Bank robber father's apologies fall short
- From: indigoace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Indigo Ace)
- Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 18:16:33 GMT
>From the Peoria [IL] Journal Star--
Bank robber father's apologies fall short
Two of three sons who turned him in aren't satisfied by explanation
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
By LISA COON
OF THE JOURNAL STAR
PEORIA - The explanations and apologies sounded empty to at least two
of the three brothers responsible for turning in their bank-robbing
father to authorities.
In an often emotional and tense interview on Monday's Oprah Winfrey
show, William Alfred Ginglen, 64, of Lewistown struggled to give his
sons the answer to their most pressing question, "Why?"
Why did their upstanding citizen of a father spiral out of control,
robbing five central Illinois small-town banks beginning in 2003 until
August 2004, when his three sons turned him in after seeing media
reports of the armed robberies?
"It was an aberration in what otherwise was a good life," Ginglen told
Winfrey. "That depth of character that I thought I always had wasn't
as deep as I thought."
Ginglen admitted he robbed five central Illinois banks, two of them
twice, and made off with about $56,000. He pleaded guilty to armed
bank robbery and to carrying and using a firearm during a crime of
violence. The three Ginglen brothers have conducted numerous
interviews with major television and print media outlets.
Monday's "Oprah" show was a continuation of Jan. 25, when the three
brothers appeared without their father. They returned to hear what he
had to say during Monday's broadcast.
Dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and speaking from prison in
Taylorville, where he awaits transfer to another prison to serve out
his 40-year sentence, Ginglen explained he began an affair in the
1990s that lasted eight or nine years off and on. Drugs contributed to
his problems, and the inability to find a job after sending out about
"500 applications and resumes" had Ginglen questioning some of his own
beliefs.
"The 'why' might seem ridiculous to others, but to me it was very
real," Ginglen said. "I felt all used up. I can't explain that.
"I'm sorry for everything that happened," he said. "Sorry doesn't
begin to cover it."
His three sons, Garrett, a Caterpillar engineer; Clay, a music
teacher; and Jared, a Peoria police officer, seem to be at different
points in their forgiveness of their father. Clay has some contact
with his father and told Winfrey he has forgiven him, while Garrett
expressed his struggle to take that step, admitting he has written his
father a letter "hoping maybe that's a step in communicating vs. not
communicating at all."
"I want him to understand what I did (by turning him in). ... I would
love to have him tell me every secret, but that's not going to
happen," Garrett said.
Jared, who remained backstage while his father was on camera with
Winfrey and his brothers, refuses to have contact with the elder
Ginglen.
"I don't know what's the truth and what he is fabricating to make
himself look good," Jared said later in the show. "I don't trust him,
I don't believe him. We all feel used up. I'm so angry right now.
"It's a pitiful thing to see my father sitting in an orange jumpsuit,"
Jared said. "He just devastated us. I don't want to give him the
satisfaction of seeing me upset."
Ginglen had told Winfrey he believed Jared Ginglen had taken his
crimes, eventual arrest and prison sentence the hardest and would like
an opportunity to speak with him. "Jared's my baby boy," an emotional
Ginglen said.
Clay told Winfrey it was helpful to hear his father question his own
character.
Asked what he wanted to say to his sons, Ginglen took issue with them
calling officials without first confronting him. "I admire and respect
(what they did). I have no problem with that ... don't know if I agree
with that 100 percent. It would have been better if it was handled
differently."
He said he spends his days reading and even admitted writing a paper
addressing whether he'd turn his own father in for a crime. He told
Winfrey he would have few qualms if the crime were murder, pedophilia
or kidnapping. As for armed robbery of a bank, "I don't know. I
couldn't come to a successful conclusion on that one."
The grandfather of seven expressed hope his grandchildren will forgive
him one day.
He also pleaded with his sons to get past their anger. "Let's make our
way through this, sons ... whatever it takes," he said. "I still love
you. I always will."
http://pjstar.com/stories/013106/TRI_B8ROJ11F.033.shtml
--
Anne
indigoace at goodsol period com
http://www.goodsol.com/cats/
.
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