Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Old Bank Robbers

YESTERDAY MORNING AN older man came into the store and asked about our energy bill.

These energy company pushers have been in before. We are polite and say we are good. This particular guy looked familiar and something wasn't quite right. He persisted for a bit, but then something went off in his head and he abruptly turned around and left.

He left a sheet with his name and info, and it was then I realized who it was.

The man is a convicted armed bank robber. As in, he held up an area bank back in 2007. As in, it was one of the more bizarre stories I've ever had to write about.

I didn't feel threatened. But there was something uneasy about the guy and the way he moved, and I still can't shake the feeling something was wrong.

When people found out he'd robbed the bank they were stunned, to say the least. He had no prior criminal record. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison, and I don't think he served but a year or two before they kicked him out - the Illinois Department of Corrections doesn't have room for senior citizens, you know.

I also remember his sentencing hearing, when his son got angry about the prison sentence. "This is bullbleep!" he screamed, in court. The judge wasn't impressed, and the son got to spend some immediate quality time in the Adams County Jail.

As far as I know, the former bank robber hasn't been in a stitch of trouble since. And he has the right to work for a living. Maybe he's turned things around. Maybe I could trust him with my energy bill.

Maybe.

Maybe not.


1 comment:

  1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkXgnqtH7tY

    ReplyDelete