RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A bank robber who threw wads of stolen cash onto a Southern California highway while being chased by police has been sentenced to seven years in prison.
City News Service reported Monday that 25-year-old Thomas Jerome Burke pleaded guilty last week to robbery. Prosecutors dropped a charge of felony evading.
Burke led deputies on a high-speed chase that ended with a crash after robbing a Bank of America branch in Lake Elsinore. During the pursuit he tossed money out of the car onto Interstate 15 southeast of Los Angeles.
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Witnesses reported seeing motorists stopping on the highway to pick up the cash.
After Burke was arrested authorities asked anyone who grabbed the money to return it. It’s unclear if anyone did.
According to court records, Burke has prior convictions, including for robbery.
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