At Home: Footprints in the Snow
Remember those tracking skills from your days as a scout? they’re helpful in a city setting too, though they may allow you to chase down and catch a quarry That’s quite a bit different than a rabbit or deer.
As Windsorite.ca reports, a thief was spotted after the victim’s neighbour heard a car door slam and ?[observed] a suspect stealing a bag from his neighbours? vehicle.?
When police responded to the scene, they noticed that the thief had left ?a single set of fresh footprints? in the newly-fallen snow. The police were able to track the suspect by following his footprints, which ?were walking up and down driveways and stopping at parked vehicles in driveways and on the street in the neighbourhood.?
The footprints led them straight to the suspect, who they discovered was carrying ?multiple items including several GPS units, wallet and identification, lighters and cigarettes? that he had apparently taken from various vehicles in the neighbourhood. He was placed under arrest for theft and possession of stolen property.
Clearly he’d never been taught about the importance of covering one’s, ahem, tracks.
Around the World: A Modern Jean Valjean
In Les Miserables, Valjean is arrested for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. In a case of life imitating art, a similar situation occurred in a Helena, Montana pizzeria?but with a much happier ending.
As NBCNews.com reports, ?[an] apparent attempt to rob a Papa John’s pizza restaurant in Montana’s capital went awry when the would-be robber — who was wearing a black hoodie with a red bandana covering his face — started to cry.?
Just after midnight, a man ?entered the restaurant . . . and gave the cashier a note demanding money.? But when the cashier began to give him the money, the would-be thief ?broke down and confessed he was doing the deed for his wife and child.?
After the thief told his story, the cashier gave him free pizza, wings, and soda, and the man left the restaurant quietly?leaving behind ?a large knife? that had fallen from his pocket during the conversation. The police are looking for a suspect that matches the man’s description, but are unsure whether charges will be brought, given the circumstances.