20 years in prison for stealing a pair of shoes?

Federal prosecutors have charged a 49-year-old man with attempted robberies at a Leavenworth shoe store and an Olathe credit union.

But all that John P. Gail got away with, according to allegations in court documents, was one pair of shoes.

Each of the crimes carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.

Gail has a previous conviction for bank robbery and was released from federal custody in June, according to court and U.S. Bureau of Prisons records.

He was arrested by Olathe police shortly after the Sept. 11 attempted robbery of Community America Credit Union at 135th Street and Blackbob Road.

According to the court documents, the suspect allegedly approached a teller and said, “give me all the 100s and 50s.” But when the teller backed away and told him to wait, the suspect left the business.

Another employee saw what kind of car he was driving and that was provided to police. An Olathe officer stopped the car a few minutes later and Gail was arrested.

He was initially charged in Johnson County with robbery, but that charge was dismissed Friday after Gail was charged in federal court.

Gail is charged with trying to rob a Leavenworth shoe store the day before the Olathe attempted robbery.

According to the court documents, the suspect picked out a pair of shoes and approached the counter before poking something into the back of an employee and demanding money.

But when another employee ran to the back of the store, the suspect ordered the first employee to the back and fled with the shoes, but no money.

A Leavenworth police detective later showed surveillance photos of the suspect to staff at a halfway house for people leaving prison.

They told the detective it might be Gail, according to the documents. The shoe store clerk then identified a photo of Gail, the documents allege.

This story was originally published November 6, 2017 at 9:47 AM with the headline "20 years in prison for stealing a pair of shoes?."