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08-04-2006, 01:52 PM
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Troll Hunter
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Sports Heaven!
Posts: 9,898
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Guy's life takes a turn for the worse after the NBA finals
Man says gamblers 'forced' him to rob a bank in Ocala
By AUSTIN L. MILLER Ocala-Star Banner August 04. 2006 6:01AM OCALA - Edgar Hooper III said he walked up to the M&S Bank's front door at 5400 SW College Road on Wednesday, debating whether he should go through with his plan to rob the place. Hooper said he didn't want to proceed, but with a gambling debt of $10,000 to $12,000 hanging over his head, his options were limited. "They threatened me," said Hooper of his creditors. "I had a choice, either let them hurt my family or see what happened," he said, while leaning against a wall at the Marion County Jail. His plans quickly went awry, however, because Ocala Police Lt. Richard Edwards was in the bank making out a bank transaction slip. Asked if he would have shot the officer, Hooper said, "I wasn't going to shoot him. I was scared he was going to shoot me." Edwards chased the bandit, dressed in all-black clothing, until he ran across State Road 200 and into some thick bushes. A Marion County sheriff's K-9 quickly put the bite on him - in the buttocks. Hooper can't believe his luck. The National Basketball Association championship game between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat was supposed to be a happy time for Hooper. Led by Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki, who is also Hooper's favorite player, he thought the team would be a lock to win its first championship. But with the Mavericks' defeat, he robbed the same M&S Bank twice within the last two months to repay his debts. "The only reason why I went was because I was forced," he said. The loot from the robberies totaled $3,604 - far short of his gambling losses - but it was a start. "They took it from me," Hooper said. On Thursday morning, the 33-year-old was supposed to be at work in Orlando constructing air conditioning ducts, where he earns about $950 a week. Instead, he ended up being dressed in red and white jail stripes, adorned in handcuffs, and talking to County Judge Steve Rogers during his first appearance. Hooper requested a public defender. He faces several charges, including two counts of robbery with a firearm, attempted robbery with a firearm and two counts of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Hooper didn't want to talk about the people he said forced him to rob the bank on June 19 and again on July 19. He claimed the person he made the bet with is in Ocala. In the first robbery, Hooper said his accomplice "pointed the gun at me" and told him "what to do." Hooper said he never wore a mask on that job. The second time, he said, he wore a mask and the gun was pointed at him and he was told what to do. Hooper said they dictated "everything I did" and he "was a puppet." "I'm going to plead guilty because I'm a man," Hooper said. He said he knows he is "facing a whole lot of time" and he's "sorry about the whole situation." "All I can do is ask for leniency," he said. "I didn't plan on doing it. If my hand wasn't forced, I never would've done it." http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs...0346/1078/news
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"I don't know what went wrong," said guard Thabo Sefolosha. "It's hard to talk about it." Last edited by mary; 08-04-2006 at 01:52 PM. |
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08-04-2006, 04:47 PM
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#2 |
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Like you'd care
Posts: 3,012
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Don't bet against the refs?
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08-04-2006, 11:45 PM
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 19,413
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haha this rocks
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08-05-2006, 04:48 AM
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Posts: 4,624
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$950 a week? Suweet!
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08-07-2006, 09:40 AM
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Rooting for the laundry
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 21,342
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A former room mate of mine battled a gambling addiction for a long time, until he just couldn't get any more money from anywhere and joined the Navy to get away from it.
Makes you wonder how many people in the military are just there because they can't fix their own lives. Anyway, this shmuck is lucky he isn't dead. "They made me rob a bank." lol.....
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08-07-2006, 10:40 AM
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Diamond Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Posts: 4,624
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Yeah. Lol
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08-07-2006, 12:16 PM
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Diamond Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 8,195
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Quote:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baske...-bavetta_x.htm |
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08-07-2006, 01:53 PM
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Rooting for the laundry
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 21,342
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Quote:
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