5 Craziest Crimes of the Week

Including yet another person felled by Facebook
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 27, 2014 5:35 AM CDT
Updated Jun 27, 2014 9:35 AM CDT
5 Craziest Crimes of the Week
   (Shutterstock)

This week's batch of alleged criminals encountered some unlikely obstacles: an observant 4-year-old and the ... Clean Air Act.

  • 4-Year-Old Foils Babysitter's Plot, Say Police: The first sign that your devious robbery plot has a few holes is that it can't pass muster with a 4-year-old. Such was the case in Washington state, where a 17-year-old babysitter is accused of concocting a story about two armed black men breaking into a residence to cover for the actual thieves—who made off with the child's piggy bank, and more. But the girl spilled one crucial detail to police.
  • Air-Conditioner Thief Gets Extra Time for ... Pollution: When Martin Eldridge and his pals started stealing air-conditioning units around Columbus, Ohio, last year, it's a safe bet they didn't factor the Clean Air Act into their possible punishment. Big mistake.

  • Cops: Burglar Undone by Facebook Log-in: It's generally not OK to log into Facebook during work. It's definitely not OK if you work as a burglar, and you're a little absent-minded about logging out. Police say Nicholas Wig, 26, broke into a home near Minneapolis and stole money, credit cards, and other valuables. When the homeowner returned, he found the burglar had left a few things behind.
  • Cops Catch Woman With Pot on Her Face: Tavish Smith was having quite the night by the time she landed in the back of the cop car: Florida police say she was driving her truck the wrong way down a highway, crashed it, continued on, then crashed again—all while allegedly more than a little tipsy. But it's what police say she then did with a bag of pot that raised eyebrows.
  • Pre-Teen Takes School Bus on Quite the Joy Ride: Employees at a Florida Walmart thought there was something weird about the school bus driving around their parking lot at 5am Tuesday. And with good reason: Police say they found a 12-year-old behind the wheel, and his initial story was one he later admitted making up.
Click to read about more crazy crimes. (More weird crimes stories.)

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