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| Be savvy about small towns if you’re going to steal in one |
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The Back Forty
By Roger Pond
Living in a small town has its advantages. We may not have all of the shopping and cultural events they have in the city, but there’s a certain amount of comfort in walking down the street and knowing everyone you meet.
Some people can’t handle this. These folks expect to go out into the country and retain all of the anonymity they enjoyed in the city. A good example is the man who robbed a bank in Oregon. This fellow didn’t understand small towns.
The first thing the robber did was walk up to the bank and put on his mask. That might work in the city, but it’s all wrong in the country. If you are going to rob one of these little banks, you should put on your mask before you leave home. They are going to see you coming, anyway.
Then, this robber left the bank and compounded his earlier mistakes by stopping a man on the street to ask where he might catch a bus. The man he asked for directions was the bank manager’s son!
The young man called his mother on his cell phone. “Hey Mom, there’s a guy here looking for a bus. I was just wondering if he might be the guy who robbed your bank?”
The police nabbed the thief while he was looking for the bus stop.
A similar thing happened to four guys who robbed the bank in Riggins, Idaho, a few years ago. A Riggins business owner told me these fellows robbed the bank and headed north on Route 95.
There are only two ways out of Riggins: north and south. These boys entered from the south, so it just seemed natural to head north and see some new country. Then, they realized the cops might be looking for them on Route 95, so they took a forest service road to the east.
Being new to the area, these fellows didn’t realize a forest service road doesn’t necessarily go anywhere. This one dead-ended about 30 miles later. So here they are 30 miles from nowhere (which is not far from Riggins), with no place to spend their newly acquired fortune.
These fellows compounded their problems by getting stuck in the snow – and that’s where the police found them two days later. Two of the desperadoes were extremely happy to get caught, and the other two were cowering nearby. One was hiding behind a tree branch, and the other was trying to look like a bush. Everyone could see their hearts weren’t in it.
I’m not sure what we can learn from all of this. We might conclude it takes some time to adjust to a rural area. And, if you plan to escape on the bus – make sure there is a bus!
Readers with questions or comments for Roger Pond may write to him in care of this publication. |
| 9/8/2010 |
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