On the 19th November 2005 Lee Orchard, 27 years of age, decided to do a bit of seasonal bag-snatching to supplement his income for the festive period. His chosen venue was the middle of the city of Gloucester in England. It’s the perfect time to do it and sleepy Gloucester is the perfect place. People are distracted, heavily laden and there are plenty of naive easy targets in town for the Christmas shop! Anxious to get his first “grab” under his belt, Mr Orchard selected his target, ran up behind the unfortunate lady, snatched her bag and kept running, checking over his shoulder as he went to see if anyone was following. He ran straight into a brick wall. He was knocked unconscious by the impact and police arrived minutes later to scrape him off the tarmac. He was taken to hospital, treated for concussion then immediately arrested for robbery. Appearing in the city Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to the offence, though acknowledged he could not remember the actual incident (surprise, surprise). He will be sentenced in early January 2006, however the presiding Judge left Mr Orchard in little doubt he should make the most of this Christmas at home as he was heading for a substantial prison sentence in the New Year.

A man in Des Moines, Iowa, who approached a plainclothes police officer was arrested after asking the officer “what’s up?” Officer Patrick Hickey was checking license plates in an alley as part of a recent drug investigation when a man asked him “what’s up?” Hickey responded by asking the man “what’s up?” The man asked Hickey the same question again, to which Hickey again replied “what’s up?” To that, the man said “I’ll show you what’s up” and went inside a nearby house and came out with a .38-caliber handgun, police said. “The guy got a gun because I said ‘What’s up?’ Unbelievable,” Hickey said. “I had no idea he would want to shoot me for saying ‘What’s up?’” Hickey said he showed the man his badge and pointed his gun at the man, who put down his gun. The man, Stewart Jenkins, 33, was wanted in Michigan, where he was on parole for assault. He will be arraigned Friday on drug and weapons charges. A search of Jenkins found $700 and a small amount of suspected crack cocaine, police said. A search of his house turned up $8,000 and 15 grams of suspected crack. Jenkins was being held in the Polk County jail on more than $130,000 bond.

2005-11-25 By: AM 1250/Mix 96 News
There was an armed robbery Thursday night at the Sarto general store, 9 miles southeast of Steinbach. It happened at 5:30 pm. R.C.M.P. report 2 teenaged males threatened the store owner with a knife, then overpowered him and stole liquor and cigars. Two suspects, aged 17 and 18 from the Steinbach area, were later arrested. The stolen merchandise was recovered. Sergeant Jake Hiebert says one of the suspects left behind his I.D. at the store and an alert motorist got the licence number of the fleeing vehicle. That helped police to make quick work of the case. Sergeant Hiebert says investigation continues to determine if the same culprits are responsible for a recent rash of robberies in Steinbach.

In a little town in the state of Washington on 11/24/05 Thanksgiving night a mother of a kid I know who also owns a restaurant was robbed. The crooks that came into the store were obviously not the brightest as with any crook in this site. What sets these crooks aside was the fact that they stolen the register key and $25 in change out of the register but missed the $40 in tips next to the register. Also in their lack of light (and or brains) they managed to miss the mantilla folder under the register containing at least $1000. To top of their stupidity, before they leave they decide to smoke a cigarette leaving the butt behind thus concluding this story of yet another pathetic robbery.

A young guy who got lost in the bush southwest of Kirkland Lake and used his cell phone to call for help. The OPP sent in a helicopter, a canine unit and an emergency response team, and we’re pleased to report that they eventually located 18-year-old Tyler Dubreuil from Mississauga, Ontario. We’re less pleased to tell you, however, that while the police were back there looking for Tyler, they also found a narcotics grow operation with 4,500 marijuana plants. And that Tyler and two other Southern Ontario residents are now facing enough criminal charges to make most of us wish we were back lost in the bush.
Here’s the official OPP news release:
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Missing person search results in the discovery of a cannibis marijuana grow operation (Kirkland Lake, ON) - On the 31st of May 2005, while searching for a missing person in the Blain Township area southwest of Kirkland Lake, police came upon evidence of a cannabis marijuana growing operation. The subsequent investigation conducted by the Kirkland Lake Detachment of the OPP, members of the Emergency Response Team, and members of Project Northern Gateway (an OPP Drug Enforcement Section lead initiative), resulted in the execution of a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant. As a result of the search police dismantled and seized approximately 4,500 cannabis marijuana plants. Also seized was a quantity of cannabis resin, a firearm, gas generators, an earth tiller, several high intensity light bulbs, submersible pumps, hoses, and other miscellaneous equipment related to the growing of marijuana. The cannabis marijuana seized has a potential street value of approximately $4,500,00. The offence related property seized has a value of approximately $10,000. Charged: 1) Tyler DUBREUIL Age: 18 Address: 833 Scollard Court, Unit 77, Mississauga, ON Offences: - one count of production of a controlled substance - Section 7(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - two counts of possession of a controlled substance –Section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm – Section 92(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of possession of a prohibited firearm – Section 95(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of careless storage of a firearm – Section 86(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of possession of a firearm knowing that the serial number had been altered – Section 108(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada - two counts of possession of property obtained by crime – Section 354(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada Charged: 2) Francesco MOSCATO Age: 53 Address: 5168 Hidden Valley Court, Mississauga, ON Offences: - one count of production of a controlled substance - Section 7(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - two counts of possession of a controlled substance –Section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm – Section 92(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of possession of a prohibited firearm – Section 95(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of careless storage of a firearm – Section 86(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada. - one count of possession of a firearm knowing that the serial number had been altered – Section 108(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada - two counts of possession of property obtained by crime – Section 354(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada Court: Bail Hearing – Wednesday June 1 Charged: 3) Kang Ming YU Age: 43 Address: 409 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, ON Offences: - one count of production of a controlled substance - Section 7(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - two counts of possession of a controlled substance –Section 4(1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act - one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm – Section 92(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of possession of a prohibited firearm – Section 95(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of careless storage of a firearm – Section 86(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada - one count of possession of a firearm knowing that the serial number had been altered – Section 108(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada. - two counts of possession of property obtained by crime – Section 354(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada Court: bail hearing – Wednesday June 1

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Bad idea: fleeing from police in a stolen car. Terrible idea: fleeing in a stolen lawn mower. But that’s what police say a “happy drunk” did, a decision that landed the suspect back in prison for violating his parole. Police say they got a tip about a stolen riding lawnmower. When they investigated, they spotted a man driving across a cornfield near Springfield. “I happened to be driving south when the call went out, and lo and behold, off to the west there was this man bouncing through the cornfield with his ponytail flopping in the breeze,” said Kurt Taraba, a police officer in the suburb of Southern View. Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Tapscott said authorities set up a perimeter while he and another deputy drove into the field to talk to the lawnmower driver. They identified themselves and told him to stop, but he allegedly tried to drive off. “I thought, ‘You’re on a riding mower, and we’re in a car,’” Tapscott said with a laugh. “He was only going four or five miles per hour, so I got out and jogged alongside him.” The driver finally stopped when police threatened to stun him with a Taser. Police arrested Charles H. Carter, 45, and returned him to the Illinois Department of Corrections. Carter was wearing an ankle monitor because he’d been on home confinement. The Prisoner Review Board will decide whether he goes back on parole or remains in prison to serve the rest of his two-year sentence for theft. Deputies have been unable to determine who owns the Craftsman mower. They said Carter had a handwritten bill of sale for it, but was unable to tell them where it was purchased or provide any other details.

POSTED: 7:05 am EST November 23, 2005 SANTA CRUZ, Calif. —
A night of drinking left a man so disoriented that he hopped into a police patrol car thinking it was a taxi, police said. The 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday soon after he let himself into Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Deputy Esther Beckman’s car while she was out of the vehicle questioning a bicyclist. The suspect’s name was not available Tuesday. Officers let the bicyclist go, but the man in search of a ride was taken to jail on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.