Give Me Prison Over Freedom Any Day
Chris Peak is 65 years old. He is a bank robber who has spent much of his life in prison. By all accounts, he would be considered a serial bank robber, and his first conviction was all the way back in 1973. Whenever he has been convicted, he has been serving long sentences in prison. In fact, the longest amount of time he spent outside of prison at once has been three years. He has lived the life of a criminal and he only knows that lifestyle. The “real world” is difficult for him. In fact, some might even say it’s impossible.
No Friend to the Law
The last time he was released from prison was in April 2016. When he was released at that point, he said he wanted to be returned to a medical center that was specifically for federal prisoners. This was located in Springfield, Missouri and he was denied.
He thought he should already be dead, though. More than two years ago, Mr. Peak was told that he had just six months to live. They told him he had a range of medical ailments including problems with his heart. He assumed he would die in prison, but he didn’t. It did not seem as though he was pleased to have lived as long as he did. After his last release, life had been very rough on him. He never graduated high school, and he went AWOL from the Marines in 1972. Everything had gone downhill for him.
Being out of prison this last time, when he thought he would already be dead, was too much for him. He was looking for another way inside. So, he did what he had been doing for decades. He planned to rob a bank.
On December 15, 2016, he had a taxi pick him up in front of the Broward Health Medical Center. He told the taxi driver that he wanted to go to a bank that had no security in front and that had two, three, or four tellers. The driver took him to a PNC Bank. Mr. Peak got out of the vehicle, went into the bank, and walked up to the teller. He handed her a note that told her to put all the loose bills in a drawer in his hand and gave her 60 seconds to comply.
The teller did not move at first. Then, Mr. Peak lifted his shirt to reveal that he was carrying a knife in his waistband. He told her that he would stab her if she did not follow his orders. She complied and gave him $347. He went to the taxi, got in, told the driver to take him to a liquor store and then to a Motel 6.
They only got a few blocks away before they were pulled over by the police. Mr. Peak threatened the driver, who struggled and broke the knife. He threw the blade out of the window of the vehicle. Mr. Peak was arrested and confessed. During his arrest, he said he wanted to return to prison. In fact, during his trial, he requested that the judge give him the maximum sentence for his latest crime so he could spend the rest of his days in his favorite prison. The judge complied with the max sentence but did not send him to his favorite prison.