Washington Man Robs Banks to Avoid Being Homeless

A Washington state man who robs banks to avoid being homeless has struck again. He stole $1 from a bank on Monday and waited outside to be arrested, the Bellingham Herald reports.

Richard Kenneth Gorton, from Bellingham, Wash., handed a note to the teller in Key Bank in Fairhaven, Wash. saying he was robbing the bank for $1. The note explained that Gorton, 64, had no weapons and didn’t want to hurt anyone. After being handed the dollar, he waited outside for police to arrest him, Bellingham Police Sgt. Mike Scanion told the Herald.

He was initially charged with suspicion of robbery, but the county prosecutor dropped the charge down to theft in the third degree on Tuesday.

Six months earlier, on Oct. 14, Gorton walked into a bank and handed over a note saying: “This is a robbery.” He asked for $1,400 and waited for police to arrive and arrest him. He told police he would soon be homeless because he hadn’t paid his rent.

Until that incident, Gorton had no criminal history.

[Bellingham Herald]