OP makes arrests in garage burglaries

Overland Park police say they've arrested two teenagers in connection with several "open garage" burglaries. (Which is gentler than my phraseology, "moron burglaries.") The thieves were apparently selling their stolen goods on eBay. Among the recovered items: a paddle boat and 20 sets of golf clubs.

Quote of the day

From the St. Pete Times:

"I'm sorry, I drove the tractor to the RaceTrac to buy a beer," Cannon, 43, told deputies, according to the report.

Priest accused of using stolen cash for male escorts, suits, hotel visits

A Catholic priest in Connecticut is facing charges that he stole $1.3 million to pay for male escorts, stays at the Waldorf-Astoria, nice suits and college tuition for two men that he allegedly met, the AP reports.

Thief uses crucifix to pry open church donation box

Lightning failed to strike him dead at the scene, so Fort Lauderdale police are still searching for the man.

Senior citizen stole 100-plus Corvettes, police say

An Akron man, age 71, is accused of stealing more than 100 Corvettes in Ohio and Pennsylvania, 14 of them in the past year. He made about $1,200 for each car, which were taken to chop shops, the authorities allege.

Elderly man's stolen $3K wheelchair ramp sold for $7.20

In Wichita, an elderly man's wheelchair ramp -- valued at $3,000 -- was sold for $7.20 at a scrap metal yard, the Eagle reports. The authorities were too late to save the ramp, but they did arrest a suspect later when he came to sell metal at the same yard.

Have you seen this man?

OP police are trying to find a guy who allegedly used a credit card that had been stolen during a series of car burglaries. The thefts happened early Saturday near the 10600 block of West 130th Terrace; the missing card was used at two stores by 6 that morning. The suspect is white, maybe in his late teens. He's wearing a gray T-shirt with REGIS on the front and khaki shorts. They think he might be driving a tan or gold SUV.

During the car burglaries, the parties responsible also spray-painted curse words and some shapes on the cars and driveways, police say.

If you know who he is, call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (474-8477) or OPPD at 913-344-8750.

Burglar breaks into UK wrestler's house

From the Daily Mail, quoting the homeowner:

"He looked at me and said; 'Oh, s**t!' and pushed me against the wall so I gave him a kick in the stomach and that slowed him down.'"

Should this teen have been arrested?

Weird one from Cincinnati, where an 18-year-old was riding his bicycle when, he says, someone with a gun started chasing him. As he was fleeing, the teen got hit by a van and broke his leg. He managed to get in the van and told the driver to get him out of there -- instead, she bailed out. The teen, his lawyer says, was still afraid he was being chased, so he hopped into the van and drove off, calling 911 on the way to tell them what was happening.

He's been charged with theft, the Enquirer reports.

Best comeback ever

In St. Paul, a 15-year-old girl is accused of shoplifting 44 pairs of underwear from Wal-Mart, the Pioneer Press says.

The teen reportedly posed a question of her own to a police officer: "Do you expect me to wear dirty underwear?"

I'm not shoplifting -- I'm doing 'research'

A TV traffic reporter was arrested in Connecticut for allegedly shoplifting jewelry, cologne and a shirt at a local mall. Her explanation, according to police? She was working on a news story.

Grocery stores' anti-shoplifting program works, but is it legal?

The New York Times has an interesting story about how Chinese groceries in New York treat shoplifters -- and whether it's entirely legal:

First, suspected shoplifters caught by the store’s security guards or staff members have their identification seized. Then, they are photographed holding up the items they are accused of trying to steal. Finally, workers at the store threaten to display the photographs to embarrass them, and to call the police — unless the accused thieves hand over money.

“We usually fine them $400,” said Tem Shieh, 60, the manager, who keeps track of customers on 30 video monitors in the store’s surveillance system.

Goldilocks gone wild?

A blonde, pony-tailed burglar ate some food, drank some alcohol, tried on clothes and then found the bed in a New Zealand home just right.

Papa Bear wasn't happy when he got home.

| Sara Shepherd

Hat tip: Thanks to cripjak!

Florida burglars used canoe to get around, police allege

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, that's how they fled the scene, police say.

Burglars appreciate it when you leave your doors unlocked

I laughed when I saw this line in Joe Lambe's story about two Lenexa teenagers accused of stealing goodies from various unlocked cars:

Asked how often people leave expensive items in unlocked cars, (police spokesman Dan Friesen) sighed and said, “All the time.”

How to make it easy for burglars

Leaving your garage door open is the equivalent of shining a giant Bat Signal for burglars and sundry lowlifes. You would think that would go without saying, but apparently not: Since January, Overland Park has seen 18 burglaries where the bad guy made entry through an open garage, Chief Douglass' blog notes.

Suspected burglar caught in funeral home, KC police say

From Christine Vendel: Kansas City police are interviewing a suspected burglar that they arrested inside the city’s oldest continually-operating funeral home early today.

JoCo cops warn of break-ins

From Joe Lambe: The crook method of entry is crude but common — they kick in the door.

There have been two incidents in Merriam and three in Roeland Park in about the last week, said Merriam Police Lt. Mike Daniels. There was a rash of similar incidents in Prairie Village two months ago, he said, and the uncreative method of entry also has long been used by thieves in Kansas City and elsewhere.

Thief caught inside ATM, police say

Story is from the Boston area. It sounds like it was one of those ATMs that you find in a bank lobby, the ones that have a small room behind them. It's still impressive, just not as impressive as squeezing into, say, an ATM at QuikTrip.

'Merci beaucoup'

A Canadian woman was telling a Calgary policeman all about a terrible burglary when her father called. Over the phone, she told him in French that it was all just an insurance scam. She didn't realize the police officer spoke seven languages, one of which was French.

“By the end, I had about 10 pages of notes and I said, ‘Merci beaucoup.'"

If these walls could talk ... they would call 911

A British burglar was busted by police after he got stuck in the hole that he'd cut in a department store's wall, authorities say. Sort of like if Winnie the Pooh turned to a life of crime.

Hotel thief leaves sink behind, but not much else

Some hotel guests have a habit of "taking home" more than the complimentary shampoo, but an Overland Park case takes that to an extreme. Police are working an incident where a woman allegedly stole a 37-inch TV, towel racks, a shower head, sink and bath faucets and several lamps, Chief John Douglass reports on his blog.

Now, THAT is a lovely mugshot

The gentlemen who put the suspect in this condition said they were merely doing "what had to be done."

Hat Tip: Many thanks, cripjak!

Pray for Spider-Man

Miscreants have stolen a Spider-Man statue from a comics shop in Seekonk, Mass. I really liked the store manager's fatalistic response:

"As a collectible or something to try to sell, it really didn't have much value because of the wear and tear on the thing," he said. "I'm assuming it's in somebody's basement, or in a field somewhere full of bullet holes."

Suspect went on mini crime spree during court recess, police say

In Vernon, Conn., a defendant decided to make the most of a court recess: He drank some booze, broke into cars parked outside the courthouse and tried to sell a stolen GPS device to its owner, the Hartford Courant reports. He was taken into custody.