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 Bank robber can't accept sons turning him inBy Keith Oppenheim Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news.  CNN's Keith Oppenheim interviews convicted bank robber William A. Ginglen in an Illinois prison. YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSTAYLORVILLE, Illinois (CNN) -- I sat in the jailhouse, waiting for him to appear. I could hear the guards bringing him down steps as well as the clanging of his chains and handcuffs. When he walked into the room, he was wearing an orange jumpsuit and large aviator glasses -- his thinning hair slicked back. The 64-year-old sure didn't look like a typical bad guy. "Nice to meet you, Bill," I said. "Nice to meet you." he smiled back. His full name is William A. Ginglen. In 2004, his secret life became secret no more. Most people in the small city of Lewistown in west-central Illinois thought of him as a husband, a father of four, a grandfather of seven, a member of the zoning board. He was all those things -- but in recent years, people didn't know he also was unemployed, having an affair, smoking crack cocaine and running out of money. To support his dual life, Bill Ginglen stole more than $56,000 from seven banks in a nine-month period from 2003 to 2004, police say. This wasn't our first story on Ginglen. In December, I traveled to Lewistown to interview his three grown sons: Garrett, Clay and Jared. In the firehouse where Garrett and Clay are volunteer firefighters, the three brothers told me how they found out their dad was leading a life of crime. They said they didn't have any suspicion, only that he was asking them for money and always seemed to have trouble holding a job. But in the summer of 2004, Jared, the youngest son and a police officer, read an article in the local paper. The story mentioned a Web site asking the public to look at surveillance pictures of a older man robbing a bank. "As soon as I read that, I went home, and sure enough those pictures -- I had no doubt it was our father," Jared said. "[He was] wearing a mask and hat and sunglasses, but we could tell it was him." Jared called Garrett, who then contacted Clay. At the time, they were sick to their stomachs, they said, but knew they had to act. The three met at the firehouse to make a plan. They decided to confront their dad at his house, but when they got there, he was nowhere to be found. The Ginglen brothers told me repeatedly they felt their next step had to be to tell the police. They said they were worried if they didn't that their dad could hurt someone -- namely himself. "It was a no-brainer, a must-do." Garrett said. "Somebody could've got hurt. He's out there breaking the law; he's going against everything we were told when we were kids." On December 29, Bill Ginglen was sentenced to 40 years in prison, a term lengthened by two additional gun charges. He pleaded guilty but plans to appeal his sentence. Fast forward to the first week in January. My producer, Colleen Kaman, and I got word that we could do a one-on-one jailhouse interview with Ginglen. Finally, we would hear what he thought about his sons turning him in to authorities. After the initial greeting, I could see Ginglen would not be an easy interview. He was guarded and feisty -- arguing that he was unfairly given what amounted to a life sentence. And he said he was upset that his sons didn't talk to him before they went to authorities. "I know they feel they did the right thing, and I'm glad they did what they did," he said. "I'm glad that they did the right thing as they saw. The only complaint I have had is they should've called me and asked me and given me some help, and I would've went to my lawyer and turned myself in, and I'd probably be getting the 8- or 10-year [sentence] instead of the 40." He said he knows he's been a "bad guy," and while he does speak to his ex-wife and daughter, he feels bad he has little to no communication with his sons. "I love my kids. I love my sons. Always will," Ginglen said. "You want to see them again?" "Yep," he said, fighting off tears. He said he hopes that he will get out one day. Even as he quarrels about and wrestles with the details of his case, Ginglen said he mostly wants to be forgiven. For the moment, his sons said they aren't ready. 
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