Dumb Criminals Strike Again!

The Need for Security

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
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.



Could You Give Me a Hand, Officer?
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.


Maybe He Just Needed Help With His Taxes...
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.



Man Arrested After Reporting Pot Theft

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.



Man charged with DUI three times in 24 hours
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.