The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

'Bait cars' nab thieves revved handed

More than 100 suspects snared with high-tech crime-fighting vehicles

By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News

Memo to car thieves: The next vehicle you steal might take you for a ride.

That's what's happened to more than 100 suspects unlucky enough to be charged with stealing or burglarizing one of the "bait cars" used by police in Dallas, Richardson and Carrollton.

Officials say the use of these high-tech vehicles – which can be remotely tracked and controlled – has been so successful that they'd like to expand the initiative to other area cities so more criminals can take the bait.

"We're inviting others to get involved," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, a spokesman for the Richardson Police Department, which followed Dallas in using bait cars to put a damper on motor vehicle-related crimes. Richardson has made nine arrests using bait cars and is spearheading the program in the suburbs.

While it's too soon for Richardson and Carrollton to have measured the impact of the crime-fighting tactic, Dallas is reporting a 10 percent reduction in auto thefts since it started using bait cars in 2004, when 15,881 vehicles were stolen in the city. Last year, that number dropped to 14,277.

"We believe it has played a significant part in the reduction of auto thefts," Dallas police Senior Cpl. Max Geron said of the bait car program, which has netted 91 arrests and 58 convictions.

The program is the result of a partnership among police, prosecutors and the insurance industry, said Jay Norris, a senior special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization that provides the fully equipped bait cars to area police departments.

While he won't say how many bait cars are deployed locally, Mr. Norris said the vehicles are rotated among participating police departments to provide an ever-changing supply of targets for unsuspecting criminals.

"If we use just one car all the time, people would know it's a bait car," said Sgt. John Crawford of the Carrollton Police Department, which has made eight arrests using bait cars. "By using a fleet of them, we can move them around."

Here's how the bait works: Cars equipped with pinpoint cameras, GPS tracking systems and remote-control gadgetry are placed in areas with high incidents of theft and burglary.

When an intruder enters the car, police are alerted and can begin tracking the location. When they're ready to converge on the vehicle, they can lock the doors and disable the engine so the bait car slows to a halt, imprisoning the suspect.

Mr. Norris said the cars help police avoid dangerous, high-speed chases, and their hidden cameras provide photographic evidence for prosecutors, increasing the likelihood of successful prosecutions.

One self-confident suspect parked a stolen car in front of a soup kitchen and was apprehended by police when he was eating a free meal. And a thief with a long criminal history was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being captured in a bait car.

When asked about the use of bait cars, Plano defense lawyer Howard Shapiro said he doesn't believe they constitute entrapment of suspects.

He said the entrapment defense is used to argue that someone not predisposed to commit a crime was enticed to do so by police.

"If you get into a car that's not yours and your intent is to steal it, you're going to have a hard time asserting an entrapment defense and making it work," Mr. Shapiro said.

Authorities say the monitoring devices used in bait cars could also be applied to trucks, motorcycles or even construction equipment.

While the number of suspects arrested in bait cars is relatively small, officials believe the program has a larger impact because it acts as a deterrent to more motor vehicles crimes.

"We've had thieves get in our cars and say, 'You don't think this is one of the bait cars, do you?' " Mr. Norris said. "It works. Every place that has a successful bait car program has seen annual decreases in auto theft."

In the long term, he said, law-abiding citizens might be the real winners in the bait car program.

"If we can reduce the theft rate, insurance carriers can reduce premiums," Mr. Norris said. "That's our goal."

Video: Watch surveillance video from inside a selection of DPD bait cars.

[TexasStooge]

Colombian sentenced for ride-by bottom slap

BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - A Colombian man has been sentenced to four years' house arrest for slapping a woman's bottom as he rode by her on his bicycle, sparking debate on whether the punishment fit the crime.

Showing re-enactments of the incident, television news shows were filled on Friday with legal experts offering opinions about the judgement handed down earlier in the week by Bogota's district court.

Some said that to confine bicycle messenger Victor Garcia to his home for four years for smacking Diana Marcela Diaz's buttocks was excessive. Others said it would deter other men.

One program showed three models having their denim clad bottoms smacked so hard by a phantom hand it could be clearly heard by television viewers.

The women said that while the punishment seemed extreme, they hoped the case would mean they would be safer while on foot.

"It happened to me once," one of the models said. "I was walking very relaxed and a guy rode by on his bicycle and, 'ta!' He smacked me. I took off my shoe to hit him with it but he was already too far away."

[rainstorm]

that is an interesting punishment

[rainstorm]

'Bait cars' nab thieves revved handed

More than 100 suspects snared with high-tech crime-fighting vehicles

By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News

Memo to car thieves: The next vehicle you steal might take you for a ride.

That's what's happened to more than 100 suspects unlucky enough to be charged with stealing or burglarizing one of the "bait cars" used by police in Dallas, Richardson and Carrollton.

Officials say the use of these high-tech vehicles – which can be remotely tracked and controlled – has been so successful that they'd like to expand the initiative to other area cities so more criminals can take the bait.

"We're inviting others to get involved," said Sgt. Kevin Perlich, a spokesman for the Richardson Police Department, which followed Dallas in using bait cars to put a damper on motor vehicle-related crimes. Richardson has made nine arrests using bait cars and is spearheading the program in the suburbs.

While it's too soon for Richardson and Carrollton to have measured the impact of the crime-fighting tactic, Dallas is reporting a 10 percent reduction in auto thefts since it started using bait cars in 2004, when 15,881 vehicles were stolen in the city. Last year, that number dropped to 14,277.

"We believe it has played a significant part in the reduction of auto thefts," Dallas police Senior Cpl. Max Geron said of the bait car program, which has netted 91 arrests and 58 convictions.

The program is the result of a partnership among police, prosecutors and the insurance industry, said Jay Norris, a senior special agent for the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit organization that provides the fully equipped bait cars to area police departments.

While he won't say how many bait cars are deployed locally, Mr. Norris said the vehicles are rotated among participating police departments to provide an ever-changing supply of targets for unsuspecting criminals.

"If we use just one car all the time, people would know it's a bait car," said Sgt. John Crawford of the Carrollton Police Department, which has made eight arrests using bait cars. "By using a fleet of them, we can move them around."

Here's how the bait works: Cars equipped with pinpoint cameras, GPS tracking systems and remote-control gadgetry are placed in areas with high incidents of theft and burglary.

When an intruder enters the car, police are alerted and can begin tracking the location. When they're ready to converge on the vehicle, they can lock the doors and disable the engine so the bait car slows to a halt, imprisoning the suspect.

Mr. Norris said the cars help police avoid dangerous, high-speed chases, and their hidden cameras provide photographic evidence for prosecutors, increasing the likelihood of successful prosecutions.

One self-confident suspect parked a stolen car in front of a soup kitchen and was apprehended by police when he was eating a free meal. And a thief with a long criminal history was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being captured in a bait car.

When asked about the use of bait cars, Plano defense lawyer Howard Shapiro said he doesn't believe they constitute entrapment of suspects.

He said the entrapment defense is used to argue that someone not predisposed to commit a crime was enticed to do so by police.

"If you get into a car that's not yours and your intent is to steal it, you're going to have a hard time asserting an entrapment defense and making it work," Mr. Shapiro said.

Authorities say the monitoring devices used in bait cars could also be applied to trucks, motorcycles or even construction equipment.

While the number of suspects arrested in bait cars is relatively small, officials believe the program has a larger impact because it acts as a deterrent to more motor vehicles crimes.

"We've had thieves get in our cars and say, 'You don't think this is one of the bait cars, do you?' " Mr. Norris said. "It works. Every place that has a successful bait car program has seen annual decreases in auto theft."

In the long term, he said, law-abiding citizens might be the real winners in the bait car program.

"If we can reduce the theft rate, insurance carriers can reduce premiums," Mr. Norris said. "That's our goal."

Video: Watch surveillance video from inside a selection of DPD bait cars.

crooks better be careful

[alicia-w]

A woman didn't have to look far to figure out who likely broke into her home and took a camera from her purse. Police said the burglar left behind his probation and parole card.

The woman was going through her purse after the burglary earlier this month to make sure nothing other the camera was taken, Detective Sgt. Tony Babl said.

She found the man's probation and parole card, which had a date and time stamp on it for his next appointment, he said.

"He must've had the card in his hand when he went into her purse," Babl said. "He doesn't even know how it got there."

The man had not yet been charged as of Saturday, though police plan to request burglary charges in the next week for at least eight incidents over the past three years, Babl said.

[TexasStooge]

Teens Allegedly Steal, Crash Land Plane

BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) - Two 14-year-old boys escaped with minor injuries after crash-landing a small plane that authorities say they stole from an airport hangar.

The single-engine Mooney M20C belonged to one of the boys' parents, and the pair was trying to run away from their homes, said Cindy Beavers, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

"There was a disagreement between the boys and their parents, and (the boys) decided to run away," she said.

The boys took the plane from Big Bear Airport Sunday afternoon, authorities said. The airport has no control tower and pilots are not required to check in with anyone before taking off, said Garry Dokter, the airport's general manager.

Two pilots saw the boys taxiing and called the plane's owner and the Sheriff's Department.

The plane ditched in Joshua Tree National Park between 5:30 and 6 p.m. The boys suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene by rangers, according to park officials.

Officials said they didn't know why the plane went down but speculated it ran out of gas.

Although neither boy has a pilot's license , the one who piloted the plane flew regularly with his father, Dokter said.

The boys were arrested for investigation of airplane theft and burglary, Beavers said. They were booked into San Bernardino County Juvenile Hall on Monday.

[TexasStooge]

Woman allegedly fakes death over tickets

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Kimberly Du landed in a grave situation after police say she tried to avoid traffic charges by faking her death. Du, 36, of Des Moines, faked her death in December, court records show.

Someone claiming to be Du's mother used a pair of forged documents, including a death notice printed on a newspaper Web site and a letter purported to be signed by Du's mother, to persuade court officials that Du had died, records show.

The day after courthouse clerks received the documents, a judge tossed out an arrest warrant for Du.

Authorities caught on to the plan when Du was stopped on Jan. 4 for speeding and driving with a suspended license.

Police say an investigation showed that Du's supposed obituary never ran in a newspaper, and that a funeral was never held.

Du was arrested last Friday and charged with forging her mother's name on a letter to the court. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison.

She was being held in the Polk County jail on $50,000 bond.

[TexasStooge]

Woman seizes police car for 2-hour ride

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Reuters) - A 25-year-old woman grabbed a sheriff deputy's sports utility vehicle on Thursday and led police on a two-hour televised car chase through suburban Los Angeles County.

No injuries were reported in the pursuit -- a staple of local TV news in the sprawling car capital of the world.

Deputy Dave Jennings said the woman, who was described as having a long criminal record, was being questioned in the back seat of a deputy's SUV about a stolen vehicle. She made her way into the front seat and drove off.

Followed by police cars and news helicopters, the woman screamed and sobbed into the on-board radio as officers tried to calm her down. In the end, the woman came to a stop and was arrested at gunpoint.

She is expected to face charges of theft and evading arrest.

[rainstorm]

Woman allegedly fakes death over tickets

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Kimberly Du landed in a grave situation after police say she tried to avoid traffic charges by faking her death. Du, 36, of Des Moines, faked her death in December, court records show.

Someone claiming to be Du's mother used a pair of forged documents, including a death notice printed on a newspaper Web site and a letter purported to be signed by Du's mother, to persuade court officials that Du had died, records show.

The day after courthouse clerks received the documents, a judge tossed out an arrest warrant for Du.

Authorities caught on to the plan when Du was stopped on Jan. 4 for speeding and driving with a suspended license.

Police say an investigation showed that Du's supposed obituary never ran in a newspaper, and that a funeral was never held.

Du was arrested last Friday and charged with forging her mother's name on a letter to the court. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison.

She was being held in the Polk County jail on $50,000 bond.

maybe i should try that

[TexasStooge]

Pet bird attacks home burglar

WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. (Court TV) - Perhaps Michael Deeter can find some comfort knowing that he is not the first person to be taken down by a large bird.

Deeter, 44, met his match, a large blue-and-gold macaw named "Sunshine," during a home burglary on Jan. 14.

According to Captain Keith Bowers of the Williamsport Police Department in Pennsylvania, when Deeter broke into the apartment, he tried to pet the exotic bird. The bird instead clamped down on his outstretched hand.

Deeter reportedly ran around the apartment in an attempt to dislodge the bird, which refused to let go of his hand. A neighbor later told police that she heard slamming noises and the bird's loud squawks coming from the apartment around 3:00 p.m.

The alleged burglar was nowhere to be found when Williamsport police were called to the apartment at 6:30 p.m. by another neighbor, who noticed broken glass near the door. Officers found drops of blood in the kitchen area and in the vicinity of the bird's cage. Captain Bowers said Sunshine, missing all but one tail feather, was perched outside of the cage with blood on its beak and still appeared very distressed.

When the bird's owner returned to the apartment at about 12:25 a.m. and called police, he told officers that before leaving for work earlier that day, he had spoken with Deeter over the phone. Bowers said that one of the officers had coincidentally arrested the suspect earlier that evening for violating an order of protection.

The officer returned to the Lycoming County Jail, where Deeter confessed to the break-in and the theft of a camcorder and $100 in loose change. He also admitted that the bird inflicted the injury on his hand.

Deeter was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief. He is being held on $25,000 bail.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Customer flew into rage over hot sauce

COUNCIL BLUFF, Iowa (Court TV) - One customer's fiery reaction to an unwanted condiment in his food was all for naught.

The man vandalized the restroom of a local Mexican restaurant in Council Bluff, Iowa, because he thought the employees had put hot sauce in his tacos. But the restaurant, Taco John's, does not put hot sauce directly on its food.

According to Keith Mehlin, a spokesperson for the Council Bluff Police Department, the unidentified man and a friend ordered tacos from the restaurant's drive-through window at about 8:00 p.m. on Feb. 17.

Minutes after parking their vehicle in the establishment's parking lot, one of the men walked into the restaurant to complain about finding hot sauce in his meal.

The employees reportedly told the man that the restaurant only provided hot sauce on the side, not on the food. The man then entered the men's restroom and damaged the back portion of the toilet. It is unclear if a weapon was used.

The man is described as a white male in his 30s, six feet tall, with blond facial hair, and was seen driving a red 1994 GMC Jimmy.

Anyone with information should contact the Council Bluff Police Department at (712) 328-4701.

[TexasStooge]

Robbers steal cash-less ATM machine

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Court TV) - Somewhere in Fort Lauderdale, a gang of bandits is feeling pretty stupid.

The 150-pound ATM machine that they stole from a convenience store had no money.

According to the newspaper The Sun-Sentinel, the thieves, who have yet to be caught, broke into a Super Stop store before 4:00 a.m. on Feb. 17, unbolted the 5-foot-tall machine from the ground and dragged it out of the store.

After the crime, the store owner told the newspaper that the machine was empty because the company that installed the machine had yet to replenish the cash.

Fort Lauderdale Police spokesperson Kathy Collins said there are no suspects or leads in the case.

[TexasStooge]

German hearse driver arrested for biting policeman

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A drunken hearse driver has been arrested in the western German town of Krefeld after biting a police officer taking him in for an alcohol test, police said on Monday.

Police had called for a hearse at a funeral home to transport a body to the cemetery.

"The hearse driver nearly fell over when he got out of the car. Then he had to hold onto everything he could find as he stumbled to the house," said police spokesman Dietmar Greger.

Police decided to take the man to the station to test his blood alcohol level, but when they tried to get him out of their car he started a fight and bit an officer several times in the hand.

The man was confined to a cell until he sobered up and has been charged with civil disorder and drunk driving.

[TexasStooge]

75-Year-Old Pa. Woman Charged With Robbery

WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) - A 75-year-old woman accused of robbing a bank with an unloaded pistol was arrested after a tow truck driver blocked her in after a short chase, police said.

Marilyn Divine of Baldwin said after her arrest that she acted "to help people who are starving to death and nobody cares about them." She didn't specify to whom she was referring.

Police said the robber walked up to the National City Bank inside the Shop n' Save supermarket in West Mifflin at about 10:30 a.m. Monday and demanded money from two tellers, brandishing a 9mm handgun. She was wearing a gray sweat suit, a Steelers tassel cap, and had a scarf pulled around her face, police said.

A former bank employee chased the woman's car until police took over and arrested her after a short, low-speed chase when the tow truck blocked her path. Police said they recovered all the stolen money, which totaled about $5,000.

Divine was in the Allegheny County Jail unable to post bond Monday night on charges including armed robbery and reckless endangerment.

[rainstorm]

Pet bird attacks home burglar

WILLIAMSPORT, Penn. (Court TV) - Perhaps Michael Deeter can find some comfort knowing that he is not the first person to be taken down by a large bird.

Deeter, 44, met his match, a large blue-and-gold macaw named "Sunshine," during a home burglary on Jan. 14.

According to Captain Keith Bowers of the Williamsport Police Department in Pennsylvania, when Deeter broke into the apartment, he tried to pet the exotic bird. The bird instead clamped down on his outstretched hand.

Deeter reportedly ran around the apartment in an attempt to dislodge the bird, which refused to let go of his hand. A neighbor later told police that she heard slamming noises and the bird's loud squawks coming from the apartment around 3:00 p.m.

The alleged burglar was nowhere to be found when Williamsport police were called to the apartment at 6:30 p.m. by another neighbor, who noticed broken glass near the door. Officers found drops of blood in the kitchen area and in the vicinity of the bird's cage. Captain Bowers said Sunshine, missing all but one tail feather, was perched outside of the cage with blood on its beak and still appeared very distressed.

When the bird's owner returned to the apartment at about 12:25 a.m. and called police, he told officers that before leaving for work earlier that day, he had spoken with Deeter over the phone. Bowers said that one of the officers had coincidentally arrested the suspect earlier that evening for violating an order of protection.

The officer returned to the Lycoming County Jail, where Deeter confessed to the break-in and the theft of a camcorder and $100 in loose change. He also admitted that the bird inflicted the injury on his hand.

Deeter was charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and criminal mischief. He is being held on $25,000 bail.

im glad the bird is ok

[TexasStooge]

Surgeon Arrested After Alleged Drunken Fit

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The chief of neurosurgery at Highland Hospital was wrestled to an operating room floor by deputies and arrested after allegedly throwing a drunken fit when a nurse refused to let him operate, authorities said.

Federico Castro-Moure, 45, was arrested Monday night on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and interfering with the duty of officers, said Alameda County sheriff's Lt. Jim Knudson.

Castro-Moure became belligerent after insisting on operating on a man who broke his ankles and fractured his spine in a two-story fall, according to the sheriff's department.

Two other surgeons had determined the injuries were not life-threatening, but Castro-Moure insisted the man would die if he did not receive immediate attention, the report said.

He "threw a fit" and began yelling and cursing at staff when they told him equipment for the procedure needed to be transferred from another hospital, according to the report. When the surgical instruments arrived, a nurse refused to allow Castro-Moure to operate until they could be sterilized.

Castro-Moure threatened the nurse by punching his fist in his hand. He took a swing at deputies after they were called to intervene.

"Do you know that I am a (expletive) doctor, and I'm going to do what I want," he said, according to a witness.

He was booked into Glenn Dyer Detention Facility in Oakland and was released several hours later in lieu of $4,000 bail, a jail official said Thursday morning.

Castro-Moure was placed on leave while the hospital investigates the matter, hospital spokesman David Cone said.

A woman who answered the phone at Castro-Moure's home Thursday morning said the doctor had no comment.
___

Information from: The Oakland Tribune

[TexasStooge]

Driver Must Pay for Putting on Makeup

NORTH WALES, England (AP) - The roadside camera was supposed to catch speeders. Instead, a British woman is in trouble after she was videotaped with a compact in one hand and a brush or pencil in the other hand while driving on a hazardous road in North Wales.

A top North-Wales police official says he "can't imagine a more dangerous act than to be driving along the road, take your hands off the wheel and to put makeup on."

The 22-year-old was fined about $340 and given six points on her driver's license.

[TexasStooge]

Man accused of calling 911 looking for love

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

FRISCO, Texas - A Frisco man has been accused of tying up 911 dispatchers by making nearly 200 phone calls to the emergency line in search for love.

In Dallas last year emergency operators answered more than 2.5 million calls and Fort Worth took in more than a million.

However, there are calls amongst those numbers from people who shouldn't be calling an emergency line.

Authorities say there are people calling 911 for non-emergencies such as complaints for loud music and barking dogs. Then there are the pranksters who tie up precious time on 911 phone lines before dispatchers figure out it's a hoax.

Regulo Rodriguez is suspected of being one such nuisance.

In recorded 911 calls, police said he has asked operators for kisses.

In once such recorded call, when asked what his emergency is Rodriguez is recorded saying, "Give me one kiss for you."

"He just wants to talk and say can I have a kiss," said Lisa Clausen, 911 dispatcher.

Police said while people using 911 for non-emergencies is a growing problem, they also said they haven't experienced anything like this case.

The determined caller was said to have tied up emergency lines more than 170 times over the last month.

"It's really frustrating to think that you're trying to help somebody and all he wants to do is talk to you," Clausen said.

Authorities said they struggled to stop the caller.

"He was making these phone calls and they couldn't keep him on the phone long enough to figure out where he was," said Gina McFarlin, Frisco Police Department.

The last time he called, a dispatcher managed to keep him on the line long enough for patrol units to track him down. Rodriguez was charged with making silent and abusive calls to 911.

"What he did, like I said, was more than excessive [and] definitely against the law and that's why he was arrested," McFarlin said.

[TexasStooge]

Stop for Directions Foils Alleged Thief

SMITHFIELD, Ohio (AP) - A man accused of stealing a car was arrested after stopping to ask for directions at the car owner's father's house, authorities said.

Michael Chapman, 54, is accused of stealing a car Wednesday morning in Hopedale, about 130 miles east of Columbus near the West Virginia state line.

Chapman drove east for three miles, then pulled off state Route 151 needing directions to a nearby town. He stopped randomly at the home of Thomas Eltringham.

Eltringham, 67, gave the directions, but when Chapman drove off, Eltringham called his daughter, fearing that the gold 2001 Buick LeSabre might have been hers, said Capt. R.J. Myers of the Harrison County Sheriff's Office.

Norma Harris told her father that she had started the car, left it running so it could warm up and went back into her house, Myers said.

A patrol officer spotted the car about 25 miles away near Smithfield and chased it. The driver pulled into a driveway, got out and ran away, authorities said. Chapman was found hiding behind an auto sales office and arrested.

Chapman, was being held Thursday at the Jefferson County Justice Center on charges of car theft, drunken driving and driving without a license.

Chapman was released from prison in June after serving time for a 1992 burglary, according to the Steubenville Police Department.

[TexasStooge]

Ex-Tenant Takes Revenge Against Landlords

ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) - A man who was evicted from the house he rented for years allegedly took revenge on his landlords by dumping the home's hoarded contents — five-gallon buckets of cookies, canned food, old batteries and puzzle pieces — on the front lawn and in the backyard.

The homeowner, Ann Stevenson, said she rented the house to Lloyd Annesley and his partner, Margaret McCoy, with a subsidized rent as a favor to the longtime family friends.

After McCoy died, Annesley learned he would have to move and his relatives helped him dump the debris before they abandoned the property last week, according to neighbors and city officials.

"They totally took advantage of us," Stevenson said. "They were storing like they wanted to fill a bunker for a nuclear disaster."

Stevenson said she spent $4,000 to clean up the mess, which was infested with flies and mealworms after a weekend of rain. Besides spoiled candy and food, the litter included handcuffs and Scrabble pieces.

"I wore three pairs of gloves out here. Surgical gloves, rubber gloves and then work gloves," said Anthony Weijnschenk, whom Stevenson hired to clean up the yard. "This guy had everything. And if he had one of it, he had a dozen."