He’s going to get his wish.
Geriatric thief Lawrence John Ripple, who told police that he wanted to live in prison instead of with his wife, has pleaded guilty to robbing a Kansas City bank — and now faces 20 years in a federal lockup, according to a new report.
Ripple, 70, pleaded guilty Monday in US District Court in Kansas City to knocking over Bank of Labor on Minnesota Avenue in September. The bank is located a block away from Kansas City, Kansas, police headquarters.
Ripple has cut a deal with federal prosecutors and his defense attorneys, leaving it in their hands to argue an appropriate sentence, the Kansas City Star reported.
The judge will set a sentencing date after a pre-sentencing investigation is completed.
On Sept. 2, Ripple strolled into Bank of Labor and passed a teller a note that read, “I have a gun, give me money,” the Kansas City Star said.
The teller handed nearly $3,000 to Ripple, who then sat down in the bank’s lobby and admitted to a security guard, “I’m the guy you’re looking for,” the paper said. The guard snatched the money away from Ripple and called cops, who responded from nearby police headquarters.
Under questioning, Ripple told police and the FBI that he and his wife had been fighting and he “no longer wanted to be in that situation,” the Kansas City Star said.
“Ripple wrote out his demand note in front of his wife … and told her he’d rather be in jail than at home,” according to court papers.
Ripple was released on bond at his September arraignment and left the courthouse with his wife by his side. It’s unclear if they have been living together since then.