280-pound burglar gets stuck, dies

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) _ A 280-pound man who tried to break into a craft and hobby store by crawling in through a cooling duct got stuck and died, authorities said.
The Missoula County coroner's office identified the man as Kenneth Ellingson, 37, of Missoula, and said the cause of death was positional asphyxiation.

Comments

[JC_in_KC]

Better luck next time, fatty.

[blondie2hot7]

It would of been more interesting if he had been trying to break into a Mcdonalds.. I wonder what hobby he was planning on taking up? Career crminal?

[The_Golfer]

Not Mickey D's, but a Krispy Kreme.

[Vibiana]

blondie: There WAS a guy who broke into a McDonald's in California -- I think in the early 80s -- by climbing down an oven vent. He got stuck, and since the vent was still hot, he also suffered third-degree burns. He was stuck there till the restaurant staff came in the next morning.

[blondie2hot7]

vibiana: I didn't hear about that case.. This should be a wake up call to all robbers: You try to commit a crime, you will get burned.. He needed to go out and get a job from the sounds of his size.

[aqua]

Waiting for the lawsuit from the family. The vents should offer equal-opportunity for plus-sized burglars.

[oline]

Oh!

Survival of the fittest in action!

I hope he gets nominated for a Darwin Award.

[KenLewis]

Clint Eastwood said it best "A man has got to know his limitations"

[The_Golfer]

One of the better lines from Dirty Harry there Ken. That was a good one.

[LK_Pick]

I'm with you on the Darwin. I'm starting to wonder whether a half of the world's population are just complete morons, or what.

Speaking of, I can't find the open daily forum again.

[mdinaz]

Half the population ARE complete morons. However, because it is no longer "survival of the fittest", morons not only survive, but thrive and breed, yet producing additional morons. Viva Darwin.

[michael locke]

The "Heat" was on !

[Big Buck Chuck]

Morons tend to reproduce quicker and more efficiently for some reason. Even the slowest in the heard has fast swimmers...

Terrible thing to happen to a guy; but he certainly had some sort of punishment coming. Why rob an arts and crafts store? Can't imagine a large amount of cash would be stored or any merchandise that can easily be fenced for large amounts.

It's hard not to make fun of a dumb, fat, dead, thief. I don't like any kinds of thieves.

[jack]

Go for the Darwin Awards. I believe that life is an IQ test. The human race is failing that test miserably. Not even an "E For Effort".

My father used to say, "You had to do it on purpose. Nobody's that stupid by accident."

[Amanda McLeod]

This guy should have taken up another hobby.
I wouldn't be surprised if someone in his family tried to sue...
FYI- You aren't a moron by birth, but by choice. Sensible people have piss for brains kids all the time. The only difference is sometimes they wear the suits.

[aqua]

He couldn't wait for the store opened to get his new Star Wars figurine.

[Bohica]

Aqua beat me to it... just waiting for the lawsuit to happen.

[smoothk]

it just wasn't his day

[KC]

I think a George Carlin comment applies here:

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

[Mike]

Well for some weird reason this is becoming a everyday event with people breaking into places that have zero cash value. Maybe he wanted a place to sleep. Who knows but its very odd.

[sjefke]

Sorry, but is it really an appropriate use of emergency services to call 911 because your electricity and telephone are out? I don't think so.

[Drew in the Northland]

Im sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for what he did. He wanted to corner the Arts and Crafts market in KC and make a mint !

[blondie2hot7]

sjefke: If I went in to my place of business, and the phones and lights weren't working, and there was a ladder up against the place, and I knew I paid my phone and light bill, I would call 911 too.

I'm sure the guy took note of the fact that something was fishy before he called 911.

[chessplayer2007]

death is not a laughing matter
true he should not of been breaking and
entering intending to steal
but it is not funny because of the way
he died. no one should die like that.
people are cruel who make rude comments
just to get attention.
he should of gotten a job instead
but over weight people employer's will not
hire them

[ROBERT RODRIGUEZ]

THE STORE WILL BE MAKING BIG BUCKS NOW

[Gary]

Well I'm sure the ACLU will be all over this if the guy is Mexican National or Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton will jump in if it will benifit them and they can make a dollar off it. Otherwise, we won't hear anymore about the fat guy. Oh that's right - we won't hear about the man who was proportionaly challenged! (tounge in cheek humour here, for those who may be to serious or to sensitive.This applies to U.S. citizens 18 & over and any other disclaimers that might apply)

[Cat]

Chessplayer2007: Overweight people can't get hired? Huh. I guess then that 87% of my co-workers are...what, volunteering their time? My (overweight) ass. I'm not going to say there isn't discrimination, but c'mon. Everyone can get a job doing *something*. I've been fat my entire life, and the only reason I've ever had trouble getting work was because of my *work history*. And strangely enough, I've never felt motivated to rob anyone because I couldn't find a job.

I will, though, agree with you that it's not right to make fun of the guy. He died. So he died doing something stupid...no reason to mock him posthumously.

fatty fatty two by four cant fit through the kitchen door so he tried a vent and that folks is the end of the story

[derric]

280lbs?? maybe he was planning to steal glue for the new diet plan called "glue your fckn mouth shut"

[larry]

i guess he had one cheeseburger too many!

[peter]

overcoming obesity was one problem, robbing was another. who said the guy wanted to rob the crafts store? he might have thought that was a restaurant.

[Joe]

I'm sure he died doing what he loved. Or maybe he was just looking for a warm place to lay his head for the night.

[Josey Wales]

Hey Chessplayer,

I think you should find a band aid for that bleeding heart and start working on your grammer. Do you know how to write a complete and proper sentence? Oh, while your at it, find a sock to put in your mouth.

That fat slob got what he deserved. It is people like you that are ruining this country.