed to the court that he had undergone heart surgery which left him depressed. It could be the possible reason why he committed the crime.
His attorney then pleaded for leniency which was supported by the vice president of the bank and the teller whom Ripple frightened, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania.
U.S. District Court Judge Carlos Murguia also ruled that the suspect was to get six months of home confinement and was ordered to pay the bank he robbed $227.27 adding up to the billable hours for bank employees who were sent home on the day of the robbery and he was to pay the $100 into a crime victims fund.
Before the incident, Ripple had lived a law-abiding life with no criminal record.
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According to public defender Chekasha Ramsey, who served as Ripple’s Attorney, the crime was a cry-for-help as a result of built-up depression which was not treated. She, however, assured the court that a proper diagnosis had been done and he had commenced treatment.
John Ripple was escorted to court by his wife and other members of his family.
