Man says he robbed Branson bank because he needed healthcare

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A 77-year-old man awaiting sentencing for robbing a Branson bank says he wanted to be caught so he could receive healthcare in the federal prison sentence.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that Joseph Cyrus turned himself in a few days after the Oct. 16 robbery of the Central Bank on James Epps Road.

He said he used a plastic BB gun to hold up the bank and walked out with $31,000.

As for the cash, an exploding dye pack went off in the bag of money after Cyrus robbed the bank, but Cyrus said in court he wasn’t after the cash anyway.

“I threw all that money in the river because it’s useless,” Cyrus said. “It’s no good.”

Cyrus gave an emotional speech in the courtroom after pleading guilty last month, saying he has bad feet and is losing his hearing.

He told the judge he recently lost his job and was turned away by a Veterans Affairs hospital.

Cyrus said he woke up the morning of the robbery in his trailer at a moble home park with roaches crawling all over his body.

Witnesses at the bank said Cyrus was “hunched over” and appeared to be in pain as he walked out of the building.

He faces up to 10 years in prison.

This story was originally published December 22, 2015 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Man says he robbed Branson bank because he needed healthcare."