Bank Robber Steals $1 To Get Health Care In Jail

An Oregon bank robber decided to steal just $1 in order to get arrested and then have free health care.

Tim Alsip walked in a Bank of America on Friday morning before handing a clerk a note that simply read, “This is a hold up. Give me a dollar.” After the 50-year-old was given the sum of money he desired, he simple took his dollar bill and sat quietly in the lobby, waiting for police to arrive.

The Oregonian has since reported that Alsip has a long history of serious health issues. These have included mental illness, addiction, and dental problems that have persistently gone untreated.

Police have reported that Alsip has been acting more and more deranged over the last week. This has seen him flag down cars in order to call 911, while he also called the police to complain that he had been hit by a car, had overdosed on drugs, and was suffering from debilitating tooth pain.

Deputy Mark Nikolai, a sheriff’s office spokesman, remarked, “His behavior today is consistent with the behavior he has displayed over the last week.”

Alsip is currently homeless, and he has never committed a crime in the state. Police confirmed that he was arrested without incident before being charged with second-degree robbery. His bail has been set at $250,000.

Alsip came to the conclusion that the only way he could have these various issues treated was to commit a crime that would see him arrested. Once incarcerated he would then receive free medical care.

Unfortunately, Alsip isn’t the only man to have committed a crime in order to get health care. A North Carolina man in 2011, a New York male in 2012, and an Alabama man in 2013 all committed small thefts so that they could recuperate while behind bars.

Timothy Alsip will be arraigned on Monday in Clackamas County Circuit Court.

[Image via Everett Collection/Shutterstock]