70-year-old KCK bank robber who preferred prison to wife pleads guilty

A Kansas City, Kan., man who told investigators he preferred jail to living with his wife pleaded guilty Monday to a federal bank robbery charge, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Lawrence John Ripple, 70, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery.

A criminal complaint 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.

Sentencing will be set for a later date. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catania for their work on the case.