[Beltliner]

With the wacky weather we've been having lately, it's mildly reassuring to know that the crooks are having as tough a time of it as the rest of us (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2007/12/03/gas-robbery.html):

A man left his car running while he robbed a gas station on 24th Street south of Anderson Road at about 2 a.m. Monday, said police. But when he returned to make his getaway, he found the car doors locked.

The man grabbed a fire extinguisher, smashed the driver's side window to gain entry and drove away.

An hour later, an officer found the vehicle with the broken window parked in front of a home in Cedarbrae — its block heater plugged in.

Anyone out there want to top that story? :haha:

[graupner]

This happened recently in Minneapolis

three men were having fun cutting telephone switches and wires only for the fun of disrupting service. They were serial 'cutters' . I knew 2 of these guys and find this story to be very sad.


http://www.uer.ca/forumpic/norm/91968.jpg

Pal says Qwest vandalism fits a pattern of senseless acts
Suspect - 1 of 3 accused of cutting wires in St. Paul - just 'thinks it's funny'
BY EMILY GURNON
Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 11/23/2007 11:45:57 PM CST

When three men were charged with vandalizing Qwest utility boxes and cutting wires last week in St. Paul, they weren't out to steal anything, police said. So why did they do it?

Todd Parker says he knows.

Parker, 21, of Minneapolis, said he used to hang out with two of the men, --- and Christopher Dee Walter, pulling off capers numbering "more than I can remember."

--- was the ringleader, Parker said.

"He's always got a plan. He literally does this stuff because he thinks it's funny," Parker said.

If he disrupts phone or Internet service for people, he thinks, "I just screwed up someone's day," Parker said.

The three were arrested in 2005 after a string of burglaries over more than two years in Hennepin and Anoka counties, Parker said. Parker and --- spent about six months in the Hennepin County workhouse, according to state records. Walter was in jail for about three months.

Parker and --- were convicted of felony damage to property in a 2005 Columbia Heights case. --- and Walter were convicted of a Brooklyn Park burglary and receiving stolen property. --- was also convicted of burglary in that case, state records show.

Authorities described the crimes as thrill thefts that involved stolen computers, phone switches, copy machines and signaling equipment stripped from the top of police squad cars.

Police said --- was working as a newspaper carrier for the Star Tribune and cased potential victims while
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he delivered papers. Parker was in on that, too, he said.

"He'd see something in a car," Parker said, and make a note to come back for it.

But the long crime spree got old after a while, Parker said.

"It's not really that funny after 2½ years," he said. "I didn't really want to do the stupid crap anymore."

He said he got his GED while in the workhouse and decided to go straight.

Parker hasn't been in contact with his former buddies for several months and doesn't have direct information about the Qwest vandalism.

But it fits the pattern, he said.

--- activities included outfitting an old Crown Victoria he had purchased so it looked like a police squad car - complete with lights and siren, Parker said.

Unfortunately, he tried to pull over an off-duty cop, Parker said.

On Nov. 14, ---, 22, Walter, 26, and another man, -removed-, 21, were arrested after Qwest utility boxes were broken into and wires were cut in the West Seventh Street neighborhood.

Confronted by police, --- said he worked for a nuclear power plant and Walter claimed to work for Comcast, according to the criminal complaint.

In fact, the third man, -removed-, worked as an intern at the Prairie Island nuclear plant near Red Wing, Minn., an Xcel Energy spokeswoman said.

And Parker said both --- and Walter learned some of the tricks of the telecommunications trade by working as Comcast contractors. Their employment history could not be confirmed Friday.

Both Sprint and Verizon said their cell phone services had also experienced tampering recently.

A Sprint spokesman said Friday the company had seen about six incidents over the past several weeks. The only one involving disruption in service occurred Nov. 11 near the University of Minnesota. On that day, customers lost cell phone and wireless computer service in the local area for 13 hours, said spokesman Miles McMillin.

Whoever the vandals are, they may get more than they bargained for someday, McMillin said.

"There's a huge risk of electrical shock for these people doing this," he said.

-removed- did not return a call seeking comment Friday. --- and Walter, who were still being held Friday in the Ramsey County jail, had refused a previous request for an interview.

[vid]

Someone on an internet forum I frequent stole bandwidth! :eek:

And last week, a homeless guy broke into a Mac's and stole the rest of their ice cream. The police warned people to be on the lookout for a drunk man with ice cream wandering around Cumberland Street. :P He was caught a few hours later passed out with his ice creams in a park.

[feepa]

Someone on an internet forum I frequent stole bandwidth! :eek:

And last week, a homeless guy broke into a Mac's and stole the rest of their ice cream. The police warned people to be on the lookout for a drunk man with ice cream wandering around Cumberland Street. :P He was caught a few hours later passed out with his ice creams in a park.

How do you break into a Mac's, aren't they all open 24/7?

[vid]

Some aren't. At least here, some aren't. When they have two within walking distance of each other, they seem to close one of them. A lot of them close between 3am and 5am for deliveries, too. I've also seen situations where they store closes for fifteen or so minutes so that an employee can take a lunch break (as they often work alone) and they get broken into then (which results in it being closed all morning.)

[Cambridgite]

Someone on an internet forum I frequent stole bandwidth! :eek:

And last week, a homeless guy broke into a Mac's and stole the rest of their ice cream. The police warned people to be on the lookout for a drunk man with ice cream wandering around Cumberland Street. :P He was caught a few hours later passed out with his ice creams in a park.

Hilarious! It reminds me of Dave Chappelle's story about the crackhead who broke into his car and stole his candy bar.

Chappelle: "I was so pissed, I drove around the block looking for this crackhead with chocolate on his face. Finally, I found this muthaf**ka, grabbed him and said 'HEY, what's all this...chocolate on ya face?!"

Crackhead: "Chocolate?!" (looks all confused)...."This is doo-doo, baby."

[Danny D]

Someone on an internet forum I frequent stole bandwidth! :eek:

And last week, a homeless guy broke into a Mac's and stole the rest of their ice cream. The police warned people to be on the lookout for a drunk man with ice cream wandering around Cumberland Street. :P He was caught a few hours later passed out with his ice creams in a park.

Really? My brother works at Dairy Queen on Cumberland and it was robbed last week. Apperently he asked for the money and Icecream... I wonder if it was the same guy?

[vid]

Maybe. I wouldn't be surprised. Ice cream is very good, especially when you're a homeless person in Thunder Bay in winter. :P

[Aylmer]

A while ago, A druged druglord had 45grams of pot stolen and called the police saying that a man stole his weed.
The police arrested the robber and proceded to arrest the caller...
They were put in prison and lived drug-free ever after.

The end!

[vid]

Oh, every month or two, drug dealers from Quebec on their way to western Canada forget to turn right in Thunder Bay, and end up at the border. They turn around when they see customs, then the police follow them and they get busted. :)

That happens at least 6 times a year, probably more.

[Aylmer]

That almost happened to me! (I am not a dealer but a traveler!)
There was construction on one of the lakefron streets downtown and we had to go through a mess of one-way streets to get to the fort where we spent a lovely couple of hours!

[Canasian]

We are kinda lucky here in St. John's. Not much crime, some tire slashings earlier in the year, Needs convience store break-ins, but mainly just drunk brawls on George Street.