Mannequins' Ill-Advised Move: 5 Craziest Crimes of the Week

Also: a car theft foiled by high tech
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 9, 2016 5:21 AM CST
Updated Dec 9, 2016 8:58 AM CST
Mannequins' Ill-Advised Move: 5 Craziest Crimes of the Week
A screenshot of the "mannequin challenge" video that got its mannequins in hot water.   (YouTube)

A bad choice in video-making and a firefighter who thought he'd beat the system were among the crime-blotter items making headlines:

  • Mannequin Challenge Does Not End Well: Alabama police arrested two men after they were alerted to a particular "mannequin challenge" video making the rounds on Facebook. It shows at least 22 men pointing at least 19 guns at each other outside of a home in Huntsville in what appears to be a mock drive-by shooting. This is not a good idea if you already happen to be a felon.
  • Firefighter Admits Unusual Scheme to Get Paid: A Cherokee man in North Carolina pleaded guilty to setting seven fires in order to get paid for putting them out. Part-time firefighters hired by the Bureau of Indian Affairs only get paid for the hours they spend fighting fires or doing maintenance on equipment afterward, and Raymond Swayney's scheme actually worked—for a while.

  • Bald Thief Sentenced for Appropriate Crime: A 36-year-old Florida man pleaded guilty to stealing Rogaine from drugstores all over Ohio, but he apparently wasn't taking it for his own use. Dubbed the "Balding Bandit," Andres Arias would fly from Florida to Ohio, rent a car, drive to various CVS and Walgreens locations, hide Rogaine—as well as dietary supplements and weight-loss drugs—in his pants, then ship them to New Jersey for payment, authorities say. He's going to jail for his trouble.
  • Car Thief Foiled in Epic Manner: After a BMW was stolen in Seattle, the carmaker's corporate office was able to help cops track the vehicle, parked but still running in an alley—with the suspected thief taking a snooze behind the wheel. BMW also locked the doors from afar with the 38-year-old suspect inside, and police soon made an arrest.
  • Cops Nab Burglary Suspects, Unusual Accomplice: Police in Northampton, Mass., investigating a robbery in progress at a store in the wee hours quickly found two men and a live rooster in a nearby car. The men were arrested on breaking and entering and other charges, and the stolen property was recovered. The rooster was not charged, but why the men had the bird remains the million-dollar question.
Click to read about more crazy crimes. (More weird crimes stories.)

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