Hilarious Ways Criminals Were Caught

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2020, 6:20 pm

By:Tony Williams

1.Finding a Hit man in the Yellow Pages

The YellowPages has every number under the sun; at least that's what Phoenix resident Sharleen Bath thought. In 1990, the housewife,and mother of two, decided to hire a hit man so she could get some money from a person she wanted dead. She couldn't find a direct number for an assassin, so she decided to call a company named 'Gunsmoke, Guns for Hire;' thinking they would be able to help her. The company turned out to be an entertainment business, specializing in themed parties. The company's owner, Leigh Wilson, thought it was a prank and didn't take Bath seriously until she called two more times asking to speak to a hit man. She then decided to report Bath to the police. An officer pretended to be a hit man and arranged a meeting with Bath at a restaurant. After agreeing on a figure, Bath was arrested and later sent to prison.

2.Taliban Leader Turns Himself In for Reward Money

While in the southeastern province of Paktika, Taliban commander Mohammad Ashan noticed a plethora of Wanted posters, with his face on it, had been put up by the Americans. He assumed the posters were for some sort of scavenger hunt, and walked into an Afghan checkpoint; turning himself in for the $100 reward. The Afgan police quickly arrested him on the spot. When American interrogators showed him the poster and asked if that was him, he replied, "Yes, yes, that's me! Can I get my award now?"This should be a lesson to all criminals, that if you need money, and you're running from the police, you're better off finding a job at McDonalds.

3.Robber Gets Robbed & Reports it to the Police

Robber Mauricio Fierro got a taste of his own medicine when he got robbed. Fierro had just stolen a car when he decided to rob a Brazilian pharmacy in the same night. Once he left the store with the loot in-hand, he found that someone had robbed him of his newly stolen vehicle. Things went from bad to worse for Fierro from then on. While standing in the parking lot, another criminal came up behind Fierro and stole the cash he just swiped. Instead of going home, Fierro decided to go to the police and tell them he was robbed. Oddly enough, when Fierro showed up at the station, he ran into the pharmacist he had just robbed. He was taken into custody moments after, while the other two robbers got away.

4.Fugitive Asks Police to Scan his License

R.C. Gaitlin learned the hard way that it's better to just mind your own business. In 1988 Gaitlin saw a group of officers demonstrating their high-tech gear to local kids in the Detroit area.He decided to stop and observe the demonstration. The cops unveiled a new driver's license scanner and Gaitlin being the anxious volunteer that he was, offered up his license to be scanned for the demonstration.The scan revealed to the cops that Gaitlin had a warrant out for his arrest for armed robbery. So not only did the kids get to see a gadget demonstration, but they got to see a criminal get arrested as well.

5.World of Warcraft Addiction Leads to Arrest

Even a video game can help lead to an arrest. In 2007, Alfred Hightower was busted for selling drugs. Instead of paying for his crimes, Hightower escaped to Canada, but little did he know, the police were not going to give up. After speaking with Hightower's friends, Deputy Matt Roberson discovered that he had an addiction to the online game, World of Warcraft.And like any addict, Hightower couldn't stay away from the game even while on the run. Roberson sent a subpoena to Blizzard Entertainment, WOW's maker, to get information on the fugitive. After four months, Blizzard Entertainment gave the deputy Hightower's billing address, account information and IP address. Hightower was arrested and later sentenced to six years in prison.

6.Tattooing The Crime Scene On Your Chest

Anthony Garcia obviously doesn't know what being inconspicuous means. In 2011, the California gang member was convicted of first-degree murder for a 2004 shooting at a liquor store in Pico Rivera. Garcia initially got away with the crime, but he was picked up by police in 2008 for driving with a suspended license. Because he appeared to be an active member of the Rivera-13 gang, police took photos of his tattoos. These tattoos depicted the entire crime scene of the 2004 liquor store shooting.To put the final nail in his own coffin, Garcia confessed to committing the crime, to a couple of officers who were posing as gang members in prison.

7.Criminal Runs Into Police HQ

Why have the police run after you, when you can just run to them. Joseph Meacham was pulled over by the St. Louis police one night for driving drunk. He decided he wasn't going down without a fight and took off running. He was so focused on getting away, that he ran into the first building he saw, which turned out to be the St. Louis police headquarters. After running around the station like a chicken his head cut off trying to avoid the police, he eventually laid down on the floor and curled up into a ball.

8.Terrorist Builds a Faulty Car Bomb But Leaves Keys Inside

Faisal Shahzad probably can't even terrorize a cat, much less a country. In 2010, he came to America with a plan to blow up a portion of NYC. Shazhad purchased a cheap car, filled it with a bunch of explosives and attempted to set it off in Times Square. When the timer on the explosives went off, the car didn't explode. Though Shazhad had packed the car with explosives, he didn't set-up the elements to set off an explosion. To top it all off, Shazhad left the keys to both his apartment and getaway vehicle inside the temp car; making it easy for the police to track and arrest him.

9.Leaving An Insignia

Some criminals watch entirely too many Zorro flicks. For years crooks have been leaving their insignia or trademark at the scene of the crime. These types of criminals are proud of their work and want the world to know it. Most of the time, these criminals are caught without having to do much investigation. For instance, British teen Peter Addison thought it would be a good idea to vandalize a room by leaving his name on the wall. It didn't take long to apprehend the youngster, especially since his name is so "unique."

10.Empty Food Boxes

Criminals used to want to make a quick getaway, but not anymore. Robbers have become more brazen over the years. Committing a crime must be hard work, so why not order some food while you rob Joe Smoe's house? Who cares if your DNA will be left behind when you discard the remnants in the trash. Not to mention you've just given the police their first witness by having the pizza delivery guy see your face. In 2011, a Georgia man robbed 80 storage units and since it was such an exhausting task, he ordered a pizza. Only problem is, he left the pizza box, with his home address on it, behind. The police went to the address listed on the box and found all the items the perpetrator had lifted. To save the police some time, the criminal should have just written a note on the pizza box telling the cops to come get him.

11.Google Maps Caught You Red Handed

Criminals must curse the day that Google Maps was invented. In the olden days, people would have surveillance cameras to protect their home, but with Google Maps there's no longer a need for spending thousands of dollars on surveillance equipment. The 'Street View' function on Google Maps allows users to view every street angle imaginable. Two teens were caught and arrested after they robbed another teen of his bike and phone. The two "masterminds" committed the crime just as a Google photo car drove past.

12.Posting On Facebook

For some inane reason, criminals have to brag about their illegal activities. Some criminals just can't wait to log onto Facebook and Twitter to inform the world of their devious deeds. Some even go so far as to use the stole goods (computer, tablet, iPhone) to document their acts; unbeknownst to them most of these modern-day devices have a way of tracking the individuals' exact location. This is exactly what happened to Mexican criminal Maxi Sopo, who continued to update his Facebook page after being accused of bank fraud. Talk about 'hiding' in plain sight.

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