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Idiot attempts to rob Taco Bell patrons with fingers
Picture this: A Cleveland teenager is in his car with his girlfriend. They are in one of several cars in the drive-thru line of a Taco Bell in Ashtabula, Ohio. They can't move ahead - they can't back up. There is a high curb on one side and a building on the other. In other words - no escape. A perfect time to commit a robbery, right?
So the teenager gets out of his car, walks up to the driver's side window of the car ahead of him and brandished what appeared to be a gun (it was really his fingers) in his pocket and demanded cash.
The young motorists in the drive-thru line of Taco Bell, 1226 West Prospect, at 11 p.m. Thursday, only had couple of dollars on them - enough to buy their dinner. When the robber became upset with their meeker budget, they offered him a skateboard.
"They were all waiting in line and he goes up to the car up ahead and holds them up," Ashtabula Police Sgt. Perry Johnson said. "He pretended like he had a gun, but he had two fingers in his coat."
The teen-age robber then began yelling and cursing at his victims, saying he didn’t want a skateboard. He walked back to his vehicle and got in the driver’s side. A young woman was seated in the passenger seat, police said.
Once the robber was inside the other car, the victims called 9-1-1.
Ashtabula police quickly arrived on the scene and surrounded the robber’s vehicle. Sgt. John Koski recognized the teen as a Cleveland resident who he ticketed earlier this week for driving without a license.
Despite the presence of several officers, including a K-9 officer, the suspect would not get out of the car, Capt. Gerald Cornelius said.
The Cleveland teen fought officers as they attempted to remove him from the vehicle, police said.
Story courtesty of Ashtabula Star Beacon. Used with permssion.
Dim-witted drunk takes nap in police parking lot
A 22 year-old West Lafayette, Indiana man came up with a really stupid idea. First, he figured he'd have a few drinks and then go for a drive.
He got a bit sleepy so he decided to pull into a parking lot and take a little nap - with the engine running.
Pretty stupid, eh? Well, hang onto your hat, because the parking lot our dim-witted friend pulled into was a police parking lot - right in front of police headquarters.
He was arrested for drunk driving.
Beauty school robbery goes all wrong
A Louisiana man had a pretty good plan to get some quick cash. He decided to rob a Shreveport beauty school. Only one problem. The thirty or so women inside didn't want to be robbed. The brainy man pulled a gun on the instructor and demanded money, as well as the purses of the students and staff. The instructor tripped the robber and then a large group of women begin beating the man with curling irons and sticks. The man tried to get away but the women kept pulling him back in so they could beat him some more.
By the time police officers arrived, the man was covered in blood and had to be transported from the scene by ambulance.
Thief locks himself in car trunk
A Fresno, California rocket scientist decided to help himself to some items in the trunk of someone else's car. So he popped the lock, climbed right in and rumaged around, looking for anything valuable to take with him. As he tried to climb out, the trunk lid slammed down, locking him in.
A security guard, fearing a crime victime was inside, called police when he heard someone yelling and banging on the inside of the trunk.
He was then booked on two counts of theft.
You know me. Will you take a check?
An Alabama woman was jailed on charges of writing bad checks. So what does she do? She calls a bail bonding agent to bond her out and, you guessed it, paid him with a bad check.
The woman has a history of writing bogus checks, shoplifting, identity theft and robbery charges. The woman goes by a number of names - all stolen from others. When she gets caught, she blames her crimes on an evil twin.
She's back in the slammer - without her checkbook.
Hey, officer, let's party, dude!
If you've had way too much to drink, a police station probably isn't the best place to be - let alone party.
However, that didn't stop a Toronto motorist.
The driver, with a bottle of rum beside him, mounted the curb and pulled up beside an officer directing traffic.
The driver told the officer he was headed north but pulled over, saying he could see a party and wanted to join in, acting Staff Sgt. Jed Handy said Tuesday.
Problem was, the party was part of the Police Week festivities at 31 Division.
"The officer went to talk to him and sees an empty bottle of rum and a half bottle of rum in the seat of the car," Handy said.
Man reports to probation officer in stolen car
A Tampa man, already on probation for auto theft, is back behind bars after deputies say they caught the guy visiting his probation officer in a stolen car.
"This fellow was on probation for auto theft and he chose to report to his probation officer driving a stolen car," stated Major Ron Spiller of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
It really didn't take a lot of police work. There aren't many Honda Accords with Washington State plates reported stolen in Hillsborough County, Florida. The one in question had been reported stolen a week earlier.
Also, the ignition column had been punched out and a screwdriver was needed to start the car.
Dumb drunk with a dumb attorney
My sister is a Largo, Florida police officer. Years ago she related this story to me of a drunk driver they arrested. The road side stop was done, he failed all his tests. At the police station the tests were repeated on a flat floor to avoid any claim of the road surface hampering his ability to pass the sobriety tests and it was videotaped for showing in court. The man pleaded not guilty.
During the trial the defense attorney tried everything he could to discredit the officer, the road side tests, the type of tests, that even on the flat floor of the station he claimed the tests were unfair. To prove his point he asked to play the video the police took at the station (here is where it became obvious the attorney hadn't watched the tape and was from the same gene pool as his client) for when the tape started, it showed his client obviously very drunk asking if the judge would see the tape at his trial. The officer said "yes" where upon the drunk looked at the camera and flipped the middle finger of his right finger at the camera while saying "_ _ _ k you judge!"
Needless to say they promptly changed their plea to no-contest and begged forgiveness of the court. He got the maximum sentence and fine.
Man grows marijuana 50 yards from Police Department
A 20-year-old is facing multiple charges after marijuana plants police say he was growing were found about 50 yards from the Georgetown, South Carolina City Police Department.
Georgetown County Sheriff's Office agents on Thursday arrested the Dekalb Street resident after a monthlong investigation, according to a news release issued Friday. Agents found and seized 55 marijuana plants - with a street value of around $66,000 - from the residence and the woods behind it.
Police said the man, who was inside the home at the time of the search, was arrested without incident. He was charged with manufacturing marijuana; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession with intent to distribute marijuana a half-mile from Georgetown High School; and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Condom man goes to jail
A man in New York thought he'd surprise a female jogger in Central Park. He hid behind a tree and took off all his clothes and waited. Then, when she approached, he jumped out at her wearing only a condom and a smile. The woman, an off-duty NYPD officer, wasn't smiling. Neither was the flasher when she hauled him off to jail.
Thanks to our friend Wayne D. Cowey for sharing the following four stories from Biloxi, Mississippi
Putting the mask on AFTER they are on camera.
This happened in 1994 in Biloxi at one of the casinos. Some men entered the casino to rob it. Since walking into a casino with ski masks on would be a strong tip off before they were in position, they waited until they were at the cashiers that they were going to rob and then put the masks on. That would not have been too bad if they had been from out of town and unknown to the casino. But they were local residents. In fact - they were employees of the casino. Worse, ALL of them worked for the casino security department. They left, went straight to one of their homes to divide to loot, and were arrested within minutes.
Busted playing blackjack
It was the mid 1990's in Biloxi, MS. All the local casinos had shared data links so that security information could be instantly sent to each other. A man robbed one casino and fled. His picture was instantly sent to all the other casinos so they would know if he entered another casino to try to rob it. He did enter a casino that was just down the road, sat down and began to play blackjack with the money stolen from the first casino. He had not even changed clothes and was still wearing the same bright red ball cap. He was promptly "busted" at the blackjack table.
Bank robbers busted the same way
A guy robbed a bank in the area and his picture was plastered all over the papers the next day. A couple of days later he came in to play blackjack. Security cameramen had picked him up before he even sat down. Police were called. Also the dealer recognized him and alerted the pit boss. She shuffled the six deck shoe to delay him, and he was arrested before a hand was even dealt.
Arrested playing poker.
A drug deal in the Carolinas involving an entire 18-wheeler of marijuana had gone bad, and our crook made off with the money while the police arrested the others. He decided to lay low, by hanging out in the largest poker room in the South, the poker room at the Grand Casino in Biloxi, where he played several times a week. His method of laying low was to play flamboyantly, although he stayed at the low stakes table, and soon everyone came to know him. But the largest poker room in the south attracts many people from outside the local area, and eventually someone from his old area showed up, saw him, and reported him for the reward. The FBI made the arrest while he was in the middle of a poker hand. He said to the G-men, "Let me finish this poker hand and I'll go quietly." They did, he lost the hand and left politely, under their escort. Actually, I think he was lucky that the FBI found him before some of his old friends did.
Pardon me, Officer. Are there any warrants out for me?
I work for The Department of Transportation in New Castle County, Delaware and thought I'd share with you the story of immense stupidity that transpired on May 13, 2005. Some of our crew, with the help of the Delaware State Police, was shutting down part of Interstate 95. One of our crew members, in a momentary lapse of intelligence, went up to one of the officers and asked if he could check and see if he had any outstanding warrants. Well it turns out our favorite little genius did in fact have a warrant. There was a bench warrant issued in Maryland for our crew member for assault on a woman he was involved with there. The officer jumped up out of his car and cuffed our friend and waited for another car to come pick him up. He has not shown up for work since.
Prisoner unlocks handcuffs, takes a 10-minute break
By John Tunison
The Grand Rapids Press
Allegan County Jail inmate Eric Erickson held the key to his own freedom.
And he used it lickety-split.
As a bailiff escorted him and other inmates across a parking lot to the Allegan County Courthouse on Wednesday, the 57-year-old inmate suddenly produced a handcuff key and unlocked himself.
He dashed away, but his time out of the clink was short-lived. Police nabbed him less than 10 minutes later after a citizen spotted him in his orange jail uniform and called police.
Authorities now are investigating how Erickson, jailed for allegedly passing counterfeit traveler's checks in the Saugatuck area, obtained the handcuff key.
They didn't know whether he somehow smuggled it into the jail or possibly snatched it from a guard.
Allegan County sheriff's Lt. Frank Baker said handcuff keys, about 1-inch long with round cylinders, are typically interchangeable.
"You could stick it in your mouth. You could probably have it there all day and no one would notice it. They are very small," he said.
Baker said it's possible a visitor could have smuggled a key into the jail.
Erickson was transferred from a state prison to the Allegan jail on April 27 to resolve the charges involving the traveler's checks. He already is serving a prison term for a check scam in Oakland County.
Baker said records show Erickson appeared to be from California.
"It sounds like he was just passing through when the incident in Saugatuck happened," he said. "I think he's real transient."
Erickson was the last in a line of inmates being led less than 100 feet from the jail to the courthouse Wednesday for court appearances. After Erickson unlocked himself and bolted, a citizen spotted him near some shrubs and he was arrested on Cedar Street.
Erickson now faces an escape charge, a four-year felony.
© 2005 Grand Rapids Press. Used with permission
Not a good place to look for a job
An Amherst Ohio woman applied for a job as a police dispatcher. When they did a background check, police found she had 17 traffic convictions, including seven speeding tickets and two citations for driving without a license.
The police called and invited her in for an interview. When she arrived, she was arrested and charged with failing to appear in court and driving without a license.
Hey Moe, Hey Larry, I can't see!
A couple of brilliant guys were driving down I-380 in Iowa when the hood of their car popped open. The hood, of course, was slammed up against the windshield, completely obscuring their forward view. Did our friends pull over? Of course not. They continued driving along at 55 MPH with their heads out the windows.
A couple of Linn County Sheriff's deputies observed our friends, didn't think much of their driving technique, and pulled them over.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under suspension and no proof of insurance. The passenger was arrested on a parole violation warrant from Illinois
Stoned criminal sings one octave higher
South of the border, in Lima, Peru, Hermogenes Meza and ten of his brilliant friends decided to steal some cattle belonging to Elizabeth Coz. In addition to stealing her cattle, Meza thought it might be fun to have his way with Ms. Coza.
Ms. Coza thought otherwise. She sank her teeth into Meza's testicles. Then some of Ms. Coza's relatives showed up and began stoning Meza and his accomplices, who then ran away. Well, the accomplices ran away. Meza limped away - screaming in pain.
Meza's right testicle did not survive the encounter and was removed by a surgeon in a hospital northeast of Lima.
DJ brags to Howard Stern about not paying taxes. IRS not amused.
A New York City disc jockey had a good plan for putting a little extra money into his retirement plan - by not paying taxes for three years. Figuring that wasn't enough, he decided to tweak the nose of the IRS by bragging about it on the Howard Stern Show. The IRS was listening. They weren't amused.
The DJ has been sentenced to a year in prison - and he must pay the taxes he owes.
Woman calls police, goes to jail
A Decatur, Alabama woman called police to say that someone had broken into her home.
When officers arrived to check things out, they searched her home. Inside, police found a stolen .38 caliber revolver, crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
Needless to say, the woman who called police ended up getting arrested.
Car thief calls police
A Baltimore man called police Tuesday morning to say his white Nissan Maxima had been stolen from in front of his apartment building.
Instead of getting his car back, police arrested him and jailed him on charges of armed robbery, possession of a stolen car and a handgun violation.
It seems the car he reported stolen wasn't his. Police say he had stolen it at gunpoint two weeks earlier. The only reason he couldn't find it was because the victim had spotted it and called police, who towed it away.
Why did Alston call police?
He had left his wallet in the car and wanted it back.
'Idiot' car thief now facing jail
A London thief called an idiot by a judge for stealing a car and driving it to a police station now faces a jail term for failing to turn up to court.
Last month Mohammed Zaman, 22, of West India Dock Road, Limehouse, admitted stealing the Toyota last June.
Judge Paul Dodgson told Zaman: "Frankly you are an idiot" but said it was unlikely he would be jailed.
But after Zaman did not turn up at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday a warrant was issued for his arrest.
After waiting 90 minutes for his arrival, fellow judge Christopher Elwen decided he had no option but to issue a "warrant not backed for bail".
"After all he lives...just over in east London and could have walked here by now," he said.
Luck evaporates for crime suspect
Friday, March 25, 2005
SPRINGFIELD - It turned out that Andre Luckey wasn't lucky at all.
The 27-year-old resident of 4 Peer St. was arrested on drug and weapons charges yesterday morning in his girlfriend's School Street apartment after he was caught - literally - with his pants down, said Capt. William J. Noonan of the police Detective Bureau.
Luckey already was under arrest for warrant charges related to heroin distribution, Noonan said, but when he asked officers to hand him his pants from the bedroom floor, Luckey's luck went from bad to worse.
When police checked the pockets before giving him his pants, they found 12 rocks of crack cocaine and some Ecstasy, Noonan said.
Then they noticed the handle of a gun sticking out from the pillow of his bed, and the gun, a .22-caliber loaded with 10 rounds, turned out to have a defaced serial number, Noonan said.
As a result, Luckey faces several additional offenses beyond the warrant charges, Noonan said.
Lucky was charged with possession of a Class B substance, crack cocaine, with intent to distribute, possession of a Class E substance, Ecstasy, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card, possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number and possession of a firearm while having three prior drug convictions, according to Noonan.
The arrest was made by Springfield detectives Norman Shink and Sean Condon and Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Michael Habel of the Hampden County District Attorney's Violence and Firearms Task Force.
Story courtesy of Patrick Johnson. Copyright 2005 MassLive.com. All Rights Reserved.
Crook lowers himself into art gallery using a clothesline
Several years ago, before I retired, I was a Corporal with the Carmel-by-the-Sea police Department. One early morning, about 2am, we responded to a silent alarm at very well known and prohibitively expensive art gallery. The doors and windows were secure, but we could see a thin rope or wire hanging down from the ceiling of the gallery. While we awaited the arrival of the owner we noticed that there appeared to be a dark colored lump behind a dimly lit display. When the owner arrived and we opened the door, the lump quickly jumped up and began tearing around the interior of the gallery, banging against the locked doors and windows, looking for an escape route, but we had all exits covered. It turned out that the burglar, an industrious but stupid 20 year old, had gotten onto the roof of the gallery, patiently unscrewed more than a dozen screws that secured a skylight, and began to lower himself using, guess what, a long piece of clothesline! After surviving the fall but breaking his ankle, he tried to climb back up the clothesline to the roof. Needless to say, he found that climbing up a quarter-inch thick, plastic covered rope was completely impossible. After a brief struggle he was taken into custody and charged with burglary and resisting arrest.
- Greg Lindsey
- Corporal/FTO (retired)
- Carmel PD
ATM bandit forgets to cut eye holes in his disguise
I am a lawyer and several years ago I was appointed to represent a young man who had been charged with robbing a bank's ATM machine. He'd gotten some 500 dollars or so, as I recall.
When I inquired of the prosecutor about the evidence he gave me a nice, bright smile and handed me a manilla folder. Inside were 5 or 10 clear, black and white photographs showing my client.
Wait! I'm not sure it is my client. There's a paper bag over his head! How can they say this is my guy?
As I flip through the pictures all becomes clear: Having been too dumb to cut eye holes into the paper bag, my brilliant client had lifted the bag up so he could see what he was doing. Except for the first two photographs, his face was clearly visible in every shot.
We didn't take the case to trial.
Man arrested after trying to steal occupied unmarked police car
A 26 year-old resident of Crystal Beach, Ontario had a pretty good plan to steal a shiny new car for himself. Alas, the plan had a minor flaw. The nice car the man attempted to steal was an unmarked police car - with two police officers sitting inside.
Here's the media release from the Niagara Regional Police Service in St. Catharines, Ontario:
On Sunday, January 30, 2005, at approximately 2:35 a.m., two police officers were sitting in an unmarked police vehicle, in the area of Carlton Street and Promenade Boulevard, in the city of St. Catharines, regarding an unrelated incident.
At this time, a vehicle was observed pulling into the same parking lot that the unmarked police vehicle was parked in. A male then quickly exited his vehicle and approached the driver's side of the police vehicle. The male then knelt down and attempted entry into the police vehicle.
The male was then startled by police officers who exited the vehicle and placed him under arrest without incident. A second unidentified male suspect was able to flee on foot.
Yeah, but I never cheated on my wife or girlfriend!
A 63-year-old Wisconsin man is charged with sexual gratification with an animal for allegedly having sex with calves. The man allegedly told police that he routinely stopped at a Greenwood farm, usually after bar closings or on trips to strip clubs near Marshfield or Neillsville.
A criminal complaint filed in Clark County Circuit Court said the farm's owners installed a motion detector on Jan. 22 after regularly seeing footprints and vehicle tracks on their land. Around 4 a.m. the next morning, a sensor sounded and the man was caught leaving the barn.
The suspect told police he had sex with heifers before he went into the service in 1963 and resumed about a year ago at the farm. He admitted he had been to the farm "at least 50 times," according to the complaint.
He told police he never had sex with animals while maintaining a relationship with his girlfriend or his wife, the complaint said.
- Campus crooks use stolen student ID card to have pizza delivered to their dorm room
Two weeks ago, my daughter, a freshman at the University of Cincinnati, had her wallet stolen while she was participating in an intramural basketball game.
It contained her student ID, a bank debit card, driver's license and room keys. She reported it to the campus police, and then to her bank to cancel the debit card. At that time, she found out that the debit card had been used at a gas station just off campus.
Two days later, the wallet was returned, minus the debit card and student ID card. The student ID card can also be used as a debit card at on-campus and some selected off campus locations. When she checked the balance on her student ID card, she found that it had been used at an off campus pizzeria, where they had placed an order that totalled $45.00, and then had it delivered to their dorm.
Police also checked the video system at the gas station. They had obligingly come inside to make a purchase, and stood directly in front of one of the in-store surveillance cameras.
Their initial court appearance is pending.
Bumbling bandit doesn't know when to quit
Our local newspaper in Fremont, California reported this story a few years back:
A really dumb crook got even dumber as the day wore on.
Thinking he could get a few extra bucks at the ATM, our crook walked up to a customer at the ATM in front of the bank. As the customer got his money from the machine, our brilliant thief demanded that the money be handed over to him. Instead of giving him the money, the customer bolted away from the machine and ran into the bank to report the crime.
The thief panicked and ran out into the parking lot and spoted a man sitting in his car in the parking lot.
"Give me all your money the thief growled."
"I only have ten dollars" said the frightened man who had yet to go into the bank. The thief emptied the man's wallet of two five dollar bills and raced out of the parking lot, knowing that surely by now the police had been notified.
He ran out into the street and flagged down a passing car. As the car came to a stop, the driver opened his window and our thief held out one of the five dollar bills telling the driver that he would give him the five dollars if he would give him a ride. The driver grabbed the money from his hands and sped away, leaving the thief standing in the middle of the street.
Finally he saw his one last hope. He spotted a city bus pull up to a nearby bus stop. He jumped on the bus convinced the he had finally put his problems behind him. Unfortunately, his antics were spotted by several bank customers and employees who kept the police informed as to his whereabouts. It didn't take the police very long to find the bus and give our hapless crook one last ride - to jail.
Crooks return to crime scene to ask directions out of town
A young man walked into a Chevron station in Poulsbo, Washington at 2:15 in the morning on December 25. According to Poulsboro police, the man brandished a butterfly knife and threatened to kill the employees if they didn't give him money. Despite the threat, one of the employees dialed 911.
“He got mad and knocked all the stuff off the counter and left,” Poulsbo Police Sgt. Bill Playter said of the would-be robber, noting that he fled the scene in a red 1999 Honda Accord, along with his get-away driver.
About an hour and a half later, Chevron employees again dialed 911 as the red Honda once again pulled into the parking lot. the suspects had returned — this time to ask directions out of town.
“I guess they got lost,” Poulsbo Police Sgt. Bill Playter surmised. “They’re not the brightest bulbs in the closet.”
The two once again left the scene and were apprehended by sheriff’s deputies and Poulsbo police officer Daniel LaFrance. The suspects not only admitted to the attempted robbery but a burglary they committed at Blockbuster Video earlier that night.
A search of the car yielded the knife and more than 30 video games. The two suspects were arrested on charges of second degree burglary and first degree robbery. Bail has been set at $250,000 each.
Phony cop pulls over real cop
A Parma, Ohio man thought it would be fun to play "let's pretend," as in let's pretend to be a police officer. According to Cleveland police, the man put a flashing blue light on the dash of his car and pulled over a female motorist. Unfortunately for him, the woman turned out to be a detective with the Cleveland Police Department. She called for backup and our friend from Parma was quickly arrested. Police found a gun and a stolen police radio in his car. He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and impersonating a police officer.
From Australia: A tale of a perpetually drunk driver
I have two stories about one guy I used to know. He was perpetually drunk though it never stopped him from driving anywhere. One time he got caught for DUI by a foot patrol officer, who saw him driving erratically down the main street of town at a very slow speed.
When told to "pull over, driver!" he drove his car up onto the sidewalk and crashed it through the plate glass windows of a large department store.
Lucky for him it was late at night and nobody was injured. His blood-alcohol reading was above 4% -- an incredible figure in itself.
This same driver, again leglessly drunk, was driving towards a bar/restaurant where he was to meet me and a few friends. The road to the place (a landmark building, brightly illuminated at night) is at the end of a long, straight road that has a sharp deviation immediately before it which crosses a canal. Dumb drunk, seeing the lights straight ahead, drove straight into the canal. It didn't stop him from getting to the party though, and he appeared covered up to his chest in thick, black mud.
Rocket scientists get busted at fast food drive up window
I was working the drive up window at a fast food restaurant.
A car pulled up and handed me the money for their order. There were seven people in the car and they were passing a blunt (a marijuana and tobacco cigar) around and the driver had the nerve to blow smoke in my face.
They were not only getting high, they were harrasing me and hitting on me so I told them to pull up into an empty parking space to wait for their food. They did as I asked and, while they were waiting, I called the police. Within minutes, a swarm of police cars pulled into our parking lot. While they were arresting the car load of teenagers, the driver received a text message that read, "I've got the merchandise, meet me at . . . "
The police met the sender of the text message and found a lot of drugs. They came into the restaurant, shook my hand, and said this was one of the biggest drug busts they'd had in our city.
If you're going to commit robbery, do it in front of people who know you
An Ashtabula, Ohio man needed some fast cash Sunday so he ran into a fast-food restaurant and allegedly stole a jar full of change intended for charity. That was his first mistake.
According to Ashtabula Police Sgt. John Koski, the man threatened the employees by saying, "You call the police, I'm going to kill you." Even though the man had no weapon, the threat of force was enough to change the crime from theft to robbery, police said. That was his second mistake.
His third mistake? Two of the restaurant's employees knew the man and gave police his name and address.
This is not the first time our restaurant bandit has been charged with robbery. He was cited on charges of attempted robbery in February 2003 and aggravated robbery in September and November 1994.
Well, I couldn't find a restroom and that car was nearby so . . .
A 24 year-old Chesapeake City, Maryland man apparently had a full bladder and couldn't find a restroom. So he used the gas tank of a Pontiac Grand Prix. The man was arrested Sunday morning after a witness told police he saw the man unscrew the gas cap and urinate into the car.
He was arrested for malicious destruction and disorderly intoxication.
Robbery plan has numerous flaws
A 26-year old Gary, Indiana man thought he had a pretty good plan to get some free smokes. According to authorities, Dan Griggs stole three cartons of cigarettes about 1 a.m. Thursday from a convenience store. As we shall see, the plan had a few flaws.
First, the convenience store was located across the street from the Lake Station Police Department.
Things got worse when, according to Police Lt. Mike Stills, Griggs returned to his vehicle to find the doors locked.
Meanwhile, a clerk followed Griggs out of the store and confronted him. Griggs told the clerk it was just a joke and he didn't intend to steal the cigarettes. The clerk didn't believe him and called the police - the ones right across the street.
Griggs then went back into the store, ripped out the telephone cord and demanded money. He then opened the store's lottery machine, took about $50 and fled again, according to court documents filed Thursday in Lake Superior Court.
He now had some cash to go with his cigarettes - but that left the problem of the locked getaway car. What to do?
According to Lt. Stills, Griggs returned to the store and grabbed a broom. Dispatchers watched from the police station as Griggs used the broom to smash out a window on his vehicle.
According to the police, Griggs then drove away from the store and promptly ran into an oncoming police cruiser. He fled the car, fell into a ditch and was arrested.
Thief caught on tape snatching donation money
This story takes place in Anchorage, Alaska where the owner of the local Tastee Freez always tries to help out those less fortunate during the holidays. This year, as has happened in the last ten years, Rich Owens put out a small plastic container for donations, this year for the military families of the nearby Alaska National Guard Base.
Last Wednesday a couple enters the restaurant. The 42 year-old woman, Sonya, and her 28 year old boyfriend, Stephen, walk to the register. Sonya orders a hamburger. Stephen grabs the donations and runs. The woman waits for the burger and then meets up with the robber in the parking lot. They are there long enough for 5 people to get the license number and the vehicle description. Police nabbed the pair a short time later nearby. Sonya and Stephen were ID'd by the witnesses. Sonya denied knowing anything about the theft, but Owens who has seen 8 attempts in 10 years with his donation jars wasn't swayed by her denials. He had set up video cameras in his store for just such a moment. His response? "In the videotape they kiss each other right in front of register 1." Both were arrested on charges of theft.
Story courtesy KOOL 97.3 FM and the Anchorage Daily News
