Indictment: Argument with Wife Drove Man to Bank Robbery

KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A Kansas City, Kan., man who told investigators he preferred jail to living with his wife was indicted Thursday on a federal bank robbery charge, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Lawrence John Ripple, 70, Kansas City, Kan., was indicted on one count of bank robbery. A criminal complaint filed earlier in the case alleged that on Sept. 2, 2016, Ripple sat down in the lobby and waited for police after robbing the Bank of Labor at 756 Minnesota Ave. in Kansas City, Kan. He told investigators that after an argument with his wife he felt he would rather be in prison than go back home.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI Investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania is prosecuting. 

OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS

Elizabeth Watson, 48, is charged with escaping from federal custody at the Heartland Center for Behavioral Change.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead is prosecuting.

Gabriel Lemus-Miranda, 36, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Aug.18, 2016, in Rush county, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Jose Francisco Cisneros-Orellana, 46, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Aug.18, 2016, in Cowley County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.  

Mark Collier, 34, is charged with escaping from federal custody at the Grossman Community Correction Center in Leavenworth, Kan. The crime is alleged to have occurred Aug. 13, 2016.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

Gerald Armstrong, 67, Olathe, Kan, is charged with making a false statement on an application for a passport. The crime is alleged to have occurred June 9, 2007, in Johnson County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The State Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

Debbie Jones, 60, Kansas City, Mo., is charged with one count of delaying the delivery of mail that was entrusted to her as a postal service employee, and count of stealing mail. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in July and September 2015 in Wyandotte County, Kan.

If convicted, she up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. The U.S. Postal Service Investigated. Assistant U. S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.