Man says he robbed bank to get away from wife

[September 02, 2009]  LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) -- A central Pennsylvania man said he robbed a bank in 2007 to go to jail and get away from his overbearing wife.

At a sentencing hearing Monday, 39-year-old Anthony Miller said he robbed a bank in Ephrata because he wanted to leave his then-wife but she had threatened to commit suicide if he did.

Defense attorney Robert Beyer said Miller approached tellers with a BB gun, asked for money and told them to call the police. He said Miller even asked for updates on their efforts to reach authorities.

Miller pleaded guilty in June. Lancaster County Judge Louis Farina sentenced him to three to six years in prison on Monday.

Beyer said the couple divorced within the last year.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.