Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A bank robber's equivalent to a 'bad hair day'?


I was going to make this another in the 'Doofus Of The Day' series, but it was so pathetic - as well as funny, at least in parts - that I decided Mr. David Maksimik, of Connecticut, really didn't need a 'Doofus' label to add to his woes! (I'm generous that way . . . )

January 29 won't go down as one of the best days of David Maksimik's life.




Set aside his admission that he was the man who entered the People's United Bank on Old Kings Highway north, in Darien, with a fake grenade strapped to his waist and a gun. He escaped from the bank, located in the Greenwives Shopping Center, with $3,745 in cash shortly after 11 a.m..

But from there Maksimik's day got much worse.

Fleeing the scene in his 1992 Toyota Tercel, Maksimik, 59, formerly of 246 Glenbrook Road, Stamford, rear-ended another car at a stop sign on Old Kings Highway north. The front end damage to his car caused him to ditch it in Norwalk. So he took a bus, and then a taxi back to Darien. Then he called his sister for a ride back to his room.

Once inside, Maksimik found his 53-year-old roommate unconscious on the floor. So he did what any concerned citizen would do: He called 911.

Not only did Stamford police find his roommate dead, an apparent suicide, but they became suspicious of Maksimik's story. They knew Darien had sent out a bulletin on the bank robbery, so they contacted that department. Police discovered the bank's $3,745 still inside a binocular bag on Maksimik's bed.

Maksimik then waived his right to an attorney and gave a full confession, according to an affidavit filed by FBI Special Agent Fred Reeder.

On Tuesday, federal authorities took over Maksimik's bank robbery case bringing him before U.S. Magistrate Judge Holly B. Fitzsimmons. She advised him of his rights and told him he is charged with bank robbery by force, which carries a 20-year prison term.

. . .

He also faces state charges of first-degree robbery, third-degree larceny, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, reckless driving and evading responsibility.

Maksimik previously was convicted on a 1991 Stamford bank robbery. He was released from federal prison on Jan. 7, 1997.


Well, if Mr. Maksimik didn't learn from his first term behind bars, he'll have a lot longer to learn from this one . . . and given the lack of probation or parole in the Federal prison system, and only very limited time off for good behavior, he'll be at least 77 years old when he gets out. I suspect his bank-robbing days will by then be far behind him!

Peter

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