Rapping & Robbers: Did you know Abilene is in the Guinness Book of World Records?

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – Gaining entry into the Guinness Book of World Records is no small accomplishment. Every year, countless individuals strive to distinguish themselves as the best of the best. But did you know that at least two world records were set right here in the Key City?

Longest freestyle rap

On October 22, 2011, Reid ‘V.i.P’ Brown set a record for the longest freestyle rap at Primal Skateboards in Abilene, lasting an impressive 12 hours.

Since then, Brown’s record has been surpassed. PONEY now holds the title , having freestyled for 48 hours, 1 minute, and 10 seconds in Japan from April 22-24, 2023.

Oldest Convicted Bank Robber

At 91 years old, J.L. Hunter Rountree, also known as ‘Red,’ made headlines when he robbed a bank in Abilene and was caught red-handed.

On August 12, 2003, Rountree entered an Abilene bank unarmed, carrying two envelopes, one with the word ‘Robbery’ written in red ink. During a jail interview, he admitted he instructed the teller to “Fill it with money and do it quick.”

He swiftly fled in a white 1996 Buick sedan but was apprehended about 20 miles away after a bank employee noted his license plate number.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records , he had intended to place tape over the license plate that morning but didn’t follow through.

Rountree pleaded guilty to stealing $1,999 and was sentenced to 151 months in prison on January 23, 2004.

Rountree shared that he committed his first bank robbery at around 80 years old as retribution for financial woes caused by banks. He was also caught robbing a bank in Biloxi, Mississippi, in 1998 at age 87 and received three years of probation.

In 1999, he robbed a bank in Pensacola, Florida, and served three years as the oldest prisoner in the state.

He also remarked that prison food was better than what some nursing homes served.

Rountree passed away at 92 years old at the US Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, on October 12, 2004, and was laid to rest in a cemetery near the prison.

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