An elderly Boca Raton, Florida man’s attempt to rob a bank this week may have been a cry for help.
Authorities say Sandy Hawkins, 73, walked into a Wells Fargo bank wearing a “Make America Great Again” shirt on Monday and handed one of the tellers an unusual note, the Palm Beach Post reported.
“Give me $1,100 now. No alarms. Hope to get caught,” the note read.
According to a court affidavit, Hawkins motioned to his waistband to imply he was carrying a firearm.
When the teller counted out $2,000, Hawkins said it was “too much” and demanded no more than $1,100, ABC affiliate WPLG reported.
After receiving $1,100 under the teller window, Hawkins walked out and was later identified from surveillance photos.
Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies found Hawkins sitting outside his home, where he offered a full confession.
“I will make this easy,” Hawkins told detectives.
He also handed over a worn bank deposit slip containing the note he’d slipped to the bank teller.
Hawkins’ former landlord, Scott Vail, told the Palm Beach Post that his ex-tenant’s life changed after his wife died of cancer in 2013.
“I knew it was pretty devastating,” Vail said. “He was just an affable kind of person. He probably reached some kind of breaking point.”
According to Vail, Hawkins and his wife were “really good tenants.”
Hawkins worked in the air conditioning industry for years before retiring, Vail said.
Authorities charged Hawkins with robbery without a weapon.
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Assistant Public Defender Paul Caruso said Hawkins had no criminal history, the Palm Beach Post reported.
In December, Hawkins told the South Florida-Sun Sentinel he was grief stricken after his wife’s sudden death and needed help.
Following her passing, he left his rental home because the memories were too painful and was living out of his car.
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