Polite Suspect Avoids Md. Bank Robbery Conviction
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- A Hagerstown bank robbery suspect is finding that politeness counts.
The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown newspaper reports that Franklin Keefer, 29, avoided prosecution for robbery Tuesday because he asked a teller to please hand him the money instead of threatening force.
He left the Columbia Bank branch on June 28 with $3,500.
Keefer was convicted of the lesser charge of theft in a plea deal. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison with four and a half years suspended.
The judge ruled that Keefer couldn't be prosecuted for robbery.
The defense cited an October Maryland Court of Appeals decision that a robbery charge can't be sustained if the defendant didn't threaten or sufficiently intimidate the victim.
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