An Ohio man attempting to rob a bank in Canton ran into trouble when he got high before committing the crime and forgot to demand money. Richard Hampton was arrested in April 2023 for his attempted robbery of Keybank on Cleveland Ave S, WCHS-TV reports. However, charges were only filed on Monday, December 11.
Richard Hampton’s demand note left a bit to be desired.
Walking into the KeyBank branch, FBI agents say he handed the teller a note with the words “give me the” with the word “gun” written below it. In other words, he left out “money,” which is what he was really after.
Authorities say he then pointed to the waistband of his pants several times, telling the teller to pick up the pace.
He did actually make off with some money.
Obviously, the bank teller was stone-cold sober and quickly handed over $723 in cash… and a tracking device. Police were able to use the tracker to find Richard Hampton, arrest him, and get the cash back.
In a recorded police interview, Hampton told police he’d done crack before robbing the bank and forgot to write “money” after “give me the” on his demand note because he was still high.
His getaway driver was someone he met at a local grocery store and offered $50 to drive him. “The vehicle was casually driving away without rush, including stopping at traffic lights,” arrest documents state.
Hampton has a history of robberies in the area.
The FBI agent said that Richard Hampton didn’t bother to try to cover his face or conceal his identity in any way during the robbery.
At this point, he’s a seasoned pro, so he probably didn’t see the need.
He previously spent three years in prison for robbing the same KeyBank branch and another in downtown Canton in 2005, per The Repository. He was arrested for another spate of bank robberies in 2009 and given five years in prison that time.
In addition to robbing KeyBank in April 2023, he’s also accused of robbing the FirstMerit branch in Canton only a few days prior, according to the Stark County Sheriff’s Department.
