EPT
A man decicided to 'rob' a bank for $1 in order to go to Jail and get medical care.
Is this what it has come to? I, myself, am not very involved politically and not completely sure what happened to Obama Care. Or whatever happened to his idea of everyone having health care. Has the plan been enacted at all?
Regardless of that. This citizen felt it was necessary for him to 'desire' to go to an institution where people get punished, in order to get health care. Really?
I think the whole situation is pretty sad. When you'd rather be in jail than try to deal with bureaucracy and government the 'conventional way', you know action is needed.
Now I seriously hope people will think before posting comments about how he is unemployed and with no money. His medical condition, however severe it may be, certainly impaired him from working optimally and you cannot expect him to carry out his day-to-day like everyone else would.
Also: Does this man have no family? Could he not afford medicare at all? This is really concerning. Please discuss.
Link to Video:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43479572/ns/health-health_care/
+ Show Spoiler [Transcript from MSNBC] +
GASTONIA, N.C. — A Gaston County man robbed a bank and then sat down on the floor to wait for police to arrest him.
"(This is the) first time I've ever been in trouble with the law,” James Verone said from the Gaston County Jail on Friday. “I'm sort of a logical person and that was my logic. (That was) what I came up with.”
That is how Verone said he came to the decision to rob the RBC bank on New Hope Road on Thursday, June 9.
He didn’t have a gun and he handed the teller a rather unusual note.
"The note said ‘This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar,’" Verone said.
Then he did the strangest thing of all.
"I started to walk away from the teller, then I went back and said, 'I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police," Verone said.
And that is what he did.
The teller called 911 and police released the recording:
911 Operator: Is he being threatening to ya’ll?
Bank teller: Yes
911 Operator: What is, he has threatened you?
Bank teller: Yes
911 Operator: To shoot you?
Bank teller: Uh, yes. He’s sitting on the sofa. He can hear everything I’m saying, so I’m in a back room. But there’s four of us here in the bank. Please hurry.
911 Operator: Ok ma’am. They’re just right out there.
So why did Verone do everything he could to get arrested?
"Because I wanted to make it known that this wasn't for monetary reasons, but for medical reasons," he said.
Hoping for three-year sentence
Verone said he doesn’t have medical insurance. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot. He is 59-years-old and with no job and a depleted bank account, he thought jail was the best place he could go for medical care and a roof over his head.
Verone said he wanted police to arrest him.
"Oh yeah. I went in knowing I was going to jail," Verone said.
He is hoping for a three-year sentence. He would then be able to collect Social Security when he got out and said he would head for the beach.
"I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor on Myrtle Beach," Verone said.
He admits his story is unusual and said he wouldn't recommend anyone else do what he did, but Verone said he has no regrets. He said he is getting good medical care now, but the jail doctor accused him of manipulating the system.
"If it is called manipulation, then out of necessity because I need medical care then I guess I am manipulating the courts to get medical care," Verone said.
Verone may have a problem with his plan because he only demanded one dollar in the bank robbery. Police charged him, not with bank robbery, but larceny from a person. He might not get as much time in the slammer as he was hoping for.
"(This is the) first time I've ever been in trouble with the law,” James Verone said from the Gaston County Jail on Friday. “I'm sort of a logical person and that was my logic. (That was) what I came up with.”
That is how Verone said he came to the decision to rob the RBC bank on New Hope Road on Thursday, June 9.
He didn’t have a gun and he handed the teller a rather unusual note.
"The note said ‘This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar,’" Verone said.
Then he did the strangest thing of all.
"I started to walk away from the teller, then I went back and said, 'I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police," Verone said.
And that is what he did.
The teller called 911 and police released the recording:
911 Operator: Is he being threatening to ya’ll?
Bank teller: Yes
911 Operator: What is, he has threatened you?
Bank teller: Yes
911 Operator: To shoot you?
Bank teller: Uh, yes. He’s sitting on the sofa. He can hear everything I’m saying, so I’m in a back room. But there’s four of us here in the bank. Please hurry.
911 Operator: Ok ma’am. They’re just right out there.
So why did Verone do everything he could to get arrested?
"Because I wanted to make it known that this wasn't for monetary reasons, but for medical reasons," he said.
Hoping for three-year sentence
Verone said he doesn’t have medical insurance. He has a growth of some sort on his chest, two ruptured disks and a problem with his left foot. He is 59-years-old and with no job and a depleted bank account, he thought jail was the best place he could go for medical care and a roof over his head.
Verone said he wanted police to arrest him.
"Oh yeah. I went in knowing I was going to jail," Verone said.
He is hoping for a three-year sentence. He would then be able to collect Social Security when he got out and said he would head for the beach.
"I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor on Myrtle Beach," Verone said.
He admits his story is unusual and said he wouldn't recommend anyone else do what he did, but Verone said he has no regrets. He said he is getting good medical care now, but the jail doctor accused him of manipulating the system.
"If it is called manipulation, then out of necessity because I need medical care then I guess I am manipulating the courts to get medical care," Verone said.
Verone may have a problem with his plan because he only demanded one dollar in the bank robbery. Police charged him, not with bank robbery, but larceny from a person. He might not get as much time in the slammer as he was hoping for.
