http://channels.netscape.com/ns/crime/p ... dumbcrimes
1. Nostalgic Hello
Louis Papakostas, 35, was sentenced to eight years in prison on drug charges in Corpus Christi, Texas. He had been convicted in 1987 and had gone on the lam for nearly 15 years, but he ran into his prosecutor at a restaurant in May and decided to say a nostalgic hello, apparently believing that authorities were not interested in him anymore. Papakostas even had to jog the prosecutor's memory, but once that was done, the prosecutor notified police.
2. Deadlocked Jury
At the trial of Anthony Lanza for driving the getaway car in a 1998 murder near St. Petersburg, Fla., the jury was deadlocked, 11-1, and Lanza, certain that it was 11-1 for acquittal, waived his right (against the advice of his lawyer) to a unanimous decision, which, if he had read the jury correctly, would have meant that he would go free. The judge accepted Lanza's waiver, but the verdict happened to be 11-1 for conviction. Lanza (the son of a former, alleged Genovese family "capo") was sentenced to life in prison and immediately challenged the outcome as unfair.
3. Steal a Stereo
Albuquerque, N.M., police arrested Amadeo Salguero, 21, and charged him with carjacking three people at gunpoint and making off with their Acura, which, according to a detective, contained one of the best stereo systems in town. Salguero was busted after he later called one of the victims and asked (according to police), "I don't want there to be hard feelings, but, hey, how do you hook up your amp?" The call was traced to the cell phone of Salguero, who happens to live across the street from the scene of the carjacking.
4. Really Bad Check
Police in Norfolk, Neb., are still trying to find Curtis Boyd, 23, after he skipped out on bail after allegedly trying to pass a check for $22 million at the Bank of Norfolk drive-through in May. Boyd had purchased a computer software check-writing program and apparently figured all he had to do to get the bank to give him money was to present a realistic-looking check with certain Federal Reserve code numbers. When the bank declined to take it, Boyd took the check back, decided apparently that the one imperfection in the check was the lack of an "issuing bank," and thus returned to the Bank of Norfolk after hand-writing the name "Reality Perspective Bank" at the top of the check. This time, the bank employees called the police.
5. Shoplift Impact
Steven Kemble, 21, was arrested in St. George, Utah, when he attempted to flee the Tom Tom CDs & Tapes store after allegedly shoplifting a CD. After being detained briefly by a clerk, he then broke free, dashed out the door, and ran smack into a pillar in front of the store, knocking himself briefly unconscious.
6. Dollar Disguise
Daniel Robert Shodean, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted robbery of a convenience store in Detroit Lakes, Minn. According to the prosecutor, Shodean told a man he was going to rob the store, gave the man a dollar, and asked him to go into the store and buy Shodean a scarf that would conceal his identity during the crime. The man took the dollar, walked inside, and informed the clerk, who called police.
7. Signal All Turns
Philip S. Whaley Sr., was captured after a 28-minute car chase around Syracuse, N.Y., and charged with grand larceny and several other crimes. The officer in the lead chase car said later that it was fairly easy to catch Whaley because, despite many route changes during the chase, Whaley never failed to signal a turn. Said the officer, "We knew exactly where he was going."
8. Bowling Ball
Jeremy E. Bennett and three juveniles were arrested in Waynesboro, Va., and charged with burglary after allegedly throwing a bowling ball through a store window to gain entry. Police knew who to look for because the gang left behind the bowling ball, which had the name of one of the juveniles engraved on it.
9. Van Trap
Sam F. Stewart, 17, was arrested for burglary in Waskom, Texas, in after he had broken into a van housed in a residential garage and then inadvertently activated the electric locks while trying to start the vehicle. As he hit various controls in an attempt to get out, he awoke the owners. Stewart was still trapped inside the van when police arrived.
10. Hat Confession
Suspected purse-snatcher Dereese Delon Waddell in suburban Minneapolis stood on a police lineup so the 76-year-old female victim could have a look at him. When police told him to put his baseball cap on his head with the bill facing out, so as to be presentable, he protested, "No, (I'm going to) put it on backwards. That's the way I had it on when I took the purse."
11. Jeep Jacking
Three men were arrested in Mexico City after their plan fizzled to carjack a Jeep Cherokee as it stopped for a traffic light in broad daylight in an affluent neighborhood. The three turned out to be wayward Mexican policemen. Unknown to the men, the Cherokee was being driven by Ernesto Zedillo Velasco, 19, son of former President Ernesto Zedillo, and was accompanied by two unmarked cars filled with bodyguards, who quickly subdued the men.
12. Many Tries, No Success
Georgia authorities apprehended Ray Rodgers and his two sons, aged 22 and 21, as they fled Alabama after being released on bond. The three are charged with attempting to kill Rodgers' wife in a car-bombing. According to the Cullman County (Ala.) sheriff, the car-bombing was the three men's 12th unsuccessful attempt to kill the woman.
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