Story Archive

Drive-Thru Convenience

After a garage burglary in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the victim was able to show police security camera video of two men breaking in and stealing several items. Before the officer left, a man walked up to ask what was “going on.” The nosy man, Joseph Smith Jr., 22, looked familiar to the officer — from the security video he had just watched. Smith was arrested. The video had also shown that the burglars had hauled the loot away in a red pickup truck. Since Smith was still in the area, they looked around for the red pickup nearby, and sure enough, it was, and had several items from the burglary in the back. They called the truck’s owner, who claimed the truck had been stolen. He agreed to meet them nearby to file a report. Chris Miller, 47, looked familiar to the officers — the other guy from the security video. Miller was arrested. (RC/Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil) ...To outsmart the cops, you have to actually be smart.