John Allen Kendrick
Encyclopedia
John Allen Kendrick was an American criminal, escape artist, bank robber and member of the Tri-State Gang whose career spanned four decades. He was listed on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted in late-1955, and was apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
that same year.
and charged with larceny
and murder
in May 1923. He was convicted of larceny and a reduced assault charge, sentenced to five years imprisonment, and released on December 24, 1928. Two years later, he was convicted on a concealed weapons charge and sentenced two and a half years in February 1930. He escaped from prison on September 2, 1931, but was indicted six months later for shooting a police officer in Washington, DC and sentenced to ten years at the federal penitentiary in Lorton, Virginia
.
On July 3, 1933, Kendrick escaped from the correctional facility and eventually joined up with the Tri-State Gang, a group of Depression-era bank robbers and stick up men active in the Mid-Atlantic United States during the early-to mid 1930s. The gang were responsible for countless robberies in Pennsylvania
, Maryland
, Virginia
, North Carolina
and Washington, DC.
In June 1934, Kendrick was arrested in Johnson City, Tennessee
and returned to Lorton. He remained there for a brief time and transferred to Alcatraz, then to Leavenworth federal penitentiary in July 1941. He remained in Leavenworth for the rest of his sentence but, instead of being released, he was instead extradited to New Jersey to finish his original prison sentence for the 1930 weapons charge. He was finally released after being granted parole in June 1943.
Four years after his release, Kendrick was arrested for the murder of an underworld figure in Washington, DC in June 1947. Tried and convicted on December 10 of that year, he was sentenced to between 3 and 10 years in Leavenworth. He was paroled in March 1954 but arrested nine months later after being identified as the assailant of the man who had seriously wounded a Washington, DC resident after shooting the man in the throat. Indicted for the shooting in August 1955, he was charged with "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution" a month later and officially added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted on November 2.
Kendrick was tracked down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
within a month and was arrested by federal agents in Chicago on December 5, 1955. He was apprehended without incident and extradited back to Washington, DC where he convicted and given a long jail sentence. Kenrick testified that he had been offered $2,500 to murder Michael Lee but declined the job because "when I got done paying taxes out of that, what would I have left?"
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
that same year.
Biography
A longtime career criminal, John Allen Kendrick was first arrested by the Baltimore Police DepartmentBaltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
and charged with larceny
Larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales,...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in May 1923. He was convicted of larceny and a reduced assault charge, sentenced to five years imprisonment, and released on December 24, 1928. Two years later, he was convicted on a concealed weapons charge and sentenced two and a half years in February 1930. He escaped from prison on September 2, 1931, but was indicted six months later for shooting a police officer in Washington, DC and sentenced to ten years at the federal penitentiary in Lorton, Virginia
Lorton, Virginia
Lorton is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population is 27,709 as of the 2008 census estimate.-History:...
.
On July 3, 1933, Kendrick escaped from the correctional facility and eventually joined up with the Tri-State Gang, a group of Depression-era bank robbers and stick up men active in the Mid-Atlantic United States during the early-to mid 1930s. The gang were responsible for countless robberies in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Washington, DC.
In June 1934, Kendrick was arrested in Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
and returned to Lorton. He remained there for a brief time and transferred to Alcatraz, then to Leavenworth federal penitentiary in July 1941. He remained in Leavenworth for the rest of his sentence but, instead of being released, he was instead extradited to New Jersey to finish his original prison sentence for the 1930 weapons charge. He was finally released after being granted parole in June 1943.
Four years after his release, Kendrick was arrested for the murder of an underworld figure in Washington, DC in June 1947. Tried and convicted on December 10 of that year, he was sentenced to between 3 and 10 years in Leavenworth. He was paroled in March 1954 but arrested nine months later after being identified as the assailant of the man who had seriously wounded a Washington, DC resident after shooting the man in the throat. Indicted for the shooting in August 1955, he was charged with "unlawful flight to avoid prosecution" a month later and officially added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted on November 2.
Kendrick was tracked down by the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
within a month and was arrested by federal agents in Chicago on December 5, 1955. He was apprehended without incident and extradited back to Washington, DC where he convicted and given a long jail sentence. Kenrick testified that he had been offered $2,500 to murder Michael Lee but declined the job because "when I got done paying taxes out of that, what would I have left?"
Further reading
- "Seized By FBI". Chicago Daily Tribune. 4 Dec 1955.
- "Ex-Police Officer Joins Chase Again". Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
. 8 Feb 1966.