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Strange Crimes

hunck said:
Thousands of parcels have been scattered across the railway tracks in east Los Angeles.
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IbisNibs said:
Organized crime is helping drive large scale theft like this. . . .the ease with which they can make a profit without any resale license makes it very lucrative.:(
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I've since learned that many people whose source of income has been disrupted by covid have started their own, legit, online retail businesses and are able to get by because of that. If restrictions are imposed on such businesses because of organized criminals, I'd bet the legit mom and pop online retail businesses would take the greatest hit, since that so often seems to be the case.

Here's an interview by Mary Louise Kelly of NPR with journalist John Schreiber, who broke the LA train looting story:
https://www.npr.org/2022/01/17/1073...-along-los-angeles-train-tracks-following-the
". . . KELLY: Yeah. I will say I've never seen anything like the images that you were posting on your Twitter feed and elsewhere. It's just this ocean of raided packages. And you have to sit and stare at it and realize this is in one of the biggest, richest cities in America. I mean, it made me wonder, is part of what's going on here just that - from COVID to unemployment, so many challenges, so many people feeling desperate? Did police or anyone you talk to tap into that?

SCHREIBER: Yeah. Everybody's just kind of scratching their heads as to why it's happening. But I can imagine. You know, there's a lot of people hurting right now, and it could be part of it. But, you know, I haven't got any exact straight answer as why."
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The amount of waste caused by the looters is really grotesque, especially considering how many people aren't able to afford basic necessities.
 

Police seek man who stole $8,000 Les Paul by stuffing it into his pants​


Canadian police are searching for a man who stole an $8,000 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul by stuffing it into his trousers and walking out of a guitar store.

According to York Regional Police, the incident occurred on 20 December last year. The suspect walked into Cosmo Music, Richmond Hill, Ontario, and took a Gibson Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul off the rack. Security footage of the incident, which has now been shared by the police, shows him having taken a seat on a stool with the guitar. He then angles the guitar downwards, and slowly inserts its neck down his trouser leg. Nearby shoppers either do not notice, or assume that he is locked in an act too intimate to be disturbed.


Once the neck has been concealed – sort of – the suspect then tucks the guitar’s body under his jacket. Despite the low resolution of the security footage provided, the large bulge in the man’s sweatpants is clearly visible. In order to act like a regular shopper, rather than a man who has half an electric guitar in his pants, he picks up a nearby acoustic guitar and begins inspecting it.

Unfortunately, the footage cuts out before we get to find out what he looked like walking around with a four-kilogram electric guitar stuffed down his trousers. He apparently did so confidently enough, as he managed to exit the store without his rather sizable outline being noticed.

https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/police-seek-man-who-stole-8000-les-paul-by-stuffing-into-pants/

maximus otter
 
Truly bizarre.

An investigation has begun after claims that the body of a dead man was taken into Irish post office in an attempt to claim his pension.

Reports suggest a deceased pensioner was "propped up by two men" as his body was carried into the building in County Carlow, according to the Irish Times. It said the two men "dropped" the body and fled when staff questioned them.

Gardaí (Irish police) are investigating the circumstances surrounding the "unexplained death of an elderly male".

A Garda spokesman would not comment on the specifics of the incident which happened at a post office in Carlow town on Friday morning but released a brief statement.

"The services of the Garda Technical Bureau and the Office of the State Pathologist have been requested," it said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60091753
 
Smuggling via drone in westzaan prison; prison wants to take measures

A video has surfaced on Instagram in which you can see how items are smuggled into Westzaan prison.
The images show how prisoners enter their cells via a broken ventilation grille packed in tape. The packages were probably delivered with a drone, reports the Department of Correctional Institutions (DJI) to NH News.

Here you can see how prisoners bring in contraband through a broken ventilation grille:
https://nos.nl/artikel/2414461-smok...genis-westzaan-gevangenis-zint-op-maatregelen

According to a spokesperson, the corona measures make it less easy for visitors to secretly give prohibited substances to detainees. "For example, visitors are behind plexiglass. As a result, we see that detainees are trying to make more use of other ways to smuggle things in."

DJI informs that the package that can be seen on the images has been confiscated. "There were no phones, drugs or a weapon in it. We don't want to tell what was in it."

Following the video, the prison in Westzaan is investigating how the import of contraband via drones can be prevented. The two detainees who brought in the contraband in the video have been punished, according to DJI.
 
15 months in prison demanded against man who drove shovel into press photographer
The man who drove a shovel into a press photographer in Lunteren last year has today been sentenced to 15 months in prison. 5 months of the sentence demanded is conditional.

The victim wanted to take photos of a car fire at a farm where the suspect was working last year. The man disagreed and pushed the photographer and his girlfriend into the ditch with car and all.

The suspect said during the hearing that he was furious, reports Omroep Gelderland. He was emotional because the victim wanted to capture "the suffering of another" person.

His boss's car had recently caught fire. The arrival of the photographer immediately aroused the anger of the three attendees. They threatened to "smash" him if he didn't leave.

Dashcam footage shows a shovel pushing a press photographer's car over
https://nos.nl/artikel/2414382-15-m...en-man-die-met-shovel-op-persfotograaf-inreed

After the photographer and his partner ended up in the ditch, the fire brigade had to help to get them out again. The victims were trapped in the car, which was upside down in the ditch.

A reconstruction of the incident has shown that the photographer and his girlfriend could have suffered serious physical injuries. The suspect called the reconstruction shocking.

The man says he regrets his act a lot. He now sees that it could have turned out very differently, he said during the hearing. "It should never have happened, but yes, it happened."

The prosecution said during the trial that the attack with the shovel was dangerous, but not an attack on press freedom, which could have resulted in a higher sentence. "It looked like that for a while, but the suspect did not know that they were press people who wanted to report on the fire."
 
ramonmercado said:
Truly bizarre.

An investigation has begun after claims that the body of a dead man was taken into Irish post office in an attempt to claim his pension.

Reports suggest a deceased pensioner was "propped up by two men" as his body was carried into the building in County Carlow, according to the Irish Times. It said the two men "dropped" the body and fled when staff questioned them.

Gardaí (Irish police) are investigating the circumstances surrounding the "unexplained death of an elderly male".

A Garda spokesman would not comment on the specifics of the incident which happened at a post office in Carlow town on Friday morning but released a brief statement.

"The services of the Garda Technical Bureau and the Office of the State Pathologist have been requested," it said.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60091753
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Update.

A 40-year-old man has appeared before Kilkenny District Court charged with two counts of deception.

Declan Haughney, Pollerton Road, Carlow was arrested yesterday and charged in relation to an incident in Carlow town last Friday.

It is alleged that the body of a dead man was brought to Hosey's post office in Carlow last Friday and an attempt was made to claim the dead man's pension.

No application was made for bail.

Judge Geraldine Carthy remanded the defandant in custody to appear before Carlow District Court on February 2.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/courtandcrime/arid-40794414.html
 
It's difficult to pinpoint a single strangeness in this Lincoln, Nebraska, situation. Is it men stealing sewing machines? Is it the casual way the thieves simply walk out of the store with the merchandise? Or is it the fact the same sewing machine thefts at the same store have happened the same way 5 times in the past year?
LPD: Rash of sewing machine thefts at east Lincoln craft store

The Lincoln Police Department is investigating a rash of thefts where a group of men are stealing sewing machines from an east Lincoln craft store.

On Wednesday, around 2:15 p.m., LPD said two men went into JOANN Fabrics, off 66th and O Streets, and walked to where the sewing machines were displayed.

According to police, the men were approached by an employee, left and returned roughly 30 minutes later.

Officers said the two men each selected a Janome sewing machine, valued at $699.98, and walked toward the registers. LPD said the men walked past the registers, entered a white Chevy SUV and left without paying ...

LPD said two men with a similar description have committed similar thefts at the same JOANN Fabrics on four prior occasions in the past year.

On January 5th two men walked out with four Singer sewing machines valued at $1,039.96.
On November 26th, 2021, four men walked out with four Singer sewing machines valued at $519.96.
On August 24th, 2021, two men walked out with two Singer sewing machines valued at $363.98.
On April 19th, 2021, one man walked out with two sewing machines but the store was unable to determine a value.

According to police, the total known value of sewing machine thefts since April 2021 is $2,623.88. ...
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FULL STORY: https://www.1011now.com/2022/01/28/lpd-rash-sewing-machine-thefts-east-lincoln-craft-store/
 
EnolaGaia said:
It's difficult to pinpoint a single strangeness in this Lincoln, Nebraska, situation. Is it men stealing sewing machines? Is it the casual way the thieves simply walk out of the store with the merchandise? Or is it the fact the same sewing machine thefts at the same store have happened the same way 5 times in the past year?

FULL STORY: https://www.1011now.com/2022/01/28/lpd-rash-sewing-machine-thefts-east-lincoln-craft-store/
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Those are eminently stealable items, if they have all their accessories with them. You'd need at least the treadle control.
Machines on display might not have those with them.
 
escargot said:
Those are eminently stealable items, if they have all their accessories with them. You'd need at least the treadle control.
Machines on display might not have those with them.
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Oooh and here I was about to suggest that maybe you had some inside knowledge :evillaugh:
 
Floyd1 said:
I saw those new gates in Crewe a few years ago on a back alley. I remember thinking that I bet some people just leave them open though.
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You guys across the pond are very lucky in that your paths and alleys are meant for residents only, which should be respected.
Over here, that would become an issue which would not be pretty!
 
GNC said:
I wonder if everyone who has ever stood on a railway platform has had this fear cross their mind at one point:
News story

A woman was pushed in front of a train on the New York subway. No motive from the culprit, other than seeing what it would be like to push someone under a train. Thank goodness it doesn't happen more often.
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It does happen quite often, actually. For no particular reason sadly.
I avoid trains and subways and am not fond of buses.
 
EnolaGaia said:
It's difficult to pinpoint a single strangeness in this Lincoln, Nebraska, situation. Is it men stealing sewing machines? Is it the casual way the thieves simply walk out of the store with the merchandise? Or is it the fact the same sewing machine thefts at the same store have happened the same way 5 times in the past year?

FULL STORY: https://www.1011now.com/2022/01/28/lpd-rash-sewing-machine-thefts-east-lincoln-craft-store/
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The only similar sewing machines theft panic I can recall was an article in Fortean Times about people stealing them because they thought they contained red mercury .. I think? .. I've got a fuzzy memory on this one.
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
You guys across the pond are very lucky in that your paths and alleys are meant for residents only, which should be respected.
Over here, that would become an issue which would not be pretty!
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It's a grey area. Many are used as perfectly respectable shortcuts but as they give access to gardens and backs of houses they're gated to keep lurkers out.
Some residents take a pride in the alleys and keep them tidy but most don't.
 
New Mexico home owners discovered a man armed with an AR-15 availing himself of their facilities. The mystery visitor apologized, gave a strange explanation of his situation and some money to the owners, then left.
Embarrassed burglar leaves $200, flees home with his AR-15

The owners of a New Mexico home were doubly surprised over the weekend to find a burglar in their house with an AR-15, and then to have him apologize, give them money and leave embarrassed.

The man had slept, bathed, dined and had some beer at the home on the outskirts of Santa Fe before the owners returned and discovered him, according to a Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office police report ...

He had an AR-15 scoped rifle but didn’t threaten them, or take any of their jewelry or other belongings.

Instead, he gave the homeowners $200 as “reimbursement for the window he broke,” the report said.

The suspect — about 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and in his late 20s — also shared a bit of his story, telling the owners he was running from someone and that his family had been killed in east Texas ... He said his car had broken down outside Santa Fe. ...

The homeowners told authorities the man was “extremely embarrassed and apologetic about the situation,” the report states.

The suspect left the home with his duffel bag and gun, walking down a ditch. His alleged larcenies totaled $15, the report said.

Sheriff’s deputies came to the home and searched the ditch but didn’t find anyone.
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SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/oddities-new-mexico-santa-fe-9b32a7a48ac73b22b9f34891ca72af03
 
A 5-foot-long 60 lb. painted turtle sculpture has been stolen from a Florida nature trail. Here's a photo of the sculpture ...
quilty.jpg
Reward Offered For 60lb Turtle Sculpture Stolen From A Florida Nature Trail

A Florida arts foundation is offering a $2,000 reward for the safe return of their beloved 60-pound turtle sculpture stolen from a local nature trail.

The Palm Coast Arts Foundation posted on their Facebook account about Quilty, the 5-foot long fiberglass turtle sculpture in the park's Turtle Trail, located ... in Palm Coast.

The foundation assumes Quilty was taken sometime in the afternoon between January 27 and January 31 last month.

"Quilty was dedicated in October 2019 and was so liked by thieves that she's now missing," the foundation explained in their post.

Executive director of the Palm Coast Arts Foundation, Nancy Crouch, said police are currently reviewing local security camera footage from nearby businesses to hopefully identify the thief.

... Quilty was painted by the artist Bettie Eubanks, who was inspired by a 1700s quilt for the pattern on the sculpture.
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SOURCE: https://wild955.iheart.com/featured...sculpture-stolen-from-a-florida-nature-trail/
 
I smell a rat there. Not the sort of thing you could hide under your jacket on the way out, so-to-speak.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Palm Coast Arts Foundation have faked the whole affair to generate a bit of interest in their 'Turtle Trail'.
It'll reappear, undamaged, in a couple of weeks time I bet.
 
Trevp666 said:
I smell a rat there. Not the sort of thing you could hide under your jacket on the way out, so-to-speak.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Palm Coast Arts Foundation have faked the whole affair to generate a bit of interest in their 'Turtle Trail'.
It'll reappear, undamaged, in a couple of weeks time I bet.
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Having read about 'Florida man and woman', nothing would surprise me here.
 
This is as much a comedy of errors as a crime story, but the guy was arrested, so ...
Florida man steals car; train sends it crashing into house

A Florida man says he jumped from a stolen car seconds before it was hit by a train and sent flying into a nearby home. The sleeping residents were unharmed and the man was later arrested, authorities said.

Police said the man claimed he stole the car in a “good faith effort” to search for his own vehicle after leaving a bar ... Instead, he got stuck on the railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train.

After the crash, the man tried to steal a forklift from a nearby fruit stand, which he also vandalized ... He was arrested after flagging down responding deputies “to let them know he was still looking for his car” ...

The homeowners were fine, but “the explosive sound of a driverless car smashing into the side of their home was clearly jolting” ...

The 38-year-old faces charges of grand theft and criminal mischief, and additional charges are expected. ...
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SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/oddities-arrests-florida-west-palm-beach-fb19a5d3699310da848d92693ce2da43
 
EnolaGaia said:
This is as much a comedy of errors as a crime story, but the guy was arrested, so ...

SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/oddities-arrests-florida-west-palm-beach-fb19a5d3699310da848d92693ce2da43
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Is it something to do with the oppressive humidity down in Florida that makes people crazy? (I was going to say 'high humidity' but just checked and the humidity here now is actually higher than Miami, even though it's only just above freezing, so that wouldn't have been the correct term).
 
Given the prevailing breezes Florida isn't usually as uniformly or ceaselessly humid as other areas of the Deep South - particularly along the full-surround coastline. I think the net craziness quotient probably has more to do with population density and the fact a large proportion of that population represents interstate immigrants who've inundated the state assuming it was a good place to retire or otherwise while away their lives.
 
Floyd1 said:
Is it something to do with the oppressive humidity down in Florida that makes people crazy? (I was going to say 'high humidity' but just checked and the humidity here now is actually higher than Miami, even though it's only just above freezing, so that wouldn't have been the correct term).
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You're right, the heat and humidity in Florida is stifling. The mix of the temperature being in the 90's with the humidity on top of that is what makes it so unbearable and, as you said, it makes people crazy.
 
EnolaGaia said:
This is as much a comedy of errors as a crime story, but the guy was arrested, so ...

SOURCE: https://apnews.com/article/oddities-arrests-florida-west-palm-beach-fb19a5d3699310da848d92693ce2da43
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Someone I know was helping a friend of his get his driver's license. He took him out in his car and let this friend practice driving down the road - well, the poor man got so rattled that his hands froze on the steering wheel, he couldn't move it, and drove straight into someone's house!
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
You're right, the heat and humidity in Florida is stifling. The mix of the temperature being in the 90's with the humidity on top of that is what makes it so unbearable and, as you said, it makes people crazy.
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Last year a guy was about to drop some building supplies off on our drive. I rushed out to tell him that he had the wrong address. Anyway, I got talking to him and he was originally from Cocoa Beach in Florida, but now lives in Wrexham. Of course I pointed out that he must be insane and asked him why on earth he'd do that. He said he couldn't stand the humidity there.
I'd put up with it though.
 
Floyd1 said:
Last year a guy was about to drop some building supplies off on our drive. I rushed out to tell him that he had the wrong address. Anyway, I got talking to him and he was originally from Cocoa Beach in Florida, but now lives in Wrexham. Of course I pointed out that he must be insane and asked him why on earth he'd do that. He said he couldn't stand the humidity there.
I'd put up with it though.
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Are you sure about that? LOL - here in NJ the summers are brutally hot, the humidity is upwards of 100%, and totally unbearable, you have to run the air conditioners constantly to get any relief. That's when we run down to the Jersey Shore, the beaches are wonderful in that weather.
My parents lived in Florida, they said they had to run from the house to the car and put the a/c on. But of course the Florida winters are wonderful, no snow and ice!
 
Ronnie Jersey said:
Are you sure about that? LOL - here in NJ the summers are brutally hot, the humidity is upwards of 100%, and totally unbearable, you have to run the air conditioners constantly to get any relief. That's when we run down to the Jersey Shore, the beaches are wonderful in that weather.
My parents lived in Florida, they said they had to run from the house to the car and put the a/c on. But of course the Florida winters are wonderful, no snow and ice!
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No, to be fair it would probably kill me now.
 
EnolaGaia said:
I think the net craziness quotient probably has more to do with population density and the fact a large proportion of that population represents interstate immigrants who've inundated the state assuming it was a good place to retire or otherwise while away their lives.
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I know! Those Canadians, eh?:rofl:
 
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