KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City man who used his smart phone to pass a note to a teller was sentenced Tuesday to 37 months in federal prison for robbing a bank, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Ryan Michael Cothern, 41, Kansas City, pleaded guilty to committing a robbery Oct. 3, 2017, at US Bank at 9900 W. 87th Street in Overland Park.

Cothern reportedly robbed the bank because he was thousands of dollars in debt from a drunken driving case. The robbery netted just $615.

Prosecutors said Cothern handed a teller his cell phone with a message that read, “Put the 100s, 50s and 20s in the bag.” When the teller hesitated, Cothern said, “Don’t do anything you shouldn’t do.” The teller put cash and a GPS monitoring device in the bag before pulling the alarm. Cothern was arrested near the 8300 block of Melrose Street.