A Michigan father accused of robbing a bank told police he did it to pay for his daughter's cancer treatment.
Brian Randolph, 23, is accused of robbing the Vibe Credit Union in South Lyon, Michigan, on Aug. 12, according to WXYZ-TV. He was arrested two days later in Detroit.
This week, Asia Dupree, the mother of Randolph's daughter Brailynn, told WXYZ that her daughter's insurance had been abruptly canceled after Dupree didn't renew it once Brailynn turned 1. Dupree said she wasn't aware she had to do that.
The insurance helped pay for chemotherapy for Brailynn's retinoblastoma, a form of eye cancer.
"I guess it was desperation. Time was ticking right before her appointment came up," Dupree told WXYZ.
Lieutenant Christopher Sovik of the South Lyon Police Department told The Huffington Post that it's been confirmed Randolph's daughter does have cancer. But, Sovik said, that's no excuse for Randolph's alleged crime.
Sovik said police have obtained receipts that indicate Randolph purchased a Gucci bag and a pair of LeBron James sneakers between the time he allegedly robbed the bank and the time of his arrest. Sovik said Randolph also paid two months' worth of rent within that timeframe.
"There are lots of fathers with children who are sick and they don’t have a way to properly provide medical care for them," Sovik said. "But they’re not out there robbing banks."
Randolph's attorney, Karri Mitchell, doesn't deny the allegations against his client. He told HuffPost that Randolph went about dealing with his daughter's medical situation "the wrong way."
"We’re not saying that what he did was right," Mitchell said. "He was misguided in what he did."
But Mitchell said he hopes a judge will show mercy to his client given Brailynn's circumstances.
"I don’t know if that will play a factor, but we hope so," Mitchell said.
Mitchell also said the publicity surrounding his client's case has caused people to reach out to see how they can help.
Supporters have raised over $8,000 through a GoFundMe page for Brailynn.