BellaOnline Forums News and Politics Crime Dumb Criminals Article

Hi everyone,

I wanted to lighten things up a bit so I posted an article about some very dumb criminals. Please feel free to click on the link below to read about these dumb criminals and hopefully it will bring a smile to your face. It did mine.

Also, please feel free to share any stories here that you may know or may have heard about with dumb criminals in action.

Dumb Criminals I

Liked your article, Vance. Your examples didn't have fatal consequences, but I was still reminded of the Darwin Awards in which criminal - and other - stupidity pays the ultimate price. This was a 2003 nominee:

Yeah, there are enough deaths regarding crimes so I just wanted to keep it a little lighter this week.

Vance, you often read stories about crazy criminals and the things they do that trip them up.

Here's one of my favorite stories.

Since it happened in 1994 when the IRA was in full bombing mode, probably stealing luggage from a railway station wasn't a really clever idea. Yet the thief grabbed the unattended bag and dashed off home with it. When he opened it, hoping to find something of value, he found a bomb! But no Darwin Award for him. He panicked, but was neither blown up nor felled by a heart attack. There was considerable chaos as the area was cordoned off and the bomb squad called. Then it was safely dealt with.

I have sometimes wondered what happened afterwards to the thief, and whether he stayed in the business or felt this was a warning to him to rethink his life.

Yeah, crime doesn't pay.

I need to pluck the eyes out of the back of my head. They never cease to amaze me, criminals, although I wish they would.

One of my favorite dumb criminals stories is that a man robbed a Circle K convenience store in Florida, some years ago. He laid a twenty dollar bill on the counter and asked for change. When he clerk opened the drawer, the man pulled a gun and demanded the money in the register.

The clerk handed him the money and the man fled, leaving the twenty on the counter. The criminal's take from the register? Fifteen dollars.

The are seemingly endless dumb criminal antics.

Here's one I found. Hmm...

In 1999, neighbors of Matthew McConaghey complained about some extremely loud music coming from his house.

According to reports, when the police arrived they found him dancing around in the nude and playing bongos, apparently due to a certain green plant.

The marijuana charges were dropped (it pays to be famous)but, he still had to pay the $50 fine for violating the noise ordinance.

It is amazing how celebrities like McConaghey and Justin Bieber get away with stuff like this. Heck, I remember when Bieber and some friends were throwing eggs at a neighbor's house and caused about 20,000 dollars in damage. At his celebrity roast, Bieber was asked how he could cause so much damage with just eggs and the comedian asked him if they were Faberge eggs.

You got that right Vance. The privilege of being a celebrity, but that can work against you at times too. Sometimes getting your way too much can be fatal, like for Michael Jackson.