The State : Robber Blind; Justice Is Not

A blind man who said he robbed a San Francisco bank to pay for food and shelter will be prosecuted for burglary and grand theft rather than the stiffer felony charge of bank robbery. Richard Dunbar said he became desperate after losing his Social Security check and faced a “choice between robbing the bank or killing myself.” He obtained $950 by handing a teller a note demanding money. Another bank employee called police, who said nobody realized the unarmed Dunbar was blind until they arrested him at gunpoint. Because of the circumstances, Dunbar will be charged with crimes which could be reduced to misdemeanors when he is arraigned today, said Jerome Benson, chief of the district attorney’s criminal division.