A man convicted in several bank robberies in the early 1980s — including two in Lawrence — has been arrested for bank robbery again.
Larry Leonard Rice, 60, of Abilene, robbed an Overland Park bank on Saturday, and then turned himself in the next day, authorities say.
Rice had previously pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery charges in connection with a slew of robberies in Topeka, Lawrence, Columbia, Mo., and St. Joseph, Mo. He was released from prison in April 2008.
According to federal prosecutors, tellers at the Bank of the West branch in an Overland Park Hy-Vee store on Saturday gave about $1,700 to Rice after he showed them what appeared to be the butt of a gun in his waistband.
A complaint filed Monday in federal court alleges that Rice, in an interview with authorities, admitted to robbing the bank and told them he gave the cash to some people he owed money to.
After getting a phone call from his brother, who told Rice his picture was on the news in Kansas City, Rice talked to his girlfriend and parents and decided to turn himself in, according to the complaint.
In 1983, Rice, then 33 years old, pleaded guilty to robbing several banks, including the American Savings Association of Kansas, 2435 Iowa, on April 1, 1983, and the University State Bank branch, 2546 Iowa, on April 22 of that year.
He was arrested in 1983 in Lawrence following the April 22 robbery when bank tellers alerted police after recognizing him from a photograph taken during a previous bank robbery.
If convicted in the latest bank robbery, Rice faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Comments
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parrothead8 (anonymous) says…
I guess he likes prison.
rando1965 (anonymous) says…
hmmmmmm michael's was he out robbing them as well ? description and actions with clerks match.
cletus26 (anonymous) says…
sounds like he just wanted to return home..
rdragon (M. Lindeman) says…
I guess he either didn't learn to be a better criminal in the joint. Then again he could be missing his jail house wife.
RonHolzwarth (Ron Holzwarth) says…
Some people are slow learners, I guess!
kernal (anonymous) says…
Robbed a bank to pay money he owes? Must have been loan sharks.
somedude20 (anonymous) says…
maybe he "loves" the men he meets in prison (and the food)
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
What ever his reasoning was, this is the picture of a pretty sad life.
Kontum1972 (anonymous) says…
he should of gotten involved in politics.....
puddleglum (anonymous) says…
it's hard being as pretty as I am.
windjammer (anonymous) says…
I knew the man in the mid 70's as we both had sail boat slips next to each other at Perry lake. When arrested he had 14 years of service at Southwestern Bell as a lineman. His wife was a school teacher at Bonner Springs. He had plenty of work income but every week he came to the lake with a new expensive toy. I thought he was a drug dealer on the side with all his high dollar toys. Damn did I get a rude surprise. 25 years first time now he will probably die in prison. God help him.
WATERBABY (anonymous) replies…
I am that wife that you spoke of, only I was not at teacher. We divorced
shortly after we left the lake. He was not a drug dealer, but he has had a heart breaking life. I am sorry to hear that he has come to such a sad ending. He suffered terrible abuse as a child.
oz9999 (anonymous) says…
He had a future in KU Athletics.