Oct. 24--Timmy Lee Porter walked into a Midtown bank this month and handed a teller a note scribbled on the back of a bank slip.

"This is a bank robbery, place 1 100.00 bill on the counter or I will shoot you."

Police arriving on the scene moments later found that note on the floor. The $100 bill was still in the bank. So was Porter, who had taken a seat on a couch in the bank lobby, apparently waiting to be arrested.

Porter, 41, was initially charged with felony bank robbery, but after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, he pleaded guilty in front of a magistrate judge Thursday to a single misdemeanor count of bank larceny. Why Porter held up the bank and then waited to be arrested was unclear.

"Why he did what he did is a mystery," Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Cooper said.

According to an affidavit filed in federal court by FBI Special Agent Steven Payne, Porter walked into First National Bank Alaska at 201 W. 36th Ave. just after noon on Oct. 6 and passed the note to a female teller.

When the scared and surprised woman paused, Porter said, "I'm serious," though he didn't show a gun. The woman slid the demand note to the floor and passed the robber a bundle of cash from her drawer.

"Porter removed what (the teller) believed to be a single $100 bill from the money she provided him, then left her station, sat on a couch in the bank lobby, watched the main entrance and appeared to be waiting for something," Payne wrote in an affidavit.

That something came moments later when police swarmed the bank and found him.

"I'm the guy you're looking for," Porter said, according to the affidavit. He showed them a single $100 bill.

REDUCED CHARGE

"In my experience ... I'm unaware of any particular instances like that," said Cheri Gillian, spokeswoman for FNBA. "It doesn't seem to be the smartest move to me, but what do I know?"

After his arrest, Porter was taken to FBI headquarters, where he was questioned and admitted he robbed the bank, though he denied having a gun, according to Payne's affidavit.

In court Thursday, Porter appeared relaxed as he discussed the sentencing range with his attorney. His combed gray-brown hair and moustache gave him a clean-cut appearance as he sat through the brief hearing in yellow prison garb stamped with the words Anchorage Correctional Complex.

According to the plea document, Porter will be sentenced to one year in prison -- the maximum for the bank larceny charge -- rather than face up to 20 years in prison for bank robbery. He will not be fined under the deal because he does not have the money to pay one, the document says.