Heartbreaking.
Brian Randolph said he tried to rob a Michigan credit union because the insurance for his 1-year-old daughter was cancelled and
he was desperate:
His one year old daughter's insurance was abruptly canceled, and with no money, his family says the desperate father tried robbing a bank.
His girlfriend tells 7 Action News, "I'm not sure what he was thinking at that point, but at the end of the day the only thing I can think about is him trying to take care of his child."
Brailynn Randolph goes to chemo every four weeks, as she battles retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer.
Brailynn's mom says she only recently found out the reason the insurance was cancelled:
Brailynn's mother told 7 Action News this afternoon that the insurance company finally called her back. She was told the insurance was canceled because she didn't renew the policy once Brailynn turned one.
She claims she wasn't aware that was necessary. She says she's still working on getting back coverage for Brailynn.
It's sad it came to this for the Randolph family, who say Brian is depressed over his daughter's diagnosis and treatment. They are asking for leniency, but the judge denied a lower bond request, setting it at $500,000 because of prior record. The prior record included a warrant for a traffic ticket and a minor in possession of alcohol ticket years prior.
Randolph's girlfriend made a plea for help on a GoFundMe page:
As the world knows my daughters father is currently in jail for a bank robbery. To some of the world he is a monster to us he is a father that wanted to protect his daughter. My daughter had her what we thought was the last chemo is March which they gave her three months to see what would happen without chemo. One of her checkups she went in and they came back with news that chemo might be needed again because she had another tumor that dropped off the main tumor.
On the 4th of aug I received a letter saying that her insurance had now been closed and she was no longer covered. So questions between me and her father as to what will we do now if she needs it, how are we going to pay bills? Will I loose my job again? What are we going to do? We don't have a car. We have to pay rent like things became more stressful in one letter.
So that's when her dad went out alone not telling anyone and unarmed robbed a bank. In his community. Which he did to be able to provide chemo and anything else for his daughter and provide for his family. He did interviews for jobs, we called the state worker for the insurance. and nothing.
See an interviews with Randolph's attorney and family members
here.