24 June 2011

Man robs bank in order to get health care

[James Richard Verone] noticed a protrusion on his chest. "The pain was beyond the tolerance that I could accept," Verone told the Gaston Gazette. "I kind of hit a brick wall with everything."

Verone knew he needed help--and he didn't want to be a burden on his sister and brothers. He applied for food stamps, but they weren't enough either.

So he hatched a plan. On June 9, he woke up, showered, ironed his shirt. He mailed a letter to the Gazette, listing the return address as the Gaston County Jail.

"When you receive this a bank robbery will have been committed by me," Verone wrote in the letter. "This robbery is being committed by me for one dollar. I am of sound mind but not so much sound body."

Then Verone hailed a cab to take him to the RBC Bank. Inside, he handed the teller his $1 robbery demand.

"I didn't have any fears," said Verone. "I told the teller that I would sit over here and wait for police."

The teller was so frightened that she had to be taken to the hospital to be checked out. Verone, meanwhile, was taken to jail, just as he'd planned it.

Because he only asked for $1, Verone was charged with larceny, not bank robbery. But he said that if his punishment isn't severe enough, he plans to tell the judge that he'll do it again. His $100,000 bond has been reduced to $2,000, but he says he doesn't plan to pay it.

In jail, Verone said he skips dinner to avoid too much contact with the other inmates. He's already seen some nurses and is scheduled to see a doctor on Friday...
Further details at Yahoo News, via The Dish.

7 comments:

  1. Tragic tale, but all I could think of was "menwholooklikekennyrogers.com".

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  2. I think I'm missing the point. Why would he do this? He would not be refused medical treatment anywhere in the USA, even without insurance. He would be billed for the treatment.

    Owing (large sums of) money for medical treatment seems a much better alternative to having a permanent criminial record (of a felony no less) to get the treatment for free while incarcerated.

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  3. Anonymous, in jail he also has a roof over his head, warmth and shelter in winter, and clothing. He'll also have dental care, which he could not get in an emergency room. I long for the day when all citizens of this country will be fed, clothed and cared for as well as prisoners are.

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  4. @Barbwire: Not so hot actually, but better than nothing. The Federal Courts took over management of the prison hospital care in my state (Calif.) because it was killing too many inmates.

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  5. Anonymous, he would not be refused emergency medical treatment, but until his ailment reaches that point, the problem would not be resolved.

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  6. The more stories I read about US healthcare the more it makes me glad I live in the UK.

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  7. I met someone this week who truly believes that in the US, all you need is to not be lazy and you will have everything you need. In other words, if you do not have health insurance, three meals a day, a place to live, etc, it's because you are lazy. He brain has been programmed that God has dealt you your cards and his wealth (largly from his parents) is because he and his parents are clean and 'hard working' - I need to also point out that this guy has never so much as mowed his own lawn and thinks 'hard work' is sitting in a teleconferance room eating donuts and sipping starbucks for a few hours in an office overlooking a golf course...

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