Prison Sentence Set Aside For Polite Bank Robber

JACKSON, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan appeals court says a four-year prison sentence for a polite bank robber was unreasonable.

The court has granted a new hearing to James Gailey. Guidelines suggested a minimum sentence of 10 months in jail, but Jackson County Judge John McBain went much higher.

Gailey pleaded guilty to robbing a bank just two days before Christmas in 2014. He told a teller to put money into a cloth bag. Gailey didn't have a weapon, and he apologized several times. He was accused of robbing the same bank months later.

The appeals court says the judge failed to adequately justify the minimum four-year sentence. The same punishment still is possible at the next hearing. Gailey has been in prison for 2½ years.