Bonnie Gooch, a 78-year-old woman with two previous bank robbery convictions is now facing new charges after another a bank holdup in Missouri during which she handed a teller a note that said “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Gooch in Bank Holdup
Gooch has been jailed on a $25,000 bond after she was charged with one count of stealing or attempting to steal from a financial institution in the bank holdup last Wednesday in Pleasant Hill, the Kansas City Star reported.
Court documents filed in Cass County in the latest case said the robbery note demanded “13,000 small bills” and added: “Thank you sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The woman allegedly told the teller not to count the money and “just give it” to her.
Surveillance video also captured her banging on the counter, asking the teller to hurry, Cass County prosecutors said.
Witnesses said the suspect was dressed all in gray and wearing plastic gloves, a black N95 mask, and black sunglasses, the City Star reported.
Prosecutors said she smelled strongly of alcohol when officers stopped her less than 2 miles (3.2km) away, with cash scattered on the car’s floor. She was “very stern” with officers.
“It’s just sad,” said Pleasant Hill’s police chief, Tommy Wright, adding that the suspect had no diagnosed ailments.
Should senior citizens be jailed?
No law exempts the sentencing of seniors. However, the type of punishment will depend on the brutality of the crime. The court may show some compassion and lessen the sentence or waive the charges altogether when there’s a possibility for it.
With the court’s offer of mercy and compassion, it doesn’t mean that seniors can get away with just about any offense they commit. Senior citizens can definitely be sent to jail. The court considers various factors before declaring a penalty for the elderly, the most important being their health condition.
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