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A firefighter has been arrested after allegedly robbing a Dallas bank, then giving $20 of the stolen funds back to the teller as a tip.
Jesus Ventura, 37, of Irving has been charged with robbing a Chase Bank on April 10, according to U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldana.
According to the federal complaint, Ventura entered the bank late in the afternoon and asked to use the restroom. The restroom was outside the bank lobby, but when Ventura returned, he was greeted by a teller offering assistance.
Ventura then reportedly said, "Give me all the money," multiple times to the teller before the teller gave Ventura the money. After receiving the funds, Ventura took a $20 bill and slid it back under the glass to the teller, saying, "Here is a tip for you."
Dallas police later arrested Ventura when he allegedly attempted to rob a second business. Officers recovered the black backpack containing the money from the Chase Bank robbery.
In an initial appearance in front of a federal judge on Wednesday, Ventura told the court he has bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression and has been off his medication. When asked for his address, Ventura repeatedly gave the judge his birthdate instead of the accurate information.
Ventura has been in trouble with the law recently after he was arrested following an incident in March where he allegedly took a loaded semi-automatic pistol to Dallas Fire-Rescue's Station 45.
Ventura was on administrative leave as Dallas Fire-Rescue conducted an investigation into that event.
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Although as all can see, I'm a proponent of the 2nd Amendment and an individuals right to own and carry a firearm, please let me be the first to note that this indicidual should NOT be allowed to possess firearms. Especially if he does suffer from Bi-polar disorder. He like others with that disorder do not think rationally when they do not take their medication.
It says nowhere that a gun was used in either robbery. I'm all for the second amendment myself, but it looks like you second amendment nuts bring on the fights yourselves, just begging for someone to bring it up.
And, for the record, in most states that I know of, you would not be allowed to possess a carry permit having been diagnosed with a mental disorder anyway.
Depends. Like many mental disorders some are misdiagnosed, and the severity differs from case to case.
Which people can just lie about if they really want a firearm.
And then the forms are tricky: many people misunderstand diagnosed. Some mental disorders (see depression) aren't permanent.
This looks all too much like he is building a case for disability. He probably isn't going to hurt anybody, all he wants is a free ride.
Ruken... what you say is very true, and I stand corrected.
However, I don't believe this individual should have firearms accessible to him, at least not if unsupervised. If he enjoys target shooting or even hunting, allow him the priviledge of doing so when supervised. He's proved through recent history that he is not necessarily capable of making sound decisions.
Poor little baby..... I have Bi-polar disorder that's why I robbed a bank so I could blame it on my mental health......... 100% BS!
@dave
I think XDm9mm was referring to this passage of the article:
His statement made perfect sense to me... you read the whole article before commenting, right?
From the link in the article:
Definitely sounds like a case for revocation of all firearms rights. Now that he's robbed banks, and is not, apparently, disputing that fact (looks like a set-up for insanity plea), he will be labeled either a felon (unable to legally own firearms) or will be diagnosed with a mental disorder (also unable to legally own firearms). XDm9mm had it right-- this guy has no business on the duty end of a firearm.
He looks like another retarded teabagger off their meds! lol
You would think Jesus could turn bread into money....
the young man has just created; a sordid pathway that will affect his whole Lifetime..he may NEVER have that Chance again to become a; refined Citizen..with electronic data & All, he is a Judged Individual from now on..parents; please teach your Children, Love them the proper way & please seek help for them, if answers are not there for you..mental health is so important for those that need it..We must Let them know, that a Violation of Law has Serious Consequences, if they Choose to Break The Law.......
micromd, do U think; Money is from Hell ??..because, if there isn't enough; and that puts people into misery, well thats something to think about..in heaven it is written, there is an abundance of everything!!..i don't get it, i have; Lots of Bread, Not green-back bread tho..i know, pennies are from heaven, geeez this Living ordeal is; damned if U do, damned if U don't..NOT Enough Bread, sure has people; turning in circles......good day mr........
Looks like a Democrat white hispanic to me just like George Zimmerman.
This was obviously done to benefit the teller. If Jesus wanted the money, he could have miracled it out of the bank and never be seen. Instead, He knows the teller is going to be a little short on bills this month so...
I know he wasn't hungry. Those cats eat like Champions. I cant go to the grocery store without a fire truck being there. Those dudes live at the grocery store. If there is a fire, I would call frys.
Maybe he should have tried to rob the bank online. Then people might believe he is crazy
Was $20.00 the requisite 10% for a bank robbery?
"Ventura told the court he has bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression and has been off his medication"
What a perfect candidate to place in a position of protecting human life. (sarcsm)
No doubt he was the right color for the job, who cares about public safety when you have quotas to fill based on race.
Is the teller legally allowed to keep the tip? If he had breakfast afterwards the waitress could keep it.
@dirtydog
Can't; You keep that money is the same as accessory to commit the alleged crime.
He looks like FEZ from That 70's Show!
so he was arrested on a firearms charge in march, and was known to have mental problems....simple question...why was he on the street already?
XD....i agree
An even better question: was he on the streets in a fire truck?
He was on administrative leave.
IA.SooterTramp: Why was he on the street already? Drive around your hometown much? Many nut-balls are on the street due to budget cuts and most eventually end up in prison because there's nowhere else for them to go.
Didn't they say that he was still on administration leave with pay until the matter is resolved? If so, does that mean he will continue to recieve pay the whole time he is in jail awaiting trial?
From what I've read, I think it's fortunate that no one's been hurt physically, and I hope Mr. Ventura gets the medical/psychological help he needs. I seriously doubt that prison is the proper facility for getting that help, though as this happened it TX, I suspect that's where he'll wind up. Certainly he should not be at liberty in the general public in his present condition, and regrettably, there's a certain percentage of people that can and do do well on medications, that simply go off them for reasons not immediately apparent to the rest of us, with often disastrous consequences.
I see no easy, good answers here.
There are two main reasons bipolar, aka manic depressive, people quit their meds. One is that they think they are cured. But the biggest reason is that they miss the effects of being manic. And even if he was manic and delusional, robbing a bank is not what I would consider the product of a manic episode. After the gun incident, which was probably just stupidity, he was looking at unemployment and is trying to make a case for disability.
a chase bank employee? worthy of a tip? surely you jest.....whats next a Chase / B.O.A. /Wells Fargo executive actually EARNING their huge bonus?..never happen......oh wait......he had MENTAL issues,....that explains it............:)
So bank tellers are like bank executives because they both work in a bank? By that logic, cowboys are a lot like hassidic Jews .... they both wear hats.
It's about time robbers recognize the stress a teller being robbed goes through. The tip was small but it's a start.
One might assume that he went off his medications because he couldn't afford to buy them possibly?
Then robs the bank because he needs funds to "maybe" buy medication he shouldn't have been off in the first place!
Just dumb humor or a bad attempt at it, hey its early...lol
one may also assume as a firefighter he is a memeber of the S.E.U.......therefor pays nothing or a couple bucks max for his drugs.
Depending on how much money this guy got, I think the Tip should have been bigger. Twenty percent is the norm today.
not if he tips according to service.............
Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere near 20% if I have to repeat myself more than once...
Lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooo^^^
What would Jesus do?
after robbing the bank...........?.............
What would Brian Boitano do?
Boitano would put a whole different spin on it.
I guess Jesus doesn't save.
At least not at that bank.
I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.
I think Jesus keeps his money under the mattress :)
dont matter...FDIC has em covered.
When he handed back the $20 bill he gave the teller usable fingerprints for the police to use in his apprehension. Might as well have left his drivers license. Good thing he got caught quickly and there were no injuries to any innocent bystanders.
I think that is a good indicator that he was not of sound mind when it happened.
$20?....he could've at least left $100!
,
And this guy is a firefighter? I would think you'd have to be of sound mental health to qualify for that occupation. If this is an example of one of his episodes, he could easily get someone killed on the job!
Maybe he was OK during his job. It does mention that he was off his meds. He's simply a dummy...
Out...
Nope, this guy had his story down...he thought he was going to get away with it...this guy isn't crazy...he's just plain stupid...and we all know "Stupid is as stupid does".
"After recieving the funds," ...?
Meds cant work if you dont take them....duh!
Banks rob America everyday and it doesn't make the news.
True story: boyfriend went into a Chase once to withdraw some money from his checking account. Teller closes the account instead and tells him to talk to the manager. Manager pulls him into his office, asks why he closed his account, and tells him they'll have to charge him $25 for closing the account early. Boyfriend tells him he never wanted the account closed. Manager replies (without admitting responsibility) that his account was closed. Boyfriend asks what happened to his money that was in checking. Manager says he doesn't know--there's no trace of it anywhere and it wasn't transfered to his savings--tells boyfriend to come back Wednesday because they'd be too busy Tuesday to help him out (it was the Friday just before Labor Day). It took several months of inaction by the bank before the money finally showed up in his savings account.
Shortly after, boyfriend paid the fine to close that account down too.
Long story short: the bank stole $600 from my boyfriend in broad daylight, smacked him with a fee, and no one was arrested. Highwaymen never had it so good.
He has all those medical problems and he was fighting fires?
Off medication or not, that has NOTHING to do with the fact that he KNEW what he was doing.
If the courts allow this totally unbelievable defense be prepared for every so called "bi" what ever, to use that as an excuse for anything.
Steve,
To run into a house on fire, I'd need to be on something myself unless it was my own or I knew someone was in there.
Out...
One of our heroes gone astray? Impossible! There must be more to the story. "Hero" is the most overused word in the english language and comes into play after decades of spitting on our troops (literally and figuratively), but they were always there when you wanted them to help. Now guilt has the american people overdoing it all.
@ HOG.."Hero" and "Gentlemen" That really bugs me...
Yeah Hog...truer words...........
Another loose cannon in Texas? Now Rick Perry has a partner.
Did he post on Facebook after?
:/
Nothing wrong with Jesus Ventura, he's just acting like our CORRUPT CORPORATES! Steal from the 99% American People and then give them back pennies!
Vote STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC, the life you save may be your own!!
Straight Democratic means 4 more years of illegal immigrant lover Obama.....I don't think we need more immigrants. We have enough of them committing fraud, murder, rape and robberies (besides their OTHER costs)
To vote a straight ticket shows an immense treasure trove of ignorance. Party makes no difference. Democrats as well as republicans are thieves and charlatans. Ignore party, affiliate yourself with none, watch them all. Informed Independents sway elections.
jw101
No more immigrants = no more Americans. We are all immigrants or descendants of immigrants unless you are a Native American. Being part Native myself, I'm all for deporting all the Usurpers that stole our land and murdered our people. Unfortunately, that's totally unrealistic and will never happen.
And this guy had a job!
Did you know that on average a bank is robbed every hour in the U.S?
This does not sound typical of any of those disorders even being off medication... I think Mr Ventura may have been under the influence of other non-prescription narcotics or is having a different type of mental crisis.. :-/
Personality disorder,,, Too much confusion being named Jesus Ventura, couldn't decide to act like Jesus or Jesse Ventura
I did not read in the article if he had a white dad and hispanic mom. I am surprised the news did not make this racial.