My Oldest Friend's Son, the Bank Robber

[Jeff Higgins]

How on Earth does this happen? The son of one of my oldest friends has been arrested after a string of bank robberies spanning several months. This is his third go at this, having been convicted in 2012 and 2016 for multiple counts of bank robbery and retail robbery. He was often armed when conducting these heists.

He is only 34 years old, splitting my own two sons at 35 and 32. They played together as kids. Not next door neighbors or anything, they only spent time together when my wife and I would have his parents over, or we would head out to their place. Nevertheless, I pretty much watched this kid grow up. Perfectly normal, upper middle class upbringing. Neither spoiled nor indulged, and from everything I could see, disciplined like any other kid. Just nothing out of the ordinary.

Funny, though, as my kids got older, especially after they could drive and therefore see him any time they wanted to, they had nothing to do with him. I never asked why, not until the first convictions. Both of my boys told me they wanted nothing to do with him, even long before all of this. Both told me he was "trouble", and was always trying to entice them into doing things they knew damn well they shouldn't. So, I have to wonder, at what age does this start?

He is now looking at life without parole under Washington's "Three Strikes" law. Three separate convictions for violent felonies. Just unbelievable to me. My heart goes out to his parents, who remain very close friends with my wife and I. I cannot imagine what this is doing to them.

I've mentioned this "kid" here before, the last time he got convicted. I also mentioned that he is a drug addict, probably hopelessly addicted. Some cretin showed up at his rural high school peddling heroin, and he got hooked. Looking at his mug shot today, I barely recognize him. Reminds me of the "faces of meth" transitions we see. Vacant, hollow eyes, completely expressionless. Just heartbreaking.

This kid, as an adolescent and teenager, had a bright future ahead of him. Could have gone to pretty much any school he wanted. Now his life is, effectively, over at 34. He'll never taste freedom again. And, well, from a completely objective point of view, he should not. But, man, I watched him grow up... I'm kind of a wreck right now...

[thingmon]

Wow, that's heartbreaking.

[pwd72s]

Sometimes, no matter how much you hate doing so, you just need to give up on someone.

[Crowbob]

My guess is the kid sustained some kind of trauma before age 13. Neglect, abuse, whatever. Sounds like anti-social personality disorder. It happens.

Some people, at a crucial stage of their social development, get the notion that laws do not apply to them, fail to attain appropriate levels of empathy, take risks, abuse substances and end up in prison or dead.

What sounds unusual is that he came from an apparently ‘intact’ family. I’ll bet there’s secrets involved.

[Jeff Higgins]

He has two perfectly normal siblings, both thriving. If there were any forms of neglect, abuse, or any "secrets", I would think it would have affected them as well.

[Rusty Heap]

Sorry to hear this Jeff.

Through life, being human we all make choices, and sometimes don't think of the consequences of our actions.

But even at 34, he's a career criminal. 3rd bank robbery? I sense a pattern. He made choices.

[Jeff Higgins]

Not his third robbery, his third conviction on multiple counts. Between his three convictions, he has well over 20 counts of mostly bank robberies, with a smattering of armed retail robberies just for variety.

I guess I'm not sure how "three strikes" works. I would think one conviction on three counts that qualify would be your "three strikes". If that were the case, his first conviction was for over ten counts, which should have been enough to qualify as "three strikes". But it was not. Apparently it's three convictions, with the number of counts immaterial. I think...

[speeder]

That’s sad. A couple of things, though; bank robbery is a federal crime and would not count as a “strike” in state court. It sounds like your state has a “3 strikes” law. Still, it sounds like he has plenty of state strikes.

Secondly, it’s never a mystery why someone robs a bank. It’s done by an addict about 99.999% of the time. It’s a dumb crime in terms of risk/reward and carries Federal penalties, where there is no early release possible. 10 years first offense, with perfect behavior, you do 85% or 8.5 years. It’s quick cash, though, for junkies who need $$ NOW.

It’s a subject that I know way too much about and this guy is a loser who you should not waste time thinking about. Roll him up into a ball and throw him in the trash.

[Crowbob]

The abuse, if there was any, could have been perpetrated by someone outside the family. Nevertheless, it’s speculation on my part of course, but also sometimes there’s just no explanation.

[rfuerst911sc]

It's an unfortunate situation but the guy has no one to blame but himself . He made many poor decisions . And contrary to what we sometimes hear/see there are consequences for illegal actions . It's a shame but he will now be separated from society for a long time . Rightly so .

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

How on Earth does this happen? The son of one of my oldest friends has been arrested after a string of bank robberies spanning several months. This is his third go at this, having been convicted in 2012 and 2016 for multiple counts of bank robbery and retail robbery. He was often armed when conducting these heists.

He is only 34 years old, splitting my own two sons at 35 and 32. They played together as kids. Not next door neighbors or anything, they only spent time together when my wife and I would have his parents over, or we would head out to their place. Nevertheless, I pretty much watched this kid grow up. Perfectly normal, upper middle class upbringing. Neither spoiled nor indulged, and from everything I could see, disciplined like any other kid. Just nothing out of the ordinary.

Funny, though, as my kids got older, especially after they could drive and therefore see him any time they wanted to, they had nothing to do with him. I never asked why, not until the first convictions. Both of my boys told me they wanted nothing to do with him, even long before all of this. Both told me he was "trouble", and was always trying to entice them into doing things they knew damn well they shouldn't. So, I have to wonder, at what age does this start?

He is now looking at life without parole under Washington's "Three Strikes" law. Three separate convictions for violent felonies. Just unbelievable to me. My heart goes out to his parents, who remain very close friends with my wife and I. I cannot imagine what this is doing to them.

I've mentioned this "kid" here before, the last time he got convicted. I also mentioned that he is a drug addict, probably hopelessly addicted. Some cretin showed up at his rural high school peddling heroin, and he got hooked. Looking at his mug shot today, I barely recognize him. Reminds me of the "faces of meth" transitions we see. Vacant, hollow eyes, completely expressionless. Just heartbreaking.

This kid, as an adolescent and teenager, had a bright future ahead of him. Could have gone to pretty much any school he wanted. Now his life is, effectively, over at 34. He'll never taste freedom again. And, well, from a completely objective point of view, he should not. But, man, I watched him grow up... I'm kind of a wreck right now...

It's not your fault just be there to support your friend.

This sad story reminds me very much of a similar story of a very close family friends' nephew.

Anothony Curcio, he too was addicted as a result of a football injury. He too was arrested for bank robbery; He devised a rather clever scheme that nearly worked had it not been for a homeless person.

Anthony staked out a Bank of America in Monroe Washington for several months watching the Brinks armored car delivery. He then placed an ad on Craigs list for maintenance workers, the add said the workers would be paid $30 per hour, the ad also stated the workers should wear blue jeans, work boots, a blue shirt and a yellow safety vest goggles and a mask and said to be at the bank on such and such a day at such and such a time. The same time the Brinks truck would arrive. As the Brinks guard was unloading the truck Anthony pepper sprayed the Brinks guard and got away with two bags of cash containing $400,000.00.

Behind the bank was a creek that Anthony placed a small raft and strung a line down the creek. He threw the money in the raft and pulled himself down the creek. Down the creek he got out of the raft with the money and removed his clothes, underneath he had on a business suit. He got in his car and drove away.

Sometime months later a homeless man came forward telling police he saw a man numerous times at the bank one-time retrieving something from a trash bin. He wrote down the license plate of the vehicle. The police began surveilling him and matched his DNA taken from his trash to the DNA on the mask.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Sorry to hear about this guy. I'm sure it tears your buddy up. It's hard to know what sends someone down a path. Chicken and egg thing. Is it the drugs that screws someone up or whatever leads them to the drugs? Mental health issues, brain injury, just a bad "soul". Who knows. I think it is pretty presumptuous to assume he was abused as a kid.

My wife's only brother ultimately ended up in prison for cooking meth. He's in his 60s now and has two sons. Both losers unfortunately. She doesn't have a relationship with them but her sisters do, to an extent. He started doing drugs in high school and followed a pattern of doing harder drugs, stealing, then what he got sent up for.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

How on Earth does this happen?

Perfectly normal, upper middle class upbringing. Neither spoiled nor indulged, and from everything I could see, disciplined like any other kid. Just nothing out of the ordinary.

He is now looking at life without parole under Washington's "Three Strikes" law. Three separate convictions for violent felonies. Just unbelievable to me. My heart goes out to his parents, who remain very close friends with my wife and I. I cannot imagine what this is doing to them.

I also mentioned that he is a drug addict, probably hopelessly addicted. Some cretin showed up at his rural high school peddling heroin, and he got hooked. Looking at his mug shot today, I barely recognize him. Reminds me of the "faces of meth" transitions we see. Vacant, hollow eyes, completely expressionless. Just heartbreaking.

This kid, as an adolescent and teenager, had a bright future ahead of him. I'm kind of a wreck right now...

See bold above: Of course you are as I am sure your wife is.

We, the Universal We, all want to raise young men and women to the best of their abilities...no one I know starts out hoping for a Bank Robber. Stupid sentiment, I know, but the unfortunate reality is that the best of us can't always be there when the cretin shows up.

I got lucky and I had the best parents in the world. At a certain age, becoming an adult is a fine line of choices and has nothing to do with smarts, ability or parents...

[drcoastline]

Originally Posted by speeder

That’s sad. A couple of things, though; bank robbery is a federal crime and would not count as a “strike” in state court. It sounds like your state has a “3 strikes” law. Still, it sounds like he has plenty of state strikes.

Secondly, it’s never a mystery why someone robs a bank. It’s done by an addict about 99.999% of the time. It’s a dumb crime in terms of risk/reward and carries Federal penalties, where there is no early release possible. 10 years first offense, with perfect behavior, you do 85% or 8.5 years. It’s quick cash, though, for junkies who need $$ NOW.

It’s a subject that I know way too much about and this guy is a loser who you should not waste time thinking about. Roll him up into a ball and throw him in the trash.

That is a sad and harsh statement, he is a human being and someone's child. I am not one to believe in "addiction" as the drug/mental health industries want us to believe or even the way society wants us to believe in it. I think it can be overcome if a person wants to, I know too many "alcoholics" and drug "addicts" that simply woke up one day and never touched the substance again. I also know people who have died. I also know people who were once obese that also woke up one day and said I am tired of this and now participate in triathlons.

But to say just throw a person out with the trash? WTF!

[wdfifteen]

Sorry to hear your friend is going through that. Where the “wild child” in otherwise normal families is a mystery. I have two friends who were model parents, raised one exemplary son, and had another son who went completely off the rails.
I know you feel bad for your friend. That’s what friends do.

[Bill Douglas]

A bank robber. What was he thinking. Banks don't really carry much cash these days. well, enough to buy a good lunch, but that's not worth going to jail for.

Sadly I've seen a bit of this with kids I went to school with. you sure wouldn't pick it when we all all young kids and all equal. Life's choices I guess.

[greglepore]

Jeff, I'm so sorry. I'm the father of an addict. F the Sacklers etc. Good kid, broke an arm playing hockey at 16 and got 30 percocet. Classic tale. He never robbed banks, but he stole everything in his mothers house that wasn't nailed down, including heirloom gems intended for my daughter.
Was clean for 3 years after rehab x3, then had a cutting wheel shatter on his welding job and severely cut his face. Couldn't get anything but Tylenol, so bought heroin. After all the years and arrests etc he finally "od'd" -got a speedball (heroin and stimulants of some kind) and seized in his employers bathroom the day before he was going to check himself back into rehab.
He's been clean for 3 yrs since, but an addict is an addict and I'll never sleep easy.

You're friend's son legal situation is complicated, and hopefully he'll get the help he needs.

[Rot 911]

A sad thing for him, his parents, and of course you and your wife. Unfortunately, even if he takes a plea agreement, he’s going to be much older by the time he gets out of prison.

[sc_rufctr]

It sounds like you raised two fine young men Jeff.

On the bank robber - For whatever reason some people chose crime. IMO they're born (genetics) that way regardless. Upbringing is part of it but it's not the whole story.

In my experience and opinion: Criminals use the same language and methods to drag people into their world. They're generally not very bright. If they can get people involved in their world somehow it validates their life choices.

I have a life long friend who served as a police officer for more than 30 years. In short one of his sons became sexually obsessed with under age girls. He's been caught several times and is currently serving time in jail. And this kid got the best of everything. The best private school education was just the start of it.

The ironic part - My friend was a police prosecutor, mostly sexual assault cases. Can you imagine what he's had to deal with at work after his sons conviction? He's currently on long service leave and he'll be retiring from the force for good in August 2024.

[scottmandue]

"There but for the grace of God"

I saw, a video of a teacher who went above and beyond for his kids, was telling his class that he was going to introduce them to a guy who was a X gang member, drug addict, convicted of several serious crimes and spent a lot of time in jail.

He exited the room then returned, he was the guy.