Elderly Man Commits Armed Robbery Because He’d ‘Rather Be In Jail’ Than With His Wife

An elderly man committed a crime so that he’d be free of his wife. Lawrence John Ripple has admitted robbery and faces up to 20 years in prison. He said he went to the bank following an argument with his wife, which had caused him to feel fed up of living with her, the Kansas City Star reported. The 70-year-old stole nearly $3,000 from a Bank of Labor in Kansas City, Kansas — but rather than flee the bank, he sat down in the lobby and awaited arrest. He pleaded guilty on January 23 in US District Court in Kansas City to federal bank robbery in connection with the incident in September 2o16.

Ripple was accompanied to court by his wife, Endayon. The couple refused to comment after the hearing. He pleaded guilty without a plea deal, so prosecutors and his defense attorney are free to argue what sentence they believe is appropriate. The judge will set a date for sentencing after a pre-sentencing investigation. On September 2, 2016, the day of the robbery, Ripple, had a row with his wife, he told the FBI in questioning. Afterward, he wrote a note in front of her telling her he would “rather be in jail than at home.” He told FBI agents he “no longer wanted to be in that situation.”


He then walked to the bank at 756 Minnesota Avenue, which is a block away from the city’s police headquarters. The theft was captured by the bank’s surveillance camera, which showed Ripple handing over a note reading, I have a gun, give me money. He was handed $2,924 but sat in the lobby, and when a security guard approached him, Ripple told him he was the person the guard was looking for, court documents said. The guard took the money back and put Ripple in custody. Ripple was charged in September and was released on bond.