When hiding, make sure to take a selfie—you know, for posterity

Bangor Daily News, ME, by Ryan McLaughlin

A man Somerset County Sheriff’s deputies had been seeking in connection with a January burglary at a remote sporting camp made it easy for police to arrest him after he posted his hiding location on Snapchat.

The public contacted Somerset County Sheriff’s Office, according to a posting on the department’s Facebook page. Corporal Richie Putnam and Deputy Ron Blodgett searched the house to no avail, but another Snapchat posting by the suspect revealed he was hiding in a cabinet and that police were looking for him. Again, police received several phone calls about his latest Snapchat post

.A subsequent search of kitchen cabinets led police to the suspect, and he was removed and placed under arrest.

Mind the wind with pepper spray…unless you’re inside

The Associated Press

Michael Kevin Meadows of West Virginia entered a pharmacy wearing full camouflage and a paintball mask. The would-be robber began spraying pepper spray in an effort to take down employees, shortly before walking into the cloud himself.

Meadows staggered out of the business and got into a vehicle before being apprehended.

It’s getting hot in here

The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), by Ron Gallagher

An arrested man being taken to the Wake County Detention Center set the back seat of a Zebulon police cruiser on fire while handcuffed and locked in the car.

Eric D. Timberlake had been arrested on robbery and other charges. Officer Andrew Collins was driving Timberlake to appear before a magistrate at the detention center in Raleigh when Timberlake was able to start a fire in the police car.

“It’s the first time I have ever heard of a guy setting fire to a car that he was handcuffed and locked in the back of,” Hayworth said.

Collins had searched Timberlake for weapons or drugs before putting him into the back of the 2014 Dodge Challenger, the chief said. He found a cigarette lighter, which had not been considered a weapon, and put it back into Timberlake’s front pocket. 

“The policy is changing as of today,” Hayworth said, and lighters will now be taken along with weapons or drugs.”

Collins had seen Timberlake squirming in the back seat but couldn’t tell why. When Collins saw the fire he pulled off the road, called for backup, and put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher.

Timberlake was not burned, and a Wake County sheriff’s deputy took him to the detention center. The arrest warrant for the incident charged Timberlake with burning personal property, a felony, and misdemeanor assault on a government employee.

The case of the rookie carjacker

Contra Costa Times, by Rick Hurd

A California man who allegedly tried to steal another man’s vehicle at gunpoint eventually gave up the attempt because he couldn’t drive a stick shift.

When the male owner of the vehicle entered his vehicle, only to find another man in the passenger seat, Concord (Calif.) police Lt. Tim Runyon said the suspect pointed a handgun at the victim and demanded he be taken to a nearby undisclosed location.

The suspect then demanded the vehicle owner’s money and forced him out of the car. But when the suspect tried to drive away, he abandoned the vehicle because he couldn’t operate a standard transmission.

“Is there anybody in there?” “Yes, and I’m stuck.”

The Associated Press

A central Indiana man who hid inside a wall in his home to avoid arrest had to be rescued by firefighters after he became wedged next to its chimney for more than a day.

Steven Shuler was trying to avoid arrest on a probation violation when he squeezed down a narrow hole in the attic floor next to the chimney in his home.

Morgan Township Fire Chief Miguel Ongay said Shuler had to stay in his 16 inch-wide hiding place for more than a day because he couldn’t climb out. A visiting friend found him on a Tuesday morning and called firefighters to retrieve him.

Ongay said he had never encountered anything like that in three decades on the job.“

It was a special kind of stupid. This is one of those jobs where you think you’ve seen it all and then somebody tops it,” he said.

Some wanted felons up and post exactly where they’ll be…like this guy

The Associated Press

A fugitive was caught after he made a post on Facebook inviting friends to join him at batting practice.

Caldwell, Idaho police officers showed up at the softball field after seeing the post on social media and arrested 22-year-old Joey Patterson, who was wanted on a felony warrant for violating his probation on a fraud case. 

Caldwell Police Sgt. Joey Hoadley says “even fugitives can’t keep from updating their Facebook status, and it leads to some great arrests.”

What a load of crap

The Associated Press

The Des Moines Police Department responded to a report of an attempted burglary around 4:45 p.m. Upon arrival, a man told police someone broke into the driver’s side door of his truck sometime last month.

According to a police report, the person who tried to steal the truck checked the bed of the vehicle and grabbed what turned out to be “a bag of dog feces.”

Police say they haven’t identified any suspects in the crime, but that he or she could face third-degree burglary charges.

Sometimes they need to take a rest—before being under arrest 

The Associated Press

A would-be burglar got sidetracked by snacks and a comfy place to snooze when he couldn’t resist heating up some tater tots and taking a nap on the sofa of the house he broke into.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that a homeowner went downstairs to find the man asleep on her sofa.

The woman rushed to her bedroom, called police, and then ran out the front door. She woke up the man, who fled out the back.

The man is being held on $30,000 bail and has a criminal history, including arrests for drug and weapons possession.

Looks like he picked the wrong car

The Associated Press

Prince William County police said a northern Virginia man was impersonating an officer when he was pulled over a car being driven by a real cop.

Twenty-seven-year-old Shawn Michael Robinson was driving a white Crown Victoria close behind the off-duty officer’s car around 1 a.m. The real officer pulled over when Robinson turned on a spotlight attached to his car.

Robinson then pulled alongside the officer’s car and then sped off when the officer identified himself.

Police later issued a warrant for his arrest and Robinson turned himself in. 

“Not all drug dealers are the smartest people in the world”

The Palm Beach Post, Fla., by Jim Hayward

Note to alleged drug dealers: Make sure the person you text looking for drugs is in your address book. When a Port St. Lucie man sent a series of text messages in a search for “green,” they ended up mistakenly going to a Martin County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigator.

The texts to Capt. Brian Bergen began with: “Wanna smoke so bad u have any green?”

The man apparently misdirected his text, thinking Bergen was a pot-smoking acquaintance. Bergen kept the conversation going through text messages, later offering to sell him cocaine.

The suspect, William Lamberson, 29, agreed to meet at a pool hall nearby. When he arrived to find narcotics detectives instead of his friend, he was confused.

“Not all drug dealers are the smartest people in the world,” Bergen said.