May 29, 2007

Bank Robber Pays Service Fee On Stolen Cash

By Pamela Mortimer

Christopher Emmorey made a feeble attempt to rob a bank by "demanding that the teller give him $5,000 and telling her he had a gun in his pocket".

Sounds like a routine bank robbery, right? Guess again.

Christopher Emmorey, 23, chose the Royal Street Bank on George Street in Peterborough, Ontario as his target in a scheme to get some quick cash. He would have been better off using an ATM. Emmorey approached a teller and demanded $5,000 in cash, threatening that he had a gun in his pocket.

Emmorey must not have been a terribly imposing figure because the teller replied that she could only give him $200. However, Emmorey would have to pay a service fee of $5 because he was not a client of the bank. A bank robber being charged a service fee? Funnier yet, Emmorey paid it. He left the bank with a whopping $195 and a legacy.

Crown attorney Brian Gilkinson said Emmorey waited patiently as the teller filled out the appropriate paper work before running out of the bank with $195. Apparently, Emmorey even waited while the teller filled out the appropriate paperwork. By the time she was through, the other tellers had been notified of the fiasco.

In addition, Emmorey neglected to wear a disguise on his little adventure. His image, captured on videotape, was recognized by the responding police officers. When they arrived at Emmorey’s apartment, they overheard him asking his neighbors to supply his alibi – saying that he’d been home all day. Apparently, he’s not a good planner, either.

Emmorey's defense attorney, Dave McFadden, referred to the robbery as a "comedy of errors" and something that was "doomed to fail at the outset".

Emmorey pleaded guilty to the March 22 robbery in the Ontario Court of Justice yesterday. He was charged with robbery and violating his probation.

Kudos to Justice Graydon if he didn’t bust out laughing.

In his own defense, Emmorey told the court that he doesn’t have a significant drug or alcohol problem and wouldn’t require any court-ordered addiction counseling.

"You must think by now that there's something wrong with you," Graydon said to Emmorey. "Is this normal in your mind?"

"No sir," Emmorey said.

Emmorey's rap sheet also includes previous offenses for violence, attempted robbery, and weapons charges.

Emmorey was sentenced to two years in prison followed by two years of probation. The court has also banned Emmorey from owning any weapons for 10 years.