Stupid Criminal Files

Men Steal From Spy Store

2007-12-04T20:05:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of WNBC

DALLAS - Police said two burglars struck a Texas store that sells high-end security equipment, and the whole thing was caught on tape by 17 cameras rolling in the store.

"The point is, nobody is safe; there is always a stupid criminal out there," said Kris Webb, owner of Spy Supply.

The thieves broke into Webb's surveillance gear store in North Richland Hills, Texas, last week.

"I've got them on no less than 17 cameras," Webb said. "We are a security business."

And if the name of the business wasn't telling enough, multiple warning signs on the store should have given the burglars a clue that they would be on camera.

"It is absolutely astounding that these people have the audacity to steal from us and not expect to get caught," Webb said.

The surveillance cameras caught several clear images of the two men who broke in through the store's front door with a crowbar early Friday.

Police said the duo filled a trash can with close to $10,000 worth of spy equipment.

Authorities said the video even showed a clear shot of their getaway car.

Webb said he's taking the robbery in stride.

"I'm pretty confident they will get caught," he said. "I'm not confident we'll get our equipment back."

Ex-con allegedly targets cops for robbery

2007-12-03T20:08:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of UPI

NEW YORK, - An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.

Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said.

"It was stupid criminal tricks," a police source said. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."

After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.

Be Care of Who You Flag Down For Assistance ...

2007-12-02T22:56:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Star Tribune

A man driving a stolen car that went into a ditch flagged down the wrong person for help.

Dean Gangl, 40, of Richmond, Minn., unwittingly asked an off-duty sheriff's deputy to help him pull the vehicle out of a ditch along Benton County Road 4 west of Foley, Minn., Sheriff Brad Bennett said.

The deputy, who came upon the stranded motorist at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday while he was on his way home, noticed that the vehicle in the ditch matched the description of one reported stolen hours earlier in St. Cloud. The deputy radioed to dispatchers, who confirmed the man was driving a stolen car, Bennett said.

The deputy arrested Gangl and found that he was in possession of a white crystal substance. Gangl tested positive for methamphetamine, Bennett said.

He was taken to the Benton County Jail and charged with being in possession of controlled substance and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Don't leave clues behind ...

2007-12-01T22:54:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of The Northern Echo

A BURGLAR who knocked on his victim's door before he crept in through an open window was caught after he left behind medication with his name on.

Heroin addict John Beckwith provided police with another valuable clue at the scene -an imprint of his training shoe on a window sill.

A court heard yesterday that Beckwith thought he was breaking into an empty house because homeowner Jane Simmonds did not answer his knocks on the door.

But the 28-year-old was left as shocked as Ms Simmonds when he walked into her bedroom and found her sitting on a bed having an afternoon cup of tea.

Drug addict Beckwith fled from the three-bedroomed house in Stockton with handfuls of belongings, but dropped a bottle of methadone on the grass outside.

Teesside Crown Court was told that he stole house and car keys, bottles of alcohol, cigarettes and a handbag containing credit cards and building society books.

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Beckwith was arrested two days later and said police found the shoe that left the print at Ms Simmonds' home in Hunwick Walk.

Peter Wishlade, in mitigation, said Beckwith had been evicted from his home days before the break-in when police closed it down under drugs legislation.

He said: "He found himself living on the street, wandering around with no money and with nowhere to reside because none of his family would accommodate him.

"He checked by knocking on the door if anyone was in, but unfortunately, the lady did not hear that.

"He was as surprised as she was by the confrontation.

"He ran out. He had no wish to disturb anyone. He would like to apologise for the distress he would have caused that lady."

Beckwith, of Buchanan Street, Stockton, who has previous convictions for break-ins and thefts, admitted the July 28 burglary and was jailed for 30 months.

Judge Tony Briggs told him: "Sneak-in burglaries are very distressing because, however they are committed, however careful the owner is, one always runs the risk of confronting the householder."

The court heard that since he was on remand, Beckwith has reduced his methadone intake and is now employed in the prison workshop making tables and chairs for other jails.

6:00am Tuesday 6th November 2007

Don't Go To Court When Wanted

2007-11-30T22:52:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

SYOSSET, N.Y. — A house burglar was arrested at a court on Wednesday when he showed up for another case, police said. The man kicked in the back door of a home on Aug. 8 and entered but ran off when a teenage girl who was lying on a couch saw him and started screaming, Nassau County police said.

The girl identified the 49-year-old man, who had multiple prior arrests for burglary, in a photo lineup, they said.

The man, from Bayville, was arrested by an officer when he went to First District Court for an unrelated issue, police said. He was charged with second-degree burglary.

Cash Register or Adding Machine?

2007-11-29T22:51:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of NewsTimes

FAIRFIELD - It's a theft that just doesn't add up.

A man who tried to steal cash from the Dunkin' Donuts outlet on the Post Road on Monday night fled with an adding machine that he apparently mistook for a cash register.

Police said the unidentified man walked into the doughnut shop about 10:28 p.m. and handed a clerk a note stating that he had a gun and a bomb. The man's note said he would use both if he didn't get cash, police said.

The man then grabbed an adding machine, which had no cash drawers, from the counter and ran from the shop.

The thief fled in a black car, possibly a Pontiac, police said.

Robber’s getaway falls short

2007-11-28T22:50:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Kansas City Star

A man who robbed the Family Dollar at 39th Street and Indiana Avenue tonight made his — short-lived — getaway on a city bus.

After hitting the store shortly after 7 p.m., the robber headed across the street and boarded the bus, a dispatcher said. The suspect made it about five blocks before Kansas City police stopped the bus and took the suspect into custody near 40th Street and Cleveland Avenue.

The man was reportedly armed, but no one was hurt in the incident.

Burglar fell asleep on victim's sofa

2007-11-27T22:47:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of This is Lancashire

A BURGLAR who broke into a neighbour's home was found fast asleep on her settee, Burnley magistrates were told.

Michael Arthur Bolton, 35, had taken a tranquilliser before raiding the home of Michelle Robinson, in Griffin Close, Burnley, which had made him sleepy, the court heard.

And at the time Bolton was on licence after being released early from a two prison sentence for burglary.

Prosecutor Silvia Dacre said Miss Robinson, her child, and a friend and her child, had gone to bed on the night on November 11, locking all doors and windows as usual.

But when she awoke the next morning, just before 6am, she heard a series of noises coming from her front room.

Mrs Dacre said that rather than confronting any potential intruder, she went into the kitchen and rang for the police.

Meanwhile one of Miss Robinson's neighbours, after looking through a nearby window, walked into the living room and found Bolton asleep on the couch.

Bolton was wearing a jacket belonging to Miss Robinson and in his tracksuit bottoms there was jewellery and sweets he had taken from the property.

Outside the house a bag was also found containing other items stolen from the house.

Mrs Dacre said it appeared he had broken into the property by forcing a kitchen window and had simply fell asleep before he could walk off with the stolen items.

It appeared he had taken some form of tranquilliser and could recall little of what had happened in the short time leading up to his arrest, the court heard.

When he was interviewed by police, he initially claimed he had bought the sweets found in his pocket but then accepted, as he had been found in Miss Robinson's home, there was little he could say about the burglary charge.

Magistrates heard that Bolton had been sentenced to two years imprisonment for burglary in October 2006 and was still on licence for that offence.

Bolton, also of Griffin Close, Burnley, who pleaded guilty to stealing goods worth around £150, was committed in custody by the court to await sentencing on December 14 at Burnley Crown Court.

Man Steals Printer, Calls Tech Support, Lands in Jail

2007-11-26T22:33:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of PC World

Here's a tip: if you steal a printer used to print driver's licenses, don't call the manufacturer asking for driver software.

It's a lesson that Timothy Scott Short learned all too well this month, when he got arrested after placing a couple of calls to Digimarc Corp.'s tech support line.

Short, 33, is facing felony charges for possession of "document-making implements," in connection with the theft of a Digimarc printer used by the state of Missouri to manufacture driver's licenses.

The printer, along with a PC, were stolen on the evening of Oct. 5 from the St. Charles contract office of the Missouri Department of Revenue, said Trish Vincent, director of the department. These offices are run by individuals who are subcontracted by the department to issue driver's licenses, Vincent said. The pilfered printer could be used to produce a license, Vincent said.

The PC, however, was locked with a key and because the key was stored in a secure location, the PC was unusable to the thief, said Vincent.

So what do you do when you have a stolen driver's license printer, but can't use the PC that goes with it? Enter Digimarc's tech support line.

According to a sworn statement by Secret Service Special Agent John Bush, someone who identified himself as "Scott" called Digimarc two days later and asked if he could buy printer drivers for the model of printer that had been swiped from the St. Charles office.

The Secret Service agent later listened to a recording of this call and recognized Short's voice from a prior investigation, Bush said. The caller also gave Digimarc the same phone number Short had used in an unrelated identity theft case, Bush said.

Short was charged on Oct. 11, and is facing 10 years in prison and a US$250,000 fine, according to court filings.

"The stolen equipment contains the identifying information and photographs of between 200 to 500 Missouri residents," Bush said in the statement. "The only use of the equipment is the manufacture of state identification documents."

The state has sent notification letters to those affected by the theft, Vincent said. The computer contained name, address and date of birth data, but not Social Security numbers, she added.

Digimarc declined to explain how the Secret Service ended up listening to its customer support calls. "Because of a confidentiality agreement with our customer and because this is a criminal matter, we are not able to comment on the incident," wroteDigimarc spokeswoman Leslie Constans via e-mail.

Man charged with DUI three times in 24 hours

2007-11-25T22:30:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of PerthNow

A PERTH man has been charged with drink driving three times in 24 hours, his menacing spree ending with a bizarre incident at a police station.

The 46-year-old was first stopped by Boddington police, in the Perth hills on Saturday night, and charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended licence.

He was spotted driving his car again a short time later and arrested for drink-driving, police said.

The man's car was impounded in the Boddington police station but early on Sunday morning, the man allegedly jumped over the fence of the police station, broke open a padlock on a back gate and drove away in his car.

He was caught and arrested again three hours later and charged with three counts of driving under the influence; three counts of driving while under suspension and one charge of trespass.

He's been refused bail and will appear in the Perth Magistrates Court today.

Police station no place to smoke weed

2007-11-24T22:53:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

A man is facing drug charges after he allegedly walked into the Danbury police station puffing on a marijuana-filled cigar.

Capt. Robert Myles says Scott Snow walked into the station early Saturday and blew smoke from his cigar into a small opening in the bullet-resistant glass separating desk officers from the public.

Myles says the 24-year-old man was told there's no smoking inside the building and he allegedly stubbed out the cigar on the counter.

Officers came out and smelled the distinctive odor of marijuana and arrested Snow.

Police say they found more alleged marijuana in Snow's pants. He has been released after posting bond.

Visitor to lawmen: I just smoked crack

2007-11-23T22:27:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of Northwest Florida Daily News

SHALIMAR — A woman who came to the Sheriff’s Office offering special information about drugs in the county was booked and jailed after she told investigators she smoked crack right before she came in the building.

Investigators say 30-year-old Kristen Paige Lowery “appeared to be under the influence of narcotics” when she came inside the Okaloosa County Multi-Agency Drug Task Force Office on Thursday.

When they asked her what type of drug she was using, she replied, “Crack,” according to the Sheriff’s Office.

When they asked her when she last used it, she said she’d smoked some just before she arrived.

Lowery was arrested on an active warrant for writing worthless checks. When deputies searched her car, they found crack and paraphernalia, including scales covered with cocaine residue.

She was charged with possession of cocaine and possession of paraphernalia and taken to the Okaloosa County Jail.

Man Arrested After Reporting Pot Theft

2007-11-22T22:25:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

McALLEN, Texas - A man was arrested for drug possession after telling authorities that two masked gunmen had stolen 150 pounds of marijuana from his home.

Hidalgo County sheriff's deputies arrived at the home near Penitas in South Texas to find the door kicked in and nearly 15 pounds of pot lying on the floor, Sheriff Lupe Trevino said.

Jose Guadalupe Flores, 35, escaped while the men ransacked the house but returned later and told the deputies he had been wrapping the drugs for shipment when the intruders arrived.

"The guy walked right up and said the drugs were his," Trevino said. "That's not the smartest move."

Flores, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was charged with felony possession of marijuana at an arraignment hearing Monday. Because of his immigration status, Flores will be jailed until his case is heard.

Authorities were still searching for the gunmen.

Drunken priest punches cop

2007-11-21T22:23:00.000-06:00

Special thanks to Leslie for the story !!
Courtesy of Stuff

A Mexican priest briefly ended up behind bars after punching a policemen who caught him driving drunkenly through the streets of the northern city of Monterrey.

Priest Manuel Raul Ortega, who was not wearing clerical dress but was clutching a prayer book when captured, launched himself at the traffic cop who pulled him over earlier this week.

"The individual became very violent because they were going to tow away his car.

He attacked a policeman and was taken away," said transit department spokesman Hector Lozano.

Ortega's papers identified him as a priest. He was released a few hours after his arrest after paying the fines for his offenses.

Monterrey and Mexico City are in the midst of a tough new drive to clamp down on widespread drunken driving after tequila and beer-fueled lunches and parties

Child Charged for DUI w/ Dad in Passenger Seat

2007-11-20T22:13:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

A police officer checking on a truck that got stuck in the mud at a city park was startled to find a 13-year-old boy behind the wheel. The boy's father, who was sitting in the passenger seat, told police he had had too much to drink and let his son drive. The boy had been drinking, too, police said.

"(The boy) even said he didn't want to drive because he was too drunk," McLellan told The Flint Journal for a story published Thursday.

Open containers of beer and liquor were found in the vehicle, said Clio Police Chief James McLellan.

The father, a 41-year-old Flint-area man, is facing several misdemeanor counts, including child endangerment, allowing an intoxicated person to drive his vehicle and allowing an unlicensed minor to drive, police said.

The boy has been petitioned into juvenile court on charges that include driving while intoxicated, police said.

The two were arrested Nov. 8. They apparently were trying to get home when they turned into the park to turn around. The truck rolled off the pavement and became stuck in the muddy soil.

Police Use Oil To Free Suspect

2007-11-19T22:13:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

Authorities used vegetable oil to free a man who said he became trapped in the vent shaft of a grocery store when he tried to rob it.

Adam F. Cooper, 19, was being held on $10,000 bail Friday on charges including burglary and criminal mischief.

Authorities said Cooper was found Tuesday night in the shaft between the ceiling and the roof of the store after someone heard him screaming for help.

Emergency workers cut Cooper's sweatshirt away, poured vegetable oil taken from a store shelf down the shaft and handed him a rope. Four men on the roof then pulled him out, said Thorntown Deputy Marshal Chad Clendening. He was trapped for at least an hour.

"He's really lucky someone heard him yelling," Clendening said. "Otherwise, we probably would have been removing a corpse the next morning."

Earlier that day, Cooper had been on a team that cleaned the store's vent, authorities said. He reportedly told police he was able to move through the vent while he was working, so he figured he could use it to rob the store.

The Associated Press left a message Friday seeking comment from Cooper's attorney, Michael Gross.

What?! A Politician Is A Crook?

2007-11-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of

A southern Georgia sheriff faces federal charges accusing him of billing inmates for room and board and interfering with an FBI investigation of local judges.

An indictment unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court accuses Clinch County Sheriff Winston Peterson of perjury, obstruction of justice, using forced labor and extorting former jail inmates.

Peterson, 62, pleaded not guilty to the charges Thursday and was released on $10,000 bond.

Investigators say the sheriff charged jail inmates $18 per day for room and board. County officials agreed in April 2006 to return $27,000 to hundreds of inmates who paid the fees between 2000 and 2004. Peterson also used an inmate to do work at a business run by his wife, investigators say.

The sheriff is charged with obstructing justice by alerting an unindicted co-conspirator about the identity of an FBI informant he believed was part of a criminal investigation into courthouse activities. He is also accused of lying during a grand jury investigation of a Superior Court judge.

Neither Peterson nor his attorney could be reached for comment Thursday night. An after-hours call to his attorney's home went unanswered, and the sheriff could not be reached through the dispatcher.

Peterson is the latest Clinch County official to be caught up in investigations into the rural county's practices.

Superior Court Judge Brooks E. Blitch III and Chief State Court Judge Berrien Sutton face allegations by the Judicial Qualifications Commission, a state agency that investigates Georgia judges and has power to recommend removing them from office. They have not been charged with any crimes.

Blitch, 72, is accused of ordering illegal payments to county employees, ordering the early release of imprisoned felons and presiding over a case involving his son.

Blitch's attorneys have said an investigation will prove he is innocent.

Sutton is accused of appointing non-lawyers to hear criminal cases, pressing a magistrate judge to help one of his business associates and signing an illegal order to collect court fees that were later distributed to county officials.

Thomas Whithers, an attorney for Sutton, said Wednesday the judge looks forward to his day in court. "Judge Sutton has done nothing wrong and will vigorously defend these allegations," he said.

Excessive greed drives 'determined' fraudster

2007-11-17T22:17:00.000-06:00

Special thanks goes out to Leslie for the story!
Courtesy of Stuff

Wayne Patterson had more than 100 identities, and the proceeds of his crimes were secreted around his rented home.

His crimes span 30 years and while he was talented at ripping off benefits systems, he was far from perfect, having previously served time in New Zealand, Australian and United States prisons for fraud.

When police came to his Auckland home in October last year they stumbled upon his lifestyle, including $750,000 in cash buried in the garden, $200,000 and 18 gold bars hidden in his shower.

His bedroom boasted a marble master suite and tropical fish and the lavish garden featured $50,000 worth of rare plants.

The rented flat also had a personal gym with a widescreen television.

Police also found the tools of Patterson's trade, including 137 cash machine cards, 102 forged birth certificates, 56 community service cards, 79 superannuation cards and 125 Inland Revenue cards.

Patterson, 47, was jailed for eight years and must serve at least five after his sentencing in the High Court at Auckland yesterday.

He had earlier admitted 10 false identity and fraud charges.

His sentence comes with a five-year non-parole period.

Justice Peter Woodhouse said Patterson was a "determined, recidivist fraudster" who was motivated by excessive greed, having talked of wanting to be a millionaire since childhood.

First convicted of fraud in 1976, Patterson went on to rack up fraud convictions in Australia and the US, for which he served prison terms.

He was extradited to New Zealand in 2002, prosecuted for offences he had committed in 1998 and sentenced to home detention.

Within a month of ending his sentence in June 2003, he was at it again.

His latest spree, between 2003 and 2006, made him New Zealand's worst benefit fraudster and eroded public confidence in the Social Development Ministry which administers benefits.

A crown application for forfeiture of assets under the Proceeds of Crimes Act was adjourned to a future date

U.S. Border Agent Car Not a Good Getaway Car

2007-10-20T13:56:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

MONTERREY, Mexico - Three Mexican minors detained in California on suspicion of smuggling drugs stole a U.S. Border Patrol car while still wearing handcuffs and drove it back across the border to Mexico.

Police in the Mexican border city of Mexicali said on Tuesday the three boys had been driving a pick-up truck on a remote Californian highway when a Border Patrol agent stopped them.

Suspicious they were carrying marijuana, he handcuffed them and put them in his patrol car while he searched their truck.

"As the agent was doing his search, he left the vehicle running and the keys in the ignition, so one of the lads, still wearing handcuffs, grabbed the steering wheel and they headed back to Mexico," a police spokesman said.

The Border Patrol, which plays cat and mouse around the clock with illegal Mexican migrants and drug traffickers, confirmed the vehicle was stolen in southern California on Sunday and driven over the border near Mexicali.

Mexican police used a helicopter to locate the patrol vehicle in a remote agricultural area near the border

What Will a Million Screws Get You? Find Out ...

2007-10-19T13:52:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

BERLIN - A German factory worker stole over a million screws from his employer and skewed the market with his cheap stolen goods, police said Friday.

"In the end, it became obvious that screws were being sold for much less than they usually cost," said a spokesman for police in the southern city of Wuerzburg.

Over two years, the 33-year-old assembly plant worker smuggled between 2,000 and 7,000 screws out of work each night, and auctioned them on an Internet site, police said. The scheme cost his firm around 110,000 euros ($156,000).

The man confessed after officers raided his home.

Price of Stolen Copper Leads To ...

2007-10-18T13:43:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of

BERLIN - A thief in Germany was charred beyond recognition by a 10,000 volt electric shock when he tried to steal a live copper cable, authorities said Monday.

Police in the western city of Duisburg found the 32-year-old man's blackened remains by a set of cable cutters and pile of non-live cables he had already stolen.

Only because one of his hands survived incineration were officers able to identify the man as German of Kazakh origin.

"His fingerprints were already logged on police files," a local police spokesman said. "The force of the shock was so great that the hand was severed from his body."

Be Careful Which Hospital You Go To After Committing ....

2007-10-18T13:43:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

A pizza-delivery man who sought treatment in an emergency room after being injured in a holdup attempt recognized one of his attackers when the suspect sought medical attention at the same hospital.

The victim, 28, was trying to deliver a pizza Tuesday when a man pointed a gun at him, Milwaukee police said. The Pizza Hut employee grabbed for the gun and attempted to wrest it from the first suspect when a second suspect hit the victim in the face.

The delivery man managed to pistol-whip the first suspect with the gun, hitting the suspect in the head several times, authorities said.

The victim fled and later sought medical help for injuries that included bruises and bite marks. At the hospital he recognized the suspect, who had sought treatment for injuries he suffered from the pistol-whipping, police said.

Police have asked the district attorney's office to file charges against the suspect. Officers were still looking for the second suspect.

Returning Stolen Goods ...

2007-10-17T13:38:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

A house burglar walked straight into the clutches of the law when he agreed to meet his victim to return one of her stolen possessions, police said Friday.

The man allegedly stole two gold rings and a mobile phone from a woman's home in eastern Terengganu state earlier this week, said Hazam Abdul Halim, the state's police chief for criminal investigations.

She then called the man on the stolen phone and asked him to meet her near a restaurant to return her phone's subscriber identity chip, Hazam said.

"Fortunately, the suspect agreed," Hazam said.

The woman alerted authorities, who waited for the man and arrested him, Hazam said. The suspect was being held in police custody while officials investigate the case.

Coke vs. Pepsi ,,, Let's get physical ...

2007-10-16T13:36:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

The long-standing rivalry between Coke and Pepsi took a physical turn Friday when a Pepsi deliveryman allegedly punched his Coke counterpart in the face at a western Pennsylvania Wal-Mart, state police said.

The two deliverymen were "apparently bickering back and forth" while unloading their wares at the Indiana County store, police said. When the Coke deliveryman left the store, his counterpart allegedly punched him in the face three times, breaking his nose and giving him a black eye, police said.

No charges have been filed, but police characterized the incident as a misdemeanor simple assault.

Handcuffs Not A Good Idea

2007-10-15T13:16:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Some fashion statements draw more attention than others, and wearing handcuffs while walking near the Tulsa County Courthouse is one that got noticed.

A man wearing a pair of handcuffs on one wrist drew the attention of passersby Friday, who contacted law officers. But it turns out it was just his idea of a fashion statement, said sheriff's Sgt. Jody Britt.

The man, whose name was not released, was wearing "goth" clothing, with one end of the handcuffs on his wrist and the other end dangling, making it appear as if he had escaped custody, Britt said.

"Wearing a set of handcuffs near a courthouse is not exactly the most intelligent thing you could do," Britt said.

Deputies stopped the man and checked for warrants. None were found, and he was released.

Burglar with taste for cheese nabbed

2007-10-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to SCF reader leslie for the story!
Courtesy of Stuff

A burglar with a taste for cheese and beer avoided capture at the scene of one break-in but was nabbed loitering in bushes outside another house, police say.

A Masterton couple returning to their home in Opaki Kaiparoro Rd about 5.30pm on Thursday startled a man who had broken into their house.

He bolted before police arrived, though not before he had drunk a bottle of beer and munched his way through some camembert cheese.

An hour later, a resident in nearby Loop Line Rd alerted police to a man hiding in bushes outside his house.

A Masterton man, 44, is to appear in Masterton District Court next week charged with burglary

Contest Winners Announced!

2007-10-06T15:51:00.000-05:00

First and foremost, we offer our appreciation to those who contributed stories to the Stupid Criminal Files in our absence!

We are pleased to announce the two winners for the $10 Amazon gift certificates: Lgra and t.e.morris!! Congratulations!! Check your email for the gift certificate information.

We encourage all of our SCF readers to send in stories and tips. You never know when we'll host another contest ...

It's hard to believe we're getting close to our 3 year anniversary of the Stupid Criminal Files! This started out as a pet project for fun, and turned into an amazing experience.

If you recall from the post announcing our contest, we said "Due to an expected commitment, our contributors will have limited availability to post to the blog during the last half August and most of September." We've received a couple of emails asking us what kept us away. So we all met for breakfast this morning, and decided to share our story. Charlie said no one would believe it. My wife says it's no one's business. Aaron says it really doesn't matter. Well, I'm not sure what I think about it. So here goes the long story ...

Nevermind. No one would believe it anyway :)

One place not to drive a stolen car: Courthouse

2007-10-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Special thanks goes out to SCF Reader t.e.morris for the story!
Courtesy of

MANNING, S.C. - Amber Renee Helton was trying to avoid legal problems by paying a traffic ticket. She ended up behind bars when authorities found out she drove a stolen car to the courthouse to pay it, police said.

Clarendon County deputies received a tip that Helton was going to be in a stolen car when she paid the ticket, Chief Deputy Joe Bradham said.

So officers arrested Helton as she opened the door of the 2001 Dodge Intrepid at the courthouse Tuesday morning, authorities said.

Helton, 21, and her passenger, 35-year-old Terry Lynn Alvery, were charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, Bradham said.

Helton was being held at the Clarendon jail Wednesday on $5,000 bail. It was unclear whether she had an attorney. A message left at the public defender's office was not immediately returned.

The vehicle had been reported stolen Aug. 28 in Dayton, Tenn., authorities said.

Helton had been in court less than a week before. She was found not guilty of possession of a stolen tag and guilty of driving without possession of a state driver's license, Bradham said.

"I guess she thought, 'Hey, I got away with having a stolen tag. I might get away with the entire car,'" Bradham said.

Bank robber writes note on own check

2007-10-06T15:36:00.000-05:00

Special kudos out to SCF Reader Lgra for the tip!
Courtesy of

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - A man robbing a bank demanded the money by writing a note on one of his own checks, authorities say.

Not surprisingly, he was caught soon afterward.

Forest Kelly Bissonnette, 27, apparently tried to cover his name on the check, then handed the note to a teller Sept. 5 at the Bank of the West in Englewood, according to authorities.

"We could still make it out even though he blacked it out," FBI agent Rene VonderHaar said. Nearly $5,000 was taken.

Surveillance video showed a suspect similar to Bissonnette's description, and a tipster said a man named Forest Kelly claimed he got $5,000 in a bank robbery, according to a federal complaint.

Bissonnette remained in federal custody Tuesday after turning himself in Friday. A public defender was to be appointed for Bissonnette, who doesn't have a listed phone number.

Robber serves coffee

2007-09-14T19:10:00.000-05:00

Special thanks goes out to SCF reader linnea_may for the story!

Courtesy of SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

MONROE -- A man and woman robbed a busy Starbucks early yesterday morning and wound up serving coffee through the drive-up window for at least 30 minutes to make additional cash. They then waited until business slowed enough to make a getaway.

Neither police nor Starbucks would say how much money the pair made off with.

Police arrested two suspects Tuesday night after trailing their car from the Lake Stevens area to a service station. A witness identified the pair as the barista bandits, police said in a news release.

No one was injured in the early-morning holdup, and no property was damaged, said Jan O'Neil, Monroe police spokeswoman. But the incident was "weird and stressful" for the employees.

According to police accounts, a tall, slender woman approached the store before it opened and asked to use the restroom.

While the woman -- who was in her 20s and had short, dark hair -- was in the restroom, a short man with a pierced eyebrow and eyeglasses, wearing a black jacket over a gray suit, also entered the store.

Shortly afterward, the pair came to the front counter brandishing a gun and demanded the manager open the safe.

After being robbed of their cash shortly after 5 a.m., when the coffee shop normally opens, the baristas were then forced at gunpoint for a half-hour to help the robbers make and sell coffee to customers in the drive-up window.

The suspects fled in a small, dark sedan with a large round sticker in the upper-left back window.

The Starbucks that was robbed is a small store, primarily serving drive-up customers, in a corner of a Fred Meyer strip mall where U.S. Highway 2 intersects with state Route 522. Mornings offer a steady stream of commuters on the four-lane highway that runs past the little coffee shop.

"It's a good little town, it really is," said State Farm agent Keith Akins, whose office is two doors down from the coffee shop. "But it's when you're dealing with Highway 2 here, it starts turning into (the likes of) Lynnwood."

Akins arrived at work after the robbery and stopped by the Starbucks for a mocha and "to see what happened." He usually does not buy coffee there, he said.

"I just felt bad for the girls inside," he added.

Company spokeswoman Lara Wyss said there was not a lot to say about the robbery.

But in a statement yesterday, Starbucks Coffee Co. said it "places its highest priority on partner and customer safety, and we take appropriate security measures. ..."

Deputy cited for DUI ... by someone special!

2007-09-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Special thanks goes out to SCF reader t.e.morris for the story!

Courtesy of

ELKO, Nev. - This might make for a tense time at home.

An off-duty sheriff's deputy was pulled over and charged with driving under the influence — by her husband, a fellow deputy.

Charlotte Moore, 36, a jail deputy and 11-year veteran, was driving her 2004 Pontiac Grand Am when she was pulled over by her husband, Elko County Sheriff's Deputy Mike Moore, a police report said.

She allegedly left before being administered a portable Breathalyzer test, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.

Mike Moore pulled her over again and called the Elko Police Department for backup. He left shortly after officer Shane Daz arrived. Elko Police Department Sgt. Mark Butterfield also was on scene.

Charlotte Moore was released at 1:47 a.m. on Sunday and placed on paid administrative leave, Elko County Undersheriff Rocky Gonzalez said.

Mike Moore was following procedure when he asked for backup, Gonzalez told the newspaper. The sheriff's office supports the police department's actions, he said.

Neither Mike nor Charlotte Moore was available for comment, the Elko Daily Free Press said.

Charlotte Moore reportedly had been drinking approximately two hours earlier at a downtown business group's wine walk, the newspaper said.

Announcing the sale of pot out

2007-09-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

Special kudos out to SCF reader cdelaney and Lgra for the story!

Courtesy of

BOSTON — Announcing the sale of pot out of a dorm room window is probably not a good idea when two police officers are within hearing range.

A pair of former Northeastern University freshmen are facing drug and other charges after prosecutors said one of them leaned out his dorm window on Sunday and loudly told a woman in the dorm opposite his that he and his roommate were selling pot.

Two plain clothes Boston officers in the building overheard the conversation, made their way up to a second floor dorm room where they arrested Michael Emery, 18, of Haverhill and Matthew Ferrante, 18, of North Andover after finding about four ounces of marijuana, drug paraphernalia, including a scale, and several bottles of alcohol in the room, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

"If you're looking for weed, my roommate Ferrante has some for sale," Emery allegedly said out the window, according to the district attorney's office.

The students were arraigned in Roxbury District Court on Tuesday on charges of possession of a class D substance with intent to distribute in a school zone, possession of alcohol by a minor, and conspiracy to violate the state's drug laws. The intent to distribute charge carries a maximum of two years in jail.

They pleaded not guilty, were both released on personal recognizance and are due back in court on Oct. 24.

Attorneys for the men did not immediately return calls for comment.

"They are no longer students here," university spokeswoman Laura Shea said.

Theft of wrong fuel doesn't go far

2007-09-12T19:28:00.000-05:00

Special thanks goes out to SCF reader snolan19 for the story!

Courtesy of Newstalk ZB

An Auckland woman who tried to take petrol from a North Shore service station did not get very far.

The 27-year-old pulled up to a Birkenhead BP just after 1pm yesterday, thinking she was filling her car with petrol, but in fact it was diesel.

North Shore police say the woman tried to speed away, but only made it 100 metres down the road before the engine seized. She will appear in court on Monday charged with theft.

Cookie cop foils burglar

2007-09-12T19:16:00.000-05:00

Special kudos out there to SCF reader l_l_varner for the story!

Courtesy of Augusta Chronicle

Loretta Lynn Scott doesn't need a guard dog for her home. She's got a cookie cop.

The 30-year-old west Augusta resident was spared a confrontation with a burglar early Friday when the intruder triggered the 9-inch tall talking container in her dining room.

The burglar sneaked into her ground-floor apartment through a half-open window about 1 a.m.

When he opened the head of the jar, he got a loud recorded warning: "Stop. Move away from the cookie jar!"

Ms. Scott, who was awake in her darkened bedroom, went to investigate.

"I thought maybe one of my kids had snuck in, but they always come into my room when they get up," she said.

Ms. Scott only got a glimpse of a white tennis shoe as the burglar dove out the window.

Because it was dark in that part of the apartment, Ms. Scott thinks the thief mistook the cop cookie jar for a piggy bank.

In any case, the jar, a recent gift from her mother, has her friends and family chuckling.

"It wasn't funny at the time, but now it's hilarious," she said. "It's my guardian angel, and I'm not getting rid of it."

The cookie caper remains unsolved, but even if the intruder had managed to silence his battery-operated nemesis, he would have gone away hungry.

Ms. Scott's girls had polished off the cookies earlier.

Naked man does hula, steals beer at store

2007-09-12T18:48:00.000-05:00

Special kudos out o SCF reader xiphaias for the story!

Courtesy of

The naked truth: Three eastern Missouri men were willing to go to extreme lengths to get some beer.

That's the accusation after an incident in the early hours of August 18th at Fish's Quick Stop in De Soto. Store clerk Vicky Gaines says a masked man walked in and began doing the hula dance.

Police say the plan was for the naked dancer to create a distraction while another man took a case of beer from the store. It didn't work.

Gaines called police. As the naked man and his accomplice joined a third man in a car, a customer got their license plate number. All three were caught a few days later.

The men, ages 19 to 23, face charges of shoplifting and indecent exposure.

Man with no legs and his friend cited for DUI

2007-09-11T19:02:00.000-05:00

Special kudos out to SCF reader Lgra for the story!

Courtesy of

ABBOTSFORD, Wis. - Police in Wisconsin have cited a legless man and his friend on a drunken driving charge, saying the amputee was at the wheel while his friend worked the pedals.

It was the third and second such arrests for the men, respectively.

Police say the amputee was sitting in the driver's seat and told officers he had too much to drink. But he argued he wasn't really driving since the other man was on the brake and accelerator.

Both men also were cited for driving after their licenses had been revoked.

Police say a third man in the truck, who was also drunk, walked himself home after the traffic stop.

PARENTS TURN IN SUSPECTS

2007-08-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

Special kudos goes out to hmh001 for the tip!

Courtesy of Cincinnati Enquirer

Two teens accused of breaking into a Sycamore Township school, then
waving and making obscene hand gestures at security cameras, have been
arrested. Parents of the two 17-year-olds turned their sons in after
seeing them on video and in still photos released Wednesday by the
Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, officials said. The teens are
charged with breaking and entering at All Saints School, 8939
Montgomery Road, on July 19. They are accused of stealing four laptop
computers, which were recovered, police said. One teen lives in
Sycamore Township, the other in Symmes Township. They have been turned
over to their parents' custody and will face charges in Juvenile
Court.

Meth User Asks Police For Drugs

2007-08-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

Special Kudos goes out to Mr. Miller for the tip!

Courtesy of KMTR

Police say 34-year-old James Wilkinson, of Eugene, ended up getting himself arrested when he asked an officer if he could get him some meth.

The Eugene police vice narcotics unit had searched an apartment on Seventh Avenue. Sergeant Jerry Webber says they were questioning the tenant, 58-year-old Gary Puckett, and handcuffed him. That's when Wilkinson came in and asked to buy drugs.
As detectives stood around with their badges hanging from their necks, Webber says Wilkinson asked Puckett --quote-- "Can you hook me up?"

Puckett was seated on the couch -- handcuffed. Police say he told Wilkinson he couldn't help him. But Wilkinson persisted, and turned to the detective and asked him for the meth.

Jeff Drullinger pointed at his police badge and arrested Wilkinson.

"Duct Tape Bandit" Draws Laughs

2007-08-20T21:03:00.000-05:00

Special Kudos to eku_law_99 and mom_roper for the tip!

Courtesy of

Ashland, KY - Laughter might be unexpected in a liquor store where a robbery just occurred.

But that's how employees responded to the "Duct Tape Bandit" who hit Shamrock Liquors in Ashland and fled nearly empty handed.

A man who had his head wrapped in duct tape to conceal his identity walked into the store last Friday, Ashland police said.

Store manager Bill Steele had some duct tape of his own, but his was wrapped around a wooden club that sent the robber fleeing, according to a report by WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va.

Store employee Craig Miller said he chased the man to the parking lot, tackled him and held him in a choke position until police arrived, the station reported. An unidentified customer also helped, police said.

Kasey G. Kazee, 24, of Ashland, was charged with first-degree robbery, according to Ashland Police Sgt. Mark McDowell.

Kazee, in an interview with the TV station, denied he was bandit who robbed two rolls of change from the store.

Kazee pleaded not guilty Monday in Boyd County District Court and was ordered held under a $250,000 cash bond.

Stupid Criminal Files to Host Another Contest

2007-08-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

As you may remember, when we celebrated our 2-year anniversary back in January, we held a contest and gave away two $15 Amazon gift certificates. We were very pleased with the participation, and were excited to award regular SCF readers.

In fact, we liked it so much, we're going to do another!

Due to an expected commitment, our contributors will have limited availability to post to the blog during the last half August and most of September. As you may already know, we've had limited resources to give the blog the attention it deserves during the summertime. We do not want to ignore the blog like this again.

Plus, we have always had the goal of making the SCF into a community-driven blog by encouraging readers to send in their stories. So we're going to have another contest!! We are giving away two $10 amazon.com gift certificates! Here are the details:

For every tip received via email on a stupid criminal story between August 13th and October 1st, that email address will receive one entry for the contest. On October 5th, the email addresses will be tossed into a hat and two will be picked out to receive the certificates. There are no limits to enter, and no limits on winning. Yes, that's right! If you send us 20 emails with 20 stories, you will receive 20 entries! If your email address is drawn twice, you will receive both certificates!

And there is a special bonus! If you subscribe to the SCF (see the subscribe me link on the right side of your screen), we are offering a bonus entry! Any email address that is on our subscription list when the contest closes on October 1st will receive two entries for every email received that resulted with a story posting to the blog.

So start looking for those stories and send them in between August 13th and October 1st. Any emails received prior to or after the contest dates are still appreciated, and will be posted (following normal guidelines) to the blog, but will not receive an entry into the contest.

So send us those stories and have some fun!

Contest Recap

Eligible Dates: August 13, 2007 through October 1, 2007

Prizes: Two (2) $10 amazon.com gift certificates

Rules:

Email story to stupid.criminal.files@gmail.com.
Email must include the source of and a link to the story.
SCF Editors have the right to not post a story.
If story is not posted on SCF, contest entry will not be accepted.
If story's originating email address is on the Feedblitz Subscriber List on October 1, 2007, the email will receive one (1) additional entry.

Pipe catches the crook ...

2007-08-04T22:44:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

DENTON, Texas - A Texas burglary suspect was rescued by police after he got trapped in a storm-sewer pipe making his getaway, Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday.

Denton police said it all started when they responded to a complaint about a home invasion on South Bell Street.

As police arrived on the scene, the suspect jumped out of a window and led police on a 10-minute foot chase before ducking down a drainage pipe on South Locust Street.

Officers waited for the suspect to come out but, when he didn't, called the city's water department to come dig a few holes in the pipe so they could get their man.

It wasn't until hours later that they were able to drag the suspect out from where he was trapped, 300 feet from where he had entered the pipe.

He was treated at Denton Regional Medical Center and released into police custody, a department spokesman said.

The man was in the Denton City jail late Tuesday facing a charge of evading arrest.

Watch out for attentive kids ...

2007-08-02T22:40:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

UNIVERSAL CITY, Texas - An 11-year-old boy successfully became a detective this week, leading police to a man suspected of large-scale theft.

The boy, identified only as Simeon, was waiting with younger siblings in the parking lot of a Dollar Tree store in Universal City when he spotted a man getting into and out of a pickup, The Express-News reported. Simeon watched as the man smashed a window on a Nissan Xterra and grabbed items from the car.

He got his younger sister, Anna Leah, to write the license plate number and a short description of the man on a napkin with her Sharpie. When their mother returned to their car, she called police.

Police Lt. Bill Gabbard said the suspect was found at a friend's house near the Dollar Tree. Police said they recovered $30,000 in allegedly stolen goods, including a laptop computer, several monitors and television sets and 18 women's purses.

"He's a hero in my book," Gabbard said of his young helper. "As a mother, you couldn't be more proud when your son has the mindset to watch, focus and get the suspect description, car and plate number to a T."

SCF TIP: Don't Rob Cops

2007-08-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

NEW YORK - An ex-con allegedly tried to rob two people in New York, police said, but didn't notice his intended victims were police officers -- in uniform.

Police said 33-year-old Jermaine Washington allegedly was so intent on robbing someone Saturday that he pulled a fake handgun on the two armed police officers as they walked through Riverside Park, The New York Daily News said Sunday.

"It was stupid criminal tricks," a police source said. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."

After Washington allegedly pulled his fake gun, the two officers drew their real weapons and Washington surrendered after a short but tense standoff.

292 911 calls

2007-07-31T21:58:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

A man charged with dialing 911 to chat with dispatchers nearly 300 times in the last month remained in jail Wednesday. Cheveon Alonzo Ford, 21, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with making obscene and harassing telephone calls.

He told authorities he began calling 911 because "I have no minutes on my phone and 911 is a free call," the Escambia County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.

Ford was being held on a $50,000 bond Wednesday afternoon.

Officers used GPS coordinates from Ford's cell phone to track his location to the west Pensacola home where he was arrested, the Pensacola News Journal Reported.

"His phone service had been cut off and 911 was the only number he could dial from the phone," said Bob Boschen, communication chief for Escambia County.

Boschen said many of Ford's 292 calls were sexual in nature.

"When he would call and a male dispatcher would answer, he would hang up," he said. "Our policy says that if a caller is belligerent in nature we have to get enough information to process the call and then we can disconnect," he said.

Ford never asked dispatchers for help or indicated he was in trouble.

Not Funny: The 'Family Secrets' Trial

2007-07-30T22:53:00.000-05:00

This is not funny by any means. But it is intriguing. Very intriguing. We can't keep our eyes off of it. It's the so-called 'Family Secrets' mob trial taking place in Federal court in Chicago.

What's amazing is that all that "stuff" we saw in TV and movies turns out to be real. Murders. Street Taxes. Bribes. Police Protection. Hollywood didn't imagine anything up or need to dramatize any events. Amazing. Sad. Wicked. There are a lot of ways to describe the activities the federal prosecutors are alleging. So far, we haven't witnessed a lot of mistakes by the prosecution or much of anything that doesn't point to a conviction.

We're addicted to what's happening. We think you might like to catch up on what's going on, too.

Here are some links to stay in the loop:

Chicago Sun Times Trial Blog

Chicago Sun Times Trial Main Page

The Chicago Syndicate

US Department of Justice Operation Family Secrets

Police charge 2 with rush-hour sex

2007-07-29T20:37:00.000-05:00

Special thanks goes out to SCF reader Elle for the tip!
Courtesy of WLWT Channel 5

A couple is facing charges for allegedly having sex on a busy downtown street during rush hour.According to the police report, Carol Walters, 48, and James Barbour, 37, were having sex in the median on West Central Parkway Wednesday evening, and Walters was wearing only a T-shirt around her neck.A police officer witnessed the act when someone called 911 to report what they thought was a rape, according to the report.

Barbour and Walters are both facing charges of public indecency.

Another Public Sex Act - This Time With a Kilt

2007-07-28T21:58:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of

A man was arrested on sex charges after an early morning escapade while wearing a kilt.

Police say Nathan Blair, 24, of Moorhead, Minn., was wearing a black kilt when he exposed himself to motorists near a busy street and had sex with a woman in the backyard of a house.

"In 17 years in this job I've seen a lot of different things. This is a new one," Fargo Police Lt. Pat Claus said Friday.

Claus said Blair and a 20-year-old woman were arrested about 3:30 a.m. Friday after police found them having sex behind a home. The couple first ignored orders to "cease and desist," and then refused to cover up, Claus said.

Both of them had been drinking, Claus said.

"We've caught people engaging in amorous behavior before, but usually they stop when we ask them to," Claus said.

Blair was still wearing a kilt and "FOR SALE" T-shirt when he appeared by video in court Friday morning. He pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of fornication in a public place and indecent exposure.

Blair's lawyer, Tanya Johnson Martinez, said she was still gathering information on the case.

"We haven't seen any of the police reports yet so it would be premature for me to comment," she said.

The woman had not been formally charged.

Police received two complaints about a man exposing himself near one of Fargo's main thoroughfares. One of the complaints involved a sex act, police said.

While investigating the incident, a friend of the couple directed police to the backyard of the home, Claus said.

Not a dummy, eh?

2007-07-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Spiegel Online

A burglar tried to pretend to be a showroom dummy when he was caught in the act robbing a clothing store. Sharp-witted police noticed that the 48-year-old man was not in fact a real female mannequin.

There are some tricks that work fabulously in the movies, but less well in real life, as a German burglar discovered to his cost when he attempted to pose as a showroom dummy to escape detection. The stratagem, which has saved dozens of heroes in popular culture, did not succeed, and the wannabe mannequin was arrested.

The burglar had broken into a clothing store in the town of Menden in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia during the early hours of Wednesday morning, police reported Thursday.

A passer-by noticed a tell-tale open window and informed the police, who came and searched the store but were unable to find the thief at first.

However a closer inspection of one of the showroom windows revealed that one of the female dummies was not actually made of plastic but was in fact a live man dressed in women's clothing. Instead of fleeing from the store, the 48-year-old burglar had tried to fool the cops by slipping into a suitable outfit and standing motionless in the window next to several genuine mannequins. The hapless thief gave himself up without a fight, police said.

Nude spree on fire engine ...

2007-07-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Australian ABC News

A 42-year-old man from south-west New South Wales has been found guilty of driving a fire engine without consent.

Young Local Court heard that in April this year, Anthony James McDonell drove the fire truck around Young with lights and sirens operating and numerous naked passengers on board.

He has been ordered to do 200 hours community service, has lost his licence for a year and has been fined $1,350 for drink-driving.

Alaskan man pleads guilty to sale of ...

2007-07-06T19:54:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

An Alaska man has pleaded guilty to selling more than 100 fur seal "oosiks" -- or penises -- to a local gift shop that intended to sell the items as an aphrodisiac.

Michael Richard Zacharof, an Aleut and former tribal president from the Bering Sea village of St. Paul, pleaded guilty this week to one count of violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Federal law forbids the sale of any raw marine mammal parts unless they have been crafted into pieces of Alaska Native artwork.

In Zacharof's case, the former tribal leader sold the raw seal penises to a gift shop catering to customers from Asia. The shop then sold the items for about $100 each, according to the Justice Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Steward said seal penis bones, also known as seal sticks, are believed to have properties similar to erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra.

Zacharof faces a possible one-year prison term and a $20,000 fine, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Oh the things we do to get condoms ...

2007-07-05T19:28:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Police are looking for two men who reportedly threw a can of energy drink at a gas station clerk, striking him in the face, then made off with a box of condoms.

The two suspects entered the mini-mart of a U.S. Gasoline station early Monday morning, Sgt. Chris Mazzone said. One went to the drink cooler, while the other went to the counter and asked to purchase condoms, Mazzone said.

The man at the counter haggled with the clerk over the condoms' price, Mazzone said. Moments later, the other man emerged from the cooler with three cans of energy drink, one of which he threw at the clerk, hitting him in the face.

The other robber then snatched the box of condoms from the clerk's hand, and both men sped off in a dark green Toyota Camry, Mazzone said.

Authorities located the getaway vehicle but have made no arrests, Mazzone said.

Near-death passenger handed ban for prank

2007-07-03T19:27:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to Sue & David from across the big pond for this story!
Courtesy of Cambridge Evening News

A YOUNG woman crippled in a fatal smash has appeared in court after being caught driving while a teenager clung to the bonnet.

Jessica Green knew all too well the consequences of dangerous driving, having suffered terrible injuries in a crash which killed two teenagers.

Seven years on from the tragedy, Green still needs crutches to walk and hobbled into Ely Magistrates' Court to face charges of reckless driving and speeding.

The court heard how the 20-year-old was spotted on CCTV doing laps of Ely Market Square with a teenager holding on to the bonnet.

Cheered on by a large group of youngsters, she eventually stopped to let her passenger off but another took their place - this time while carrying a football. As she carried on circling the square, one of the rear doors of her Vauxhall Astra hung wide open.

The lunacy was watched by a night time CCTV operator in Cambridge's Guildhall who alerted police, commenting how it was only luck that nobody had been seriously injured.

Green, of West Drive, Soham, said: "I have no excuse for it. It was reckless driving. That's about it. But I need my car because I'm disabled, and I have no other way of getting around. I live on the outskirts of Soham, and I'm a mile-and-a-half away from town. I need my car for shopping and socialising."

She pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention and a separate speeding offence.

Dr Christine Shaw, chairman of the magistrates' bench, said: "We take a very dim view of this example of driving, and we are not happy to deal with it just by points. We think you need waking up. This was an outrageous display of reckless driving. Your friends were stupid to get on the bonnet, and you were stupid to drive with them on it."

Green, who doesn't work, wept as the verdict was given. She was disqualified from driving until she re-takes her test. She was fined £80 with £50 costs for the Ely incident, which happened on October 30, 2006, and handed three penalty points and a £60 fine for speeding. She was caught driving at 40mph in the 30mph restricted Elizabeth Way in Cambridge earlier the same month.

In October 2000, Green, who was 14 at the time, was among four female passengers in a Ford Escort which smashed head-on into a BMW near the Fenland village of Stuntney.

Seventeen-year-old Lisa Farrell and her friend Sarah Harrison, 14, were killed. The fourth passenger, 15-year-old Jenna Norwood, survived only to be killed in another crash almost a year later.

Arthur Loveridge, formerly of Wentworth Caravan Site, who was behind the wheel, received a three-year jail term for causing death by dangerous driving. He was 17 at the time of the accident.

2007-07-02T21:56:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to SCF reader Eagle28021 for the story!

Courtesy of The Palestine Herald

PALESTINE, TX — Palestine police say an armed robber made away with $1 during a late night holdup Monday outside a local fast food restaurant.

Palestine Assistant Police Chief Larry Mars said his agency was dispatched at 11:28 p.m. Monday to a robbery occurring outside the Sonic Drive-In at 220 W. Palestine Ave.

No one was injured during the offense, and the suspect got a single dollar from his victim, a 24-year-old Palestine man, according to police.

“The victim had closed up the Sonic Drive-In and walked out to his pickup to leave for the evening,” Mars said. “He entered his vehicle...and the door was still open when he heard a male voice. He turned back and saw a large, black semi-automatic handgun pointed at his face.

“He (the victim) was commanded, ‘Give me the bag, give me the money’ repeatedly,” the assistant chief continued. “The victim told him he didn’t have anything. The robbery suspect then demanded the victim’s wallet and the victim pulled it out.”

Mars said the man’s wallet contained $1.

“The offender took the dollar and then began demanding his cell phone and other property,” he stated.

Mars said he believed the suspect, however, eventually fled on foot in a westbound direction on West Palestine Avenue with only $1.

The suspect has been described as a black male of medium complexion between 5-feet-9 inches and 6-feet and weighing approximately 160 pounds, according to Mars. He was wearing “a big, baggy, black shirt” and oversized baggy shorts — also a dark color — which were possibly denim, he added.

The suspect also was wearing a “doo” rag on his head, according to police.

Police have no suspects in the case, and the investigation continues, according to Mars.

Be careful where you get that copper ...

2007-07-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to SCF reader epsilon00278 for the tip!

Courtesy of NBC5i

FORT WORTH, Texas -- A man suspected of stealing copper is dead after he was electrocuted outside a retirement home, NBC 5 reported.

Police said Michael Priddy, of Burleson, was cutting the power lines to steal the copper wiring Friday night at the Forest Hill Retirement Center when it happened.

He later died at the hospital.

SCF TIP: Don't leave the cell phone

2007-06-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Four people who tried to rob a Chinese food delivery driver left him an unusual tip: a cell phone.

Ming Jing Lu arrived at a Greensboro residence with a delivery and noticed a group of people who made him suspicious, police said.

As the group ran toward him and attempted to grab him, a cell phone fell into the China Garden employee's car. The group then chased him down the street, trying to get the phone back, said Greensboro Police Sgt. Gerald Stephens.

"It was just a comedy of errors," Stephens said.

Police arrested three juveniles and one adult on robbery charges.

SCF TIP: Don't try this tactic to get a mistrial

2007-06-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

BOSTON — A judge refused to grant a mistrial Monday for a defendant who punched a juror as other jurors watched in court.

Richard Glawson, 46, is on trial in Suffolk Superior Court for a list of charges stemming from a crime rampage in 2001 that allegedly included shooting a Dedham police officer in the hand.

On Friday, as jurors were filing out of the courtroom at the end of the day, Glawson punched an elderly male juror in full view of the 15 other jurors hearing the case. The punch knocked the juror to the floor, but he was not hurt, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley.

Glawson's attorney, Joseph Griffin Jr., asked Judge Patrick Brady to declare a mistrial, but the judge refused, saying Glawson should not be allowed to benefit from his own disruptive behavior, Wark said. Griffin did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Monday.

The judge dismissed the juror who was punched and ordered Glawson to be shackled for the remainder of the trial.

Burglar Leaves His Resume At Scene Of The Crime

2007-06-11T23:53:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of WCBS Channel 2

Police in Brooklyn apprehended a man suspected of burglarizing a home and leaving his resume behind at the scene of the crime.

Al Waxter, 39, faces burglary and other charges after police say he broke into the Clinton Hill home of Deputy Brooklyn Borough President Yvonne Graham. Police say Waxter made off with some money and valuables, but he left behind a bag containing his keys and his resume.

Graham was glad the suspect was captured, but she's also relieved she didn't encounter the burglar herself. "I am very happy I wasn't home when it happened so I didn't have to have a confrontation with this individual," she told CBS 2.

Waxter didn't waste time blowing his cover when police found him either -- he was apparently wearing Graham's diamond studded earrings when he was placed under arrest.

Waxter told police the gate to Graham's home was left open.

Woman turns self in for bank robbery, asks for reward

2007-06-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of WWAY Channel 3

ONSLOW COUNTY -- A bizarre request Monday morning at the Onslow County Sheriff's Office.

Lolita Bullock turned herself in for robbing the Bank of America in Jacksonville on May 4. But she also wanted to cash in on a reward being offered in the case.

Lolita brought a friend with her to the Sheriff's office to claim the reward money.

It will be up to Crime Stoppers to decide if her friend deserves the reward.

Pot on MySpace ...

2007-06-09T23:49:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A teen arrested after police found his pictures of potted marijuana plants and drug paraphernalia posted on MySpace.com will serve 30 days in jail.

Moua Yang, 18, of Sheboygan, pleaded no contest Friday in Sheboygan County Circuit Court to felony marijuana manufacturing and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police monitoring for gang activity traced the information to him from the popular networking Web site. Authorities said a label on the picture of potted pot plants read: “My Mary Jane thats growin in my closet right now.”

Authorities then found three potted marijuana plants in a basement closet at Yang’s residence, the criminal complaint said.

Police were monitoring another Web site when they saw that Yang had posted pictures of weapons and drug gear and had bragged about the plants in his house, the complaint said.

Yang was also placed on four years probation and had his driver’s license suspended for six months. Judge Terence Bourke also ordered him to pay a $233 fine and undergo counseling deemed appropriate by his probation agent.

Doe the clothes come with it?

2007-06-08T23:48:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

JERUSALEM - An Israeli was charged with burglary after laundry left in a washing machine he was trying to sell showed it had been stolen.

The man raised the suspicions of detectives who spotted him attempting to peddle the appliance on a street in the southern city of Beersheba.

They found he was not a resident and discovered clothes inside the machine.

After arresting him, they linked the laundry to a man who complained his washing machine had been stolen in a break-in, police said.

Two men try to break into police van

2007-06-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

GREENSBORO, N.C., May 14 - Two men in Greensboro, N.C., were arrested for allegedly breaking into an unmarked police van with a detective waiting in the back seat.

An area of Greensboro was under surveillance by several police officers because of reports of break-ins, the Greensboro News-Record reported Monday.

Sgt. Dennis Willoughby was stationed in the back seat of a van with tinted windows when two men pulled up. One of the men, identified as Rakama Wafula Johnson, 27, got out and shined a flashlight into the van, directly in Willoughby's face, but did not see the detective, the newspaper said.

Willoughby reported that the man then tried to open the rear passenger door of the van.

The detective left the van and, after a brief struggle, arrested Johnson and Steven McKeller, 32.

"He had a pretty good shock," Willoughby said of Johnson.

Johnson was charged with attempted breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, possession of burglary tools and resisting a law enforcement officer, the newspaper said.

McKeller was charged with conspiring to break into a vehicle and served with an outstanding arrest warrant for assault.

Police officer sues McDonald's over spit in his sandwich

2007-06-06T23:37:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

CHARLES CITY, Iowa — A police officer who claims his chicken sandwich was slimed by two teenage employees at a McDonald's restaurant is suing the fast food company.Officer Josh Douglas said he was working nights two years ago and went through the McDonald's drive-thru in Charles City. He ordered a chicken sandwich, which came with lettuce and tomato.

Not liking vegetables, Douglas said he went to remove the toppings and discovered what he described as a mucousy substance holding them together.

"Fortunately, I don't like lettuce. Because if I did I would have at least taken one bite before I realized what was the matter," he said.

Douglas and another officer went inside the restaurant, where they found two teenagers working. The employees said they were imitating a prank in a movie in which a state trooper orders a burger and the cook spits phlegm on it.

Both boys were fired and one of them later apologized to Douglas, records show.

Douglas and his attorney, Joel Yunek, say they have negotiated with McDonald's for more than a year but have been unable to reach a settlement. They filed a lawsuit on May 8 in Floyd County District Court.

Yunek said they aren't looking "for the world."

"But certainly ... he is deserving of an apology. Certainly, he is deserving of some kind of compensation," Yunek said.

Douglas said it's not about money but about accountability and to ensure the restaurant takes measures to ensure their employees are handling food properly.

Sam Soifer, the owner of the Charles City franchise, said in a written statement to KIMT-TV in Mason City that the restaurant took immediate action to fire the employees and that McDonald's takes food safety seriously.

How many pairs of shoes?

2007-06-05T23:35:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Police have seized more than 1,500 pairs of shoes from a man who stole them out of school lockers in a series of burglaries over the past two years.

"He liked to smell them," said Lt. William H. Graham of the Waukesha, Wisconsin police.

The man, 27, collected keys for three public high schools and a middle school while working as a cable company repairman.

Armed with a bolt cutter, he then snuck into the schools after hours and stole tennis shoes from girls' lockers.

The big break came for police when a security video at one of the high schools caught the man loading things into his car on May 20.

After searching registration records, police tracked down the man with a previous conviction of stealing shoes from a high school. They found the shoes at his home and a rented storage unit.

School bus leads to arrest ...

2007-06-05T23:32:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Police officers on patrol had a feeling something was amiss when they saw a school bus turn into an apartment complex parking lot_ at 2:30 a.m.

Texarkana police stopped the bus early Thursday morning and allegedly found Malachi Barnard, 20, behind the wheel. Barnard reportedly told police he stole the bus to "have fun."

Three passengers were on the bus, but two of them fled when police made the stop, authorities said. The one who didn't run, an 18-year-old, told police he was graduating from Fouke High School.

Police say the Fouke School District confirmed the bus had been stolen. Officers say there was minor damage to the bus' front bumper.

How many claims does it take to ...

2007-06-04T23:29:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Four people billed a health insurance company for 20 brain operations that were never performed on them, sometimes for the same person on multiple occasions, authorities said.

One 36-year-old man from New York City claimed nine brain surgeries for himself, along with his wife and two sons, receiving reimbursements from New York-based Group Health Incorporated totaling $142,268, federal investigators said Friday.

GHI paid out more than $300,000 in reimbursements to all four defendants, based on the claims.

Besides the 36-year-old man, an indictment filed in federal court alleges that a 39-year-old man from Mount Vernon, a 42-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man, both from New York City, defrauded the insurance company.

Three were in custody and are likely to be arraigned next week. The 36-year-old man remained at large.

The indictment alleges that the Mount Vernon man, an employee at a medical billing company, altered claims to the insurance company by swapping the names of people who actually underwent brain surgery with two others charged in the scheme.

The fraudulent claims were then sent along with altered postoperative reports to the insurance carrier for reimbursement, the indictment alleges.

Ilene Margolin, a spokeswoman for GHI, told The New York Times that her company's own internal investigators first noticed the defendants' unusual claims before turning over its findings to the government.

Can you avoid a DUI by riding ... ?

2007-06-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

CULPEPER, Va.- Police in Virginia arrested a man and woman for attempting to ride horses while intoxicated.

The couple -- Eric Scott Kyff, 39, and Laura J. Allen, 26 -- were reportedly arguing near the police depot Thursday, when Culpeper, Va., police officers Lonnie Myers and Tim Chilton charged them with public intoxication, the Media General News Service said.

Kyff and Allen reportedly wanted to "travel home several miles by horseback to avoid drinking and driving," police told the Media General News Service reported.

Kyff even "took off along the railroad tracks" but didn't get far before Chilton stopped him, said a police spokesman.

The two where taken to the Culpeper County Jail where they were held until the morning. Their horses were also held and returned upon their release.

Girl calls for police help over messy room

2007-06-02T23:10:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

BERLIN - A nine-year-old German girl was so upset about having to tidy her room she put up a sign in her window urging passers-by to call police for help.

Pedestrians in the central city of Braunschweig saw the girl crying in the window, holding up a sign up saying "Help! Please call the police!" Next to her sat a small boy. Quickly alerted, officers rushed to the scene to discover the girl had argued with her mother about tidying her room and enlisted her two-year-old brother's aid to attract attention.

"The room looked like a battlefield," said a spokesman for local police on Monday. "Officers told the girl to tidy her room. When they came back two hours later to check, it was all cleaned up. And the mother and daughter had made up too."

What Good Is the Right to Counsel If You Hate Lawyers?

2007-05-20T21:37:00.000-05:00

Check out this post on the Decision of the Day blog. It's funnier than ...

U.S. v. Baucom, 06-4229 (4^th Cir., May 16, 2007)

The Sixth Amendment right to counsel gives criminal defendants the right to be represented by a lawyer in good standing. It does not give them the right to have a non-lawyer buddy represent them in court. But you have to hand it to these tax-evading defendants for trying. This Fourth Circuit decision details the defendants’ extensive efforts to dissuade the district court of the conventional wisdom that “counsel” means “lawyer.” This affidavit is particularly noteworthy:

SCF TIP: Going to Court? Hide the Pot First!

2007-05-19T18:08:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Seattle Times

CHEHALIS — A 35-year-old Onalaska man picked the wrong place and the wrong time to hide a container with marijuana in it.

Lewis County sheriff's detectives in Chehalis say they arrested Eugenio Anthony Colon today at 11:25 a.m. after he was seen by detectives hiding the container under a bush in front of their office window.

Colon was charged with possession of marijuana under 40 grams.

He was arriving at the Lewis County Courthouse for a court matter. Much to his surprise, he was confronted by detectives in the courtroom while he was waiting his court appearance.

Colon admitted to hiding the marijuana and told detectives he had no idea he could be seen by them.

In an aside, Sheriff Steve Mansfield says he appreciates people who choose to break the law in front of his deputies.

SCF TIP: Know who's house you are about to burglarize ...

2007-05-19T18:04:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of KSWO Channel 7

TULSA, OK - A would-be burglar made a bad decision in his choice of homes to attempt to rob.
Police say Gregory Hytche was confronted by the homeowner _ and off-duty Tulsa police officer.

Officers say the off-duty officer found Hytche trying to steal items from his garage in east Tulsa yesterday and fought with him until other officers arrived.

Hytche is now in the Tulsa County jail on 97-hundred-50 dollars bail on complaints of larceny after a felony conviction, aggravated assault and battery, resisting arrest and possession of drug paraphernalia

Choosy thieves foiled by shouting

2007-05-18T18:01:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

CHICAGO - Chicago police said an attempted shoe robbery was foiled when back room workers heard the attempted thieves shouting the sizes they wanted to steal.

The Clothing Zone workers phoned police and Brandon Loving and Antoine Irby were arrested, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday. A third suspect fled the scene.

Police Detective Debra Sanello said the three men -- two armed -- entered the store and instructed employees to stay down on the floor. Sanello said the men grabbed clothing from the racks but alerted back room workers when they shouted about shoe sizes.

"We only want 10s and 11s," Sanello quoted the men as shouting.

Accused bank robber caught in cab

2007-05-18T17:57:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of UPI

FORT WORTH, Texas - Police in Haltom City, Texas, say an accused bank robber was arrested minutes after the crime when he attempted to make a getaway in a taxi. Police said the suspect -- whose name was not released -- robbed a Wachovia Bank Monday in Haltom City and fled to nearby Fort Worth in a taxi cab, the Fort Worth Star Telegram reported Tuesday.

However, police pulled the cab over on Interstate 20 and arrested the passenger. The police said the driver was not involved in the crime. Investigators said they are trying to determine if the suspect also committed an earlier robbery at the same bank April 30.

SCF Tip: Don't grow pot on sheriff's property ...

2007-05-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

OCALA, Fla. — Authorities say a 17-year-old boy was growing marijuana on vacant property owned by Ocala's deputy police chief.

Deputy Chief Greg Graham says he was told about the plants by neighbors on Saturday. He had bought the lot two months ago as an investment.

Deputies with the Martin County Sheriff's Office confiscated nine potted marijuana plants on the lot.

According to a sheriff's report, a neighbor saw the teen in the wooded lot on Friday. The neighbor said the teen's presence on the lot seemed suspicious.

According to the report, the teen admitted to investigators that the plants were his and that he smokes marijuana. He also had pictures of the marijuana plants on his camera cell phone.

The teen was charged with cultivation of marijuana and taken to the county's Juvenile Assessment Center.

Teacher brings pot to school ...

2007-05-17T16:55:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

A high school teacher faces marijuana possession charges after drug-sniffing dogs on a routine campus sweep led police to his classroom desk, authorities said.

No drugs were found in the desk of Stakely McConnell, a Spanish teacher at Ball High School. Instead, the dogs smelled papers that had a marijuana odor transferred from McConnell's hands, school police chief LeeRoy Amador said.

McConnell, 25, admitted to smoking marijuana over the weekend, Amador said.

Authorities said they later found a half cigarette of marijuana in his car, but that there is no evidence or suspicion that students were involved in the alleged drug use.

McConnell was placed on administrative leave after being arrested on campus Tuesday.

Possession of marijuana carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison and a $4,000 fine. Because the alleged discovery happened in a drug-free zone, the district attorney can increase the charge to a state jail felony, which carries a maximum two-year sentence and $10,000 fine.

Armless, one-legged driver leads chase

2007-05-16T16:51:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Authorities were led on a high speed vehicle chase by an armless, one-legged man, and they said this wasn't the first time the 40-year-old eluded police.

Michael Francis Wiley taught himself to drive after losing both arms and a leg in an electrical accident when he was 13. He spent time in prison for kicking a Florida Highway Patrol trooper after an accident in 1996. He led police on a 120 mph chase in 1998.

On Tuesday, Wiley sped off in a Ford Explorer when police approached him at a convenience store, New Port Richey police Capt. Darryl Garman said. Officers pursued, but called off the chase after eight minutes because they did not want to put others in danger, Garman said.

Wiley was arrested the next day on charges of fleeing from police and habitually driving without a license. He also is awaiting trial on separate drug charges and traffic violations. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Defense attorney John Hooker said his client has paid off previous traffic fines that got his license suspended and tried to get a new driver's license, but he was rebuffed by state officials. Wiley's license has been revoked so many times it is now a felony to drive.

"What makes him do it?" Hooker said when asked why Wiley keeps getting behind the wheel. "I think it's an urge he has that makes him feel as important and as good as anyone. It gives him a sense of self-esteem."

Hooker said he had not had a chance to talk to Wiley about the most recent charges.

Even before Wednesday's arrest, prosecutors were seeking to send Wiley to prison for at least five years for felony drug and traffic charges.

"He has a hideous record," Assistant State Attorney Mike Halkitis said after an August 2006 arrest. "It's just got to end."

Wiley was being held in the Pasco County jail on $500,000 bond.

Panty-clad man tries robbery with lighter

2007-05-15T16:51:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

A thief covered his face with a pair of blue women's underwear and used a pistol-shaped cigarette lighter in a botched robbery of a convenience store, police said. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried," State Police Sgt. T.C. Kearns told The Journal in Martinsburg.

The cashier at first thought it was a joke and refused to give the man any money, so he ran to a Jeep Cherokee and drove away at about 4 a.m. Wednesday, Kearns said.

A few minutes later, police stopped a vehicle matching that description and took two men into custody.

Police later charged Steven Clay Stephenson, 34, of Ranson in the convenience story robbery.

Kearns said police found a pistol-shaped lighter while searching Stephenson. The underwear was recovered nearby.

Stephenson is charged with nighttime burglary, attempted robbery, first-offense driving under the influence, petit larceny and improper registration.

He was being held Thursday at the Eastern Regional Jail. The Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney's Office had no record of a defense attorney being assigned yet to represent Stephenson.

SCF Tip: Don't act nervously while carrying ...

2007-05-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Dutch customs police turned a fake break into a real bust Friday when they stopped a woman trying to smuggle 3.3 pounds of cocaine into the country in a plaster cast on her leg.

Police spokesman Rob Stenacker said the woman, whose name was not released, acted nervously while her passport was being checked and agents became suspicious about the thickness of the cast.

"She had two different letters from a doctor about her leg, and both of them appeared fake," he said. A sniffer dog quickly indicated that the cast contained more than plaster.

The woman was taken to hospital, where an X-ray revealed the drugs but no fractures.

Stenacker said the woman, from the Latin American country of Suriname, was arrested and will face smuggling charges.

You Can't Pull the Wool Over This Blind Man's Eyes

2007-05-12T18:27:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

CINCINNATI — Don't try to dupe Kent Parker just because he is blind and operates a deli in the Hamilton County Courthouse.

Every once in a while, somebody tries to cheat him despite the security cameras trained on the cash register and about a dozen sheriff's deputies a few steps away.

In the past two weeks, two women offered bills smaller than they claimed and were arrested within minutes.

"I have a lot of friends who watch out for me," said Parker, 43, who has been operating the Courthouse Deli for eight years.

Sometimes Parker can tell if a customer is acting suspiciously.

"They test me, hand me money, seeing if I know what it is," he said. "I don't see at all, but there are tricks to the trade." One is to simply lay the bill on the counter and ask one of his three employees to verify it. But not until the customer turns away.

"I don't want to insult anybody by making them think I'm doubting them," Parker said.

SCF Tip: Don't leave credit card behind

2007-05-10T10:31:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of WNBC

VALLEY STREAM, N.Y. -- Police said a Long Island man allegedly pulled out a gun and robbed another man of an electronic drum machine, but was eventually captured after he left behind his credit card at the crime scene. Nassau Police said they used the credit card to track down 24-year-old Irving Batiz, of Valley Stream, and then arrested him. Court officials said Batiz was being held Monday on a charge of first-degree robbery in the Nassau County jail on a $200,000 bond or a $100,000 cash bail. Police said the robbery took place at 6:45 p.m. in Valley Stream on Sunday. According to police, Batiz had agreed to purchase the drum machine, but then decided to steal it and pulled a gun. The owner of the drum machine called police. Batiz is set to appear in Nassau County Court on Wednesday.

2007-05-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of London Free Press

A London teen has learned the hard way there’s no honour among thieves. And not to brag, after a burglar was robbed.

The lessons began about 4 p.m. Tuesday when a Byron resident returned home to find someone had entered the house and stolen some money.

The homeowner reported the theft to police, but there were few leads to go on.

Meanwhile, the suspect in the theft was hanging out with some friends nearby.

“He may have been vocal about how much money he had in his possession,” police spokesperson Const. Amanda Pfeffer said Thursday.

One of the teen’s so-called friends slipped away and met up with an adult acquaintenance, police said.

Those two headed over to Bryon Southwood public school where the orginal thief and some friends had gathered.

The adult pulled a gun from a waistband and demanded the cash from the break-in thief. The would be robbers also confronted a second youth. Witnesses called police.

The phone call from the homeowner and the report from the witnesses at school added up to a double crime.

“We were able to put all the events together,” Pfeffer said.

A 15-year-old has been charged with break and enter.

A 16-year-old has been charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of possessing an illegal substance.

Matthew Langford, 24, of London, has been charged with two counts of robbery and possession of stolen property.

OK, Not Criminal ... But We Found It Funny ...

2007-05-08T21:26:00.001-05:00

OK, so maybe it should be criminal to not know thy neighbors in the world ...

2007-05-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Fon Du Lac Reporter

A $500 cash bail was ordered today for a 35-year-old Fond du Lac man who was arrested early Sunday after he handed an officer a marijuana pipe instead of his driver’s license.

Thomas E. Bartow Jr., 44½ N. Main St., made an initial court appearance this morning where he was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting or obstructing an officer.

Bartow was apparently intoxicated when officers found him passed out in a bathroom stall at the Ramada Hotel, 1 N. Main St., around 1 a.m. Sunday, according to a Fond du Lac Police Department report. He was fully clothed and sitting on a toilet.

Officers shook Bartow several times before he responded. They asked him if he knew where he was and Bartow replied, “yeah, West Bend,” according to the report.

The officer asked Bartow for identification and Bartow pulled out a yellow and gray marijuana pipe and handed it to the officer, the report said. The officer again asked for identification, and Bartow took out his checkbook, ripped out a check and handed it to the officer.

The officer then asked Bartow to exit the bathroom. Bartow walked out of the hotel and started walking down Division Street, ignoring the officers’ orders to stop, according to the report.

Officers used a Taser gun on Bartow after he continued to be uncooperative, according to the report. He was arrested and taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail.

He told officers he’d never seen the marijuana pipe before, according to the report.

Just crashing in ...

2007-05-07T10:20:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

PHILADELPHIA — A drunken driver veered onto a sidewalk and crashed into a police station, knocking bricks loose from the building, police said.

The headquarters of the city's 18th Police District was still structurally sound, said Lt. Joel Dales, a district supervisor.

Investigators said the 22-year-old driver had been arguing with a woman in another car before the crash early Thursday. He was charged with driving under the influence.

Be careful blowing your nose ...

2007-05-06T10:17:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of KIROTV.com

ISSAQUAH, Wash. - According to the Washington State Patrol, troopers arrested 26-year-old David Lint of Yakima Tuesday afternoon near Issaquah and discovered 20 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle.

A trooper pulled Lint over after he swerved while blowing his nose on I-90 near Issaquah.When the trooper spoke to Lint, who had a valid driver’s license, the trooper smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, officers said.Lint was taken into to custody and a state patrol narcotics dog was alerted immediately and located two large plastic bags in the rear of the vehicle.Inside the bags were smaller plastic bags that held 20 pounds of marijuana, officers said. Also located in the vehicle was a first aid-style bag with cash and an assortment of pharmaceutical drugs including, Oxycodone, morphine, and hydrocodone.Lint, who has a criminal record, could now be charged with additional drug charges.

Shoe leads to arrest ...

2007-05-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

HOLIDAY, FL - A Cinderella story it isn't. But, at least for the shoe's owner, there is no happily ever after.

The story begins about 100 miles west of Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom when a van plowed into the bathroom of a house in suburban Holiday. The driver took off, leaving a shoe behind.

John Aquista later walked up to the scene. Investigators said he was bloody, wearing boxer shorts and was shoeless. His injuries looked a lot like he smashed his face into a steering wheel.

A Florida Highway Patrol report says Aquista denied any involvement. The van wasn't his, but it was registered to the address where he lived.

When a trooper asked him to slip on the wayward shoe, F-H-P says "it was a perfect fit."

Aquista was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and driving without a valid license. He's being held in jail on bond.

SCF Tip: Return stolen goods to a different dealer

2007-05-04T10:12:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

NORWALK, Conn. - A Bridgeport man has been arrested after he tried to trade in a Jeep to a car dealer, a month after allegedly stealing the same Jeep from that same dealer, police said.

Jazrahel King, 29, was arrested Saturday after a sales manager at Wholesalers of America recognized King's 2003 black Jeep Liberty as a vehicle that was stolen from his lot in early March.

The sales manager, Diego Coleman, said King brought the sport utility vehicle in, hoping to trade up for a larger vehicle.

"I was left speechless. I couldn't believe that he would try to take back another car and he didn't think we would recognize him," Coleman said Monday.

King had come to the dealership last month to test-drive some vehicles, Coleman said. But there was a problem with King's credit, so salesmen at the dealership scrubbed the test-drives.

Coleman said he last saw King wandering around the lot as he was preparing the Jeep for a man who had just bought it. The keys were left in the Jeep.

Then the Jeep and King disappeared, Coleman said.

When police inspected King's Jeep Saturday, they found that the key ring was the same as those issued by Wholesalers of America.

The temporary plate on the vehicle belonged to the dealership and documents found inside showed it belonged to the dealership, Sgt. Ronald Pine said.

SCF TIP: Take the receipt with you

2007-05-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of WESH.COM

Authorities have arrested a man they believe is involved with at least three area commercial robberies. The latest happened Monday at the Hess Gas Station on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orange County.

The suspect entered the Hess Gas Station wearing a mask and holding a rifle case. Once inside the store, the suspect pulled out an AK-47 rifle and demanded money and cigarettes from the clerk. When the suspect fled the scene, he left behind the rifle case which contained a receipt for a firearm with the suspect's name and address on the receipt.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office arrested Eric Cunningham who has been identified as the suspect. He was found at his home where the money, cigarettes and rifle were recovered.

911? A cop chased me up a tree ...

2007-05-02T09:44:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - It might not have been the smartest phone call he ever made. Jeremy Conrad Cornick, 30, called police Tuesday to say he had been chased up a tree by narcotics officers from a county in the southern part of the state.

St. Cloud police officers indeed found Cornick, of Crystal, up a tree with his cell phone, but they determined he was hallucinating and under the influence of controlled substances.

As officers were trying to talk Cornick down from the tree, he lost his grip and fell. While he wasn't hurt, he was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for evaluation.

When his probation officer got word of what happened, he issued an arrest warrant, and Cornick was taken from the hospital to jail.

T-Shirt leads to arrest ...

2007-05-01T09:44:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

It took one glance for Sandra Rowells to recognize the man she said broke into her home, offered her $500 to hide him and fled wearing some of her clothing. Rowells, 70, said police asked her if Jahmell Kareem, 33, of Winston-Salem was the right suspect.

"Yeah, 'cause that's my shirt he's got on," Rowells said she told police. "It made me mad because my daughter had just sent me that T-shirt from Florida."

Police said Kareem crashed a car near Rowells' home Tuesday after leading police on a high-speed chase along Interstate 85 that reached speeds of 130 mph. Rowells said she woke up from a nap when Kareem forced open her locked kitchen screen door.

"I'm like, you can have this house, buddy, I'm out of here," Rowells said.

Kareem faces several charges including felony hit and run, breaking and entering, and fleeing in a vehicle to elude arrest, said Highway Patrol Trooper A.R. Locklear.

The 'System' gets the stupid award today

2007-04-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks to our friends Sue & David for the story!

Courtesy of The Telegraph

A "disabled" benefits cheat started her own line-dancing group while claiming almost £23,000 in welfare payments, a court heard yesterday.

Jay Somers, 49, from Birkdale, near Southport, Merseyside, claimed she could only walk a few yards with the help of a stick.

But each week for four and a half years she donned cowboy boots and hat to teach up to 40 people line dancing, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Somers had a photo of herself printed on flyers to advertise the class, where she charged £2.50 a time.

Somers pleaded guilty to four counts of failing to notify the Department of Work and Pensions of a change in circumstances and submitting false benefit claims between 2001 and 2006.

Judge Elgan Edwards sentenced Somers to an 11-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and said she was fortunate to stay out of custody.

SCF Tip: Don't call 911 for drugs ...

2007-04-29T10:22:00.000-05:00

Special thanks to reader jp523 for the tip!
Courtesy of WFMY News

Pomona, CA - Calling 911 isn't the best move if what's needed in a hurry is dope. You know how some people will add 911 to an urgent page or cell phone text message? Police in Pomona, California, say two suspects trying to page a drug dealer from a pay phone mistakenly called the real 911.

Sergeant Michael Olivieri says dispatchers traced the call and sent officers to the location. Police say they arrested Paul White and Ryan Ogle after searching a car with stolen plates and finding suspected burglary tools. Sergeant Olivieri says the men admitted to mistakenly calling 911 in their hurry for drugs. Olivieri adds," No one said criminals are smart."

2007-04-28T10:32:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of CBS 2 Chicago

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. File this one under the "stupid criminals" tab.

Highland Park police say they were able to track down three suspects in an Easter morning home invasion after one of the men used a statement full of personal information to wedge open a door while they ransacked the home.

A 24-year-old Highland Park man and his girlfriend were robbed and bound at gunpoint around 3 a.m. Sunday as they were returning to their condominium at 1695 Lake-Cook Road.

Highland Park Police Cmdr. Dave Schwarz said two men wearing ski masks -- later identified as Antoine Howard and Mikhail Metelskiy -- waited for the victims in the staircase of the condo. Once they returned to the building, they were led into the home, forced to the floor, and tied up with clear packaging tape.

The two men were in the home for a few minutes, during which time they took a cell phone, jewelry, a keyboard and computer equipment. They made several trips up and down the steps to get the items into a car, Schwarz said.

After they left, the male victim was able to get up and run to a balcony, where he saw the men drive away in a black Acura.

During an investigation, police found that one of the suspects wedged a bill that contained his name and address in the door. The piece of paper led them to 1937 Green Lane in Palatine, where Howard and Metelskiy lived, Schwarz said. Inside the home police found items taken from the Highland Park home.

A third suspect, Machell Thompson of Glenview, was later accused of organizing the robbery.

Schwarz said the attackers knew the victims, but he could not say if they have a bad history with each other.

"This was not random," Schwarz said. "They were targeted for this."

The three suspects were charged with home invasion, aggravated robbery and unlawful restraint. Each is being held in the Lake County Jail on varying bond amounts, from $1 million to $2 million.

Police nab gin and tonic bandit

2007-04-25T11:23:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — A scofflaw who came to be known as the gin and tonic bandit went to the same restaurant each Wednesday, ordered two drinks and a rib-eye steak, then skipped out on his $25.96 bill.

His dining, drinking and dashing days may be over.

Police arrested the man on preliminary charges of theft and resisting law enforcement. He was being held early Friday at the Monroe County Jail on $2,000 bond, authorities said.

Each Wednesday night for four weeks running, the same man came into the same O'Charley's restaurant and ordered the two drinks and the steak, restaurant manager Teresa Tolbert told police.

At the end of each meal, the wait staff would present him with his bill for $25.96, and he would excuse himself to use the restroom, then skip out without paying.

The man appeared a fifth time Wednesday night, but the restaurant was ready for him, police said.

When his server presented the bill, he again claimed he needed to use the bathroom. But when he walked out of the restaurant, four employees were waiting for him. They confronted him about the unpaid bill, which he offered to pay with a check, police said.

After Tolbert told him the restaurant didn't accept checks, the man "got nervous and ran," according to the police report.

Officer Randy Gehlhausen caught up with the man as he was trying to open his car door. The diner struggled with Gehlhausen, who wrestled him to the ground and handcuffed him.

SCF Tp: Bringing an Inmate stuff? Don't swipe the ...

2007-04-24T11:07:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Stabroek News

A man who allegedly stole a radio set from the Port Kaituma police station while the lone officer was on a bathroom break was yesterday refused bail by Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle.

Richard Tobin, 26, of Port Kaituma pleaded not guilty to the simple larceny charge at the Georgetown Magistrate's Court.

It is alleged that between April 4 and 5 at Port Kaituma, North West District he stole one HF radio set valued $250,000, property of the Guyana Police Force.

According to police prosecutor Desiree Fowler, Tobin went to the station with another person to take cigarettes to a brother who was in custody. She added that when the officer went to the washroom, Tobin used the opportunity to steal the radio set. The radio set, she said, was recovered in a bus shed.

The magistrate remanded Tobin and transferred his case to the Matthews Ridge Court for May 2.

SCF Tip: Do Not Stare Into the Camera

2007-04-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Philly.Com

Clearly, the Laptop Bandit slept through most of his courses at the Criminal Mastermind Academy.

Had he paid better attention, he likely would have learned that it's never a good idea to stare at a video camera, sans mask, when committing a burglary.

Detectives said the middle-aged crook has stolen at least a dozen laptops from five Center City businesses in recent weeks.

Police said the heists began on March 20 and continued through April 1 at businesses near Market Street, from 22nd to 30th streets.

But when the bandit burglarized the accounting offices of Milligan and Company, LLC, on 22nd Street near Arch, on March 27, police said, he stared directly at an office security camera as he made off with several laptops.

Police said he showed up on tape in the building several days later, once again walking off with about four laptops.

Investigators said they hope the clear images will quickly lead them to the not-so-brilliant bandit. The burglaries have occurred after the businesses had closed for the day. Cops said the crook uses a slim-jim device to break the locks on double glass doors.

Clean the evidence first ...

2007-04-22T10:59:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of The Evening Sun

A man faces burglary charges after a homeowner told police he returned to his Penn Township home April 6 and found Steven Anthony Sakievich taking a shower.

Sakievich, 21, of no fixed address, is charged with burglary and criminal trespass.

Penn Township Police allege Sakievich entered the home in the first block of Valley Run Circle through a previously damaged window at about 12:20 p.m.

The homeowner told police Sakievich does not have permission to be at the residence and was told to stay off the property, according to court documents.

SCF Tip: Be Careful of Whom You Call To Bail You Out of Jail ...

2007-04-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

DE QUEEN, Ark. - A ruse worked for a De Queen man who used his brother's name after being picked up for another drunken-driving charge until he called his brother and asked him to bail him out of jail.

Police said an officer arrested Sebastian Nabor, 28, early Sunday after the car Nabor was driving hit a curb. When Officer Ernesto Echevarria smelled alcohol and found an open container of beer in the car, Nabor gave his name as Antonio Moreno Nabor.

The suspect failed a field sobriety test and a breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.11 percent, above Arkansas' legal limit for drivers of 0.08 percent.

Nabor was charged with driving while intoxicated and called his brother to bail him out. As the paperwork was being processed, officers realized the arrested man had given the wrong name.

Sebastian Nabor was also charged with criminal impersonation.

"Everybody tries it. People give us false names in case warrants of arrest have been issued or they owe other fines," De Queen Police Chief Richard McKinley said.

All that for smokes?

2007-04-20T10:52:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Lancaster Online

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa - A smash-and-grab burglar stole 10 cartons of cigarettes Sunday night from the Little Britain Store in southern Lancaster County, state police said.

The store's surveillance system got a view of the man, who smashed a door of the business at 10 Little Britain Road, Nottingham, at about 10:40 p.m. Sunday, Trooper Joseph M. Harper reported.

The suspect was a white male who wore camouflage pants, a dark-gray sweatshirt, gloves, and a black mask, a security camera showed.

After forcibly entering the store, the intruder smashed the cigarette case and took 10 cartons of Marlboros before quickly departing, Harper said.

Make sure you know how to spell Police ...

2007-04-19T10:47:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

Swedish police nabbed a phony policeman April 6 thanks to a perp who dotted his "i" as well as his "o."

Cops in Jönköping, Sweden, received reports of a fake blue and white Volvo 245 police car with a flashing blue light and "Pölis" written on the side, the Local reports. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for the owner of the vehicle, the Swedish word for police is "polis," spelled without the umlaut.

The police were able to track down the vehicle and its owner a short time later. Thanks to that bit of bad punctuation, he was able to hold on to his vehicle.

"It was spelled wrong, so he got to keep it," said Jönköping police spokesman Lars Johansson, noting "we took off his blue lights and confiscated them."

Cops said they could have arrested him for impersonating a public official, but they decided against it.

"It could have been perceived as a police car, and that's definitely not good," Johansson said. "But on the other hand he hasn't done anything really stupid. He hasn't been out stopping any cars — that would have been a lot more serious."

Trying to steal an ATM?

2007-04-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of

POMONA, Calif. — A man who authorities say tried to steal a 1,500-pound bank ATM machine was captured after his prosthetic leg fell off during the getaway.

Gregory Daniels, 48, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of burglary for the attempted heist from Pomona Ranch Market, police said.

Daniels and another man drove up to the market about 3 a.m., smashed a window, wrapped a chain around the cash machine and used their pickup truck to rip it from the floor, authorities said. After loading it into the truck, the pair drove off.

Officers chased the truck into a residential neighborhood, where the men drove into a dead-end street. Daniels' alleged accomplice fled, but police said Daniels was not able to escape.

"Daniels was on the ground near the vehicle in an attempt to flee from officers," Sgt. E. Vazquez said. "However, he was unsuccessful, as his prosthetic leg fell off."

The ATM and its cash were recovered. The assistant manager of the Pomona Ranch Market, Tom Zvoda, said he did not know how much money was inside.