NORTHERN CAMBRIA, Pa. (AP) - A man tried to rob a
Pennsylvania bank of $1 because he hoped to be sent to a federal prison nearby,
police said.
Jeffrey McMullen, a 50-year-old
regular customer of an AmeriServ bank in the western Pennsylvania
town of Northern Cambria, handed notes to two
tellers Friday demanding a dollar, according to a police complaint reported by
The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown.
The tellers thought it was a joke,
police said. He then spoke with a new accounts employee and repeated he was
robbing the bank for a buck.
Police say McMullen apparently
wanted to be prosecuted federally so he could be taken to a prison in central Pennsylvania. Police
could not immediately say why.
McMullen awaits a preliminary
hearing, and court records didn't list an attorney. Under terms set by a Northern Cambria district judge, he must undergo a mental
evaluation and post $50,000 bail in order to win release from jail.
One note given to tellers said,
"FBI custody. Preferbly (sic) Loretto
Pa. No press. Seal all
files," according to the complaint. Police took that to be a request that
McMullen hoped authorities would not publicize his case. The other said,
"Federal bank robbery. Please hand over $1.00."
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