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Stupid Criminal of the Week

By TChris, Section Crime in the News
Posted on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 12:47:35 PM EST
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by TChris

An armed robber who stole a bag that a woman was holding while walking her dog was displeased to discover that the bag contained the dog's fecal droppings. Fortunately for the dog (and its owner), the disgruntled robber's gun didn't fire when he tried to shoot the dog.

"The guy got what he deserved, though," [the woman] said.

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    Stupid Criminal of the Week | 21 comments (21 topical)
    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 01:10:36 PM EST
    Something about this story stinks!

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 01:22:28 PM EST
    HaHaHaHaHa, that is too rich! I love the stupid criminal of the week post. No matter what heavy stuff is happening in the world it is good to have a moment to chuckle about how dumb some bad guys can be while committing crimes. Also, I am glad no human or dog was harmed in the crime.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 01:56:05 PM EST
    Talk about instant karma.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 04:51:21 PM EST
    Must have been a stool pigeon . . .

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 31, 2005 at 07:41:11 PM EST
    Now that is third world, and funny at that, but thank the gods for a bad gun.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 05:41:58 AM EST
    Too stupid to realize what is likely to be in a small plastic baggie in the hand of someone walking their dog. Too stupid to properly load and chamber his gun. Too stupid to live. Watch the papers. This guy will most likely die within the next 6 months when he walks into a liquor store with his unloaded/unchambered gun and gets his head blown off.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:15:32 AM EST
    hahahahaha. Love the stupid criminal posts. However, I have to say that I feel more compassion for this dumbass who is probably an illiterate crack-head than I do for the folks who are cooly and calmly ripping off our security and freedom.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:17:52 AM EST
    C'mon JustPaul. Don't you, like everyone else have a friend, relative or family member who has vast potential for ending up on this post? I remember as a teenager that one of the kids on my street robbed our corner store. He'll never live it down in that neighborhood and it wasn't a very bright idea. However I think he did grow up to be a reasonably productive member of society!

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 06:54:12 AM EST
    Mfox, Sure, I know several people who might just be this stupid. So what? They too are "too stupid to live". "Too stupid to live" isn't a judgement call, it's a statement of fact. This guy is going to get himself killed by doing something really stupid one day, probably one day very soon. I don't care of he's an "illiterate crackhead" as you put it (although I would be interested to know what made you make the leap from his being ignorant of how his own gun works to his being both illiterate and a drug addict - I think your personal prejudices just might be showing there). He's a dangerous criminal, albeit not as dangerous as he wants to be (but I'll bet he knows how to chamber a round now!) and he's just damn lucky that this woman didn't have a gun of her own and the will to shoot him. And I'm amazed that you say you have compassion for this guy at all. He pulled a gun on someone and by all appearances was willing to use it just because the woman had no money to give him. Do you think that if he had managed to shoot the dog and she still had no money to give him that he would have not shot her? If he had, would you still be talking about your compassion for this guy? IMO, your need to bring a bogus issue about security into what is a clear cut case of attempted robbery and dogicide is a clear indication you need to get your own priorities straight.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:56:29 AM EST
    Fair enough justpaul. I won't judge your condemnation if you don't judge my tad of compassion. Perhaps I'm way off, but I imagine "stupid" criminals as generally being misguided societal rejects who, in desperation turn to crime. I am of course subject to the accusation of stereotyping and admit I could be wrong. While I'm not a person of faith per se, I was educated in such ad nauseum. What I do like about Christianity is the idea that Christ lives in "those least among us". I just can't get all punative about a guy who can't even steal some dog poop. Perhaps he'll learn some better techniques in prison?

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 08:59:47 AM EST
    I'm not against people carrying guns and even shooting criminals, if they feel threatened. But, shooting a man, because he "stole" a bag of dog crap out of your hand. I think that lady would end up here, as next week's stupid criminal. A hypothetical question: Should stealing trash be considered a crime?

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 09:04:25 AM EST
    Soldier, I didn't mean to suggest that the woman would have been justified in shooting the guy for stealing a bag of dog poo. I meant she would have been justified in shooting him when he pulled a gun on her and demanded money. I'm pretty sure that even in the lunatice state of California that would be considered life threatening.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 09:07:41 AM EST
    mfox, I'm guessing you also had a lot of compassion for that lowlife who "committed suicide by cop" because he "didn't want to go back to Iraq"? Just because a would-be criminal does something stupid doesn't mean he's uneducated, or a drug-addict, or even of low intelligence. It means he f'ed up this time. For all we know this guy has been robbing people for weeks or went on to rob and/or kill someone else later than night. Christian or not, I belive your compassion is misdirected.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 09:24:57 AM EST
    The street value of a bag of fecal droppings is up to $50 in some cities, Philly for example. Some folks smoke any sh*t.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 10:01:28 AM EST
    Once again, Just Paul, can't argue with you. My compassion in this case may indeed be misdirected. I guess what my point is that there is not a big black and white line that separates "upstanding citizens" from "bad guys". And that everybody has a mother. IMHO there is a spectrum of behavior that can be labeled criminal or not depending on where "the State" draws the line. Similarly, I believe there's a spectrum of behavior that goes from "not a good idea" to "really f***ing dumbass". Confession: I'm a psychology researcher who studies the combined effects of "nature" and "nurture" on behavior. So I'll admit that my bias tends to be on the side of "most folks weren't born criminals" and most can be rehabilitated. My knee-jerk response is to get angry at those who claim your life is valueless and/or defined by your actions once you've strayed over/crossed. This is subjective morality, though, not hard fact. You are entitled to your opinion in this case.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 10:41:09 AM EST
    most folks weren't born criminals" and most can be rehabilitated. I can't imagine how anyone could disagree with that statement. If that's a bias, I share it.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:27:42 PM EST
    mfox what is your opinion of Stephen Pinker's ideas as can be found in his _Blank Slate_? (And somewhat in his _How the Mind Works_.)

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:52:23 PM EST
    Actually, I work in the same department as Steve Pinker. He just defended Larry Summers' comments at the recently held "no confidence meeting" Despite this, however, I agree with his basic premise that the brain is a biological organ that inherits some physical traits (like the size and quality of neural connections) that affect our interpretation of and resilience to environmental influences. Anyone who has hosted a litter of puppies or kittens can see "personality" differences from the time they are born (i.e., the aggressive/spunky one, the shy, fearful one). Now if we threw this litter of puppies in a pit and beat them with a stick everyday, some would survive to be vicious and aggressive, some might die. I haven't read his work through yet but support his basic premises above.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 12:55:09 PM EST
    BTW Mac - you have a very amusing home page to your website (I just wanted to be sure I wasn't talking to someone in the next office. If it adds to my credibility, I too am a Belhaven fan... and being of scottish decent, can tolerate the occasional bagpipe (I just picture Mel Gibson running towards me :) )

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Apr 01, 2005 at 05:47:42 PM EST
    mfox, justpaul- I AM that kid. Not the actual one, but very similar. My teenage years were a blur of endless parties, copious amounts of pot and other things, "wahoo"-ing Gasoline and Beer, hopping cars and just being an incredible waste to society. I had an epiphany of sorts when I realized I was 19 yrs old with no diploma and working at a car wash. I cleaned up, got a GED, scored a 30 on my ACT and took enough courses at a local community college to join the service. Note to anyone who ever wastes their opportunities in their High school years- If you score high enough on your ACT and do well at a community college, no major university will really care what your High School transcript says (at least not back in the late 80's). I was the ONLY soldier in anyones recollection to graduate the MI school in Ft Huachuca that did not have a High School diploma- I will say my "street smarts" carried me far in the Military and during my time working for the Gov't, but I do not recommend taking that path to anyone! I'm not one to cry over spilt milk, but I do wonder where zI would be if I had kept my nose clean as a kid- probably not still paying off school loans. but hey, I lived, avoided prison and any addictions, so alls well that ends well.

    Re: Stupid Criminal of the Week (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 04, 2005 at 04:46:48 PM EST
    OMG!! How stupid is he?! I can't beleive a criminal could be so foolish! This news is hilarious!

    Stupid Criminal of the Week | 21 comments (21 topical)