Sneaky Pete

[Faulkner]

I worked on a report and follow up investigation recently on a gentleman who lost his gun because he broke a cardinal rule in concealed carry . . . he took his gun off his person and left it unsecured.

The short version is he carries a Ruger 380 in a Sneaky Pete holster. Apparently, at times it gouges into his waistline, or as he put it to me, it pokes him in the gut. He and his wife were returning home from a trip and stopped at a local grocery store to pick up a few items before they went home. As the gentleman was pushing the grocery cart through the store, ol' Sneaky Pete got to irritating him so he takes it off and lays it in the child seat of the grocery cart. That's the last time he remembers seeing it until he missed it when he pulls up in the driveway at home.

In a panic, he zooms back to the grocery store where probably about 20-25 minutes had passed. The grocery cart is where he left it in the parking lot, but it's empty. He goes into the store and finds the store manager and (to his embarrassment) explains the situation. Manager checks, but no one has turned anything in. At that point he immediately contacts the police and since it's actually in the county we get the call.

I sat down with the gentleman to work up the report. He's no fruitcake, he's retired military and owns a small business. In visiting with him I determined he's a gun guy. He knows he screwed up big time and told me so. It was obvious he was ashamed at himself for making such a knucklehead mistake. Once I got the report information and his statement for the report I told him we would go check the store surveillance system and see what we could find.

I'd worked with this particular grocery store before and knew they had an above average camera system and their store manager knew how to use it. After a bit we were able to track the gentleman and his wife as they left the store, watched them load their groceries in their car, she moved the grocery cart aside, and as they drove off you could plainly see ol' Sneaky Pete still in the child seat on the grocery cart.

We continued to watch the video keeping an eye on the cart. About seven minutes later, after several people had walked within arms reach of the grocery cart, a woman who looked to be mid 30's walked by and obviously saw the item in the cart. She stopped and looked at it without touching it, looked all around, then reached in and snagged it and put it in her purse. I suspect she thought it was a cell phone. She then walked over to her car and got in and drove off. With a little more video detective work I believe we have enough information to identify her.

Even though the guy was already beating himself up over the issue, I told him concealed carry is a serious responsibility and he screwed up . . . carelessness can get someone hurt or killed. To his credit, he said he wasn't concerned about getting his gun back, he just didn't want to end up in the wrong hands.

[Leatherhead23]

So what's the plan after you ID her?

If she is found, does she HAVE to give it back or is it 'finders keepers, losers weepers?'

[Faulkner]

Originally Posted by Leatherhead23

So what's the plan after you ID her?

If she is found, does she HAVE to give it back or is it 'finders keepers, losers weepers?'

Good question. I'd like to hear some forum feedback before I reply.

[odman888]

Just waiting for the day I find someones pistol. So far only a holster for a Beretta 92.

[JCFindley]

If I found it I would call the police myself.

I have no idea what the law would require someone to do though.

Interesting story though and a great reminder that mistakes happen and you always have to be vigilant when carrying a firearm

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Good question. I'd like to hear some forum feedback before I reply.

Don't know what your local laws are but I would definitely make contact with her. It's not hers. She should have called 911.

[Lee Barner]

Faulkner, thanks. I just remembered while reading this that my EDC is still in my truck. had to take it off to go into a high school football game tonight up in KY. better go get it before I forget again. lee

[ChattanoogaPhil]

As a young boy, I was learnt that if ya find something you try to return it to the owner. Applying that moral code... if ya find a gun best take reasonable steps to find the owner else be afoul of the law.

As a young man, I was learnt that if you carry a gun keep it holstered and on your person.

[Ole Joe Clark]

It's like finding a billfold, you open it up and see if you can see a name to contact the owner. When she opened it and found it was a firearm she should have called police. That's the right thing to do, but it seems right is wrong and wrong is right these days.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

[Muss Muggins]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Good question. I'd like to hear some forum feedback before I reply.

Does your report identify the firearm as stolen, and is it so entered in NCIC?

[Lee's Landing Billy]

A County Cop here left his handgun in the bathroom stall at the Myrtle Beach Airport. I don't think he'll ever live that down...nor should he.

[gdc123]

ok please can you say what happened. its killin me slow.
i have to say very stressful situation all around. nascar drivers get into accidents, range officers have accidental discharge or negligent depending what side of the fence your on and so on. no excuses but it happens. hate to see the guy get into trouble. i dont belive he wears sandals and can walk on water. my 2cents.
by the way, my cc holster never comes off of me at all until i get home and when going to the restroom i have it between my legs.

[gdc123]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Well, I had a captive audience and his actions didn't deserve coddling.

i agree no coddling at all. i do agree with you.
but you know by your description of him he will beat himself up over it till the rest of time.

[Faulkner]

Originally Posted by Muss Muggins

Does your report identify the firearm as stolen, and is it so entered in NCIC?

Yes, it's our procedure to do so.

[arjay]

Does the finder have a history?

[Muss Muggins]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Yes, it's our procedure to do so.

Then I believe the "finders keepers" question has already been answered . . .

[6518John]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Yes, it's our procedure to do so.

Faulkner--you got me curious--I think tt's Theft of Property under AR law.

"(a) A person commits theft of property if he or she knowingly:

(1) Takes or exercises unauthorized control over. . . the property of another person, with the purpose of depriving the owner of the property[.]"

I just saw there is an enhancement to a Class C felony if it's a firearm.

I believe it's unauthorized control, whether one steals it from drilling a safe or out of a shopping cart.

[Mr Pokeyman]

This-
§ 3924. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake.

A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of theft if, with intent to deprive the owner thereof, he fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to a person entitled to have it.

Pennsylvania Crimes Code

[Jim PHL]

Follow up on the "finder": now it's in the system as stolen. Did she steal it? (It's stolen, but she didn't actually "steal it", did she?). If she knows she is not allowed to posses a firearm (underage, convicted felon or other reason) then I'm guessing she could face charges just for having it. What if she is legally able to possess a firearm? I think most of us would call law enforcement and turn it in (whether it was a gun, a wallet or "whatever") but I don't believe keeping something you found is illegal (firearms implications aside), is it?

[Budnjax]

When you wear an item like a Sneaky Pete, with "SP" in big letters it certainly would tip-off anyone gun-wise that you're carrying. I don't know what the particulars of the laws on concealed carry are everywhere but it raises questions which might well vary depending on where you are, such as: are you legally carrying concealed if the gun itself can't be seen but where a clearly-identifiable handgun holster is visible and there's a gun in it? My personal view is that open carry in most urban situations, even where legal, is a dumb idea. Why? Because many people freak out at the sight of a gun; carry a gun openly and you're saying to a bad guy or cop (who doesn't know you're a good guy) "shoot me first." Although I'm a 2nd Amendment absolutist ("shall not be infringed" PERIOD!) just because something is legal does not mean it's in your best interest to do it. In the situation being discussed, I would give all this information to the police and let them handle it. If your gun somehow ends up in the hands of a child or criminal and it's not reported you may be in a lot of trouble and end up spending thousands of dollars for your negligence. Fair? No, but that's the way it is in 2016 Amerika.

[Retired Chief]

In Illinois, this would be theft of lost or mislaid property. While state laws differ, in no state would this be "finders keepers". That doggerel only applies to items that cannot be positively identified (you know, no serial # or no individually identifying marks) or to something that has been abandoned. (Abandonment, of course, raises other questions, such as how long, or what actions indicate mental intent.) This weapon obviously was not abandoned, and even if no criminal violation by the "finder" exists, the civil law would call this an unlawful conversion (the conversion being that of ownership) and force the return to the lawful owner (or perhaps the state, if mislaying a firearm in a grocery store parking lot was some sort of violation of state law.)
What is most obvious is that your concealed carry method must be reasonably comfortable. If it hurts you to carry the weapon, you ain't doin' it right!

[JCFindley]

Originally Posted by Budnjax

When you wear an item like a Sneaky Pete, with "SP" in big letters it certainly would tip-off anyone gun-wise that you're carrying. I don't know what the particulars of the laws on concealed carry are everywhere but it raises questions which might well vary depending on where you are, such as: are you legally carrying concealed if the gun itself can't be seen but where a clearly-identifiable handgun holster is visible and there's a gun in it? My personal view is that open carry in most urban situations, even where legal, is a dumb idea. Why? Because many people freak out at the sight of a gun; carry a gun openly and you're saying to a bad guy or cop (who doesn't know you're a good guy) "shoot me first." Although I'm a 2nd Amendment absolutist ("shall not be infringed" PERIOD!) just because something is legal does not mean it's in your best interest to do it. In the situation being discussed, I would give all this information to the police and let them handle it. If your gun somehow ends up in the hands of a child or criminal and it's not reported you may be in a lot of trouble and end up spending thousands of dollars for your negligence. Fair? No, but that's the way it is in 2016 Amerika.

The laws obviously vary greatly from state to state. Arkansas is an open carry state so I don't think it matters if it is obvious or not there.

Concealed carry rigs are often somewhat obvious for those that know what they are but I doubt the general public or even the bad guys would know what most of them are.

I have been studying the Florida Firearms book by John H Gutmacher for a while now and our state has some odd rules like carrying while in a National Forest and engaged in hunting fishing or camping you can carry without a CWL but it must be concealed. (I find that rather bizarre.) The only time I personally would open carry (if legal) would be in the woods where I was more worried about animals than people thus making the FL law really counter productive. I agree with you 100% on the reasons for not showing you have a weapon.

[KSDeputy]

I went into the restroom at the Sheriff's Office, and observed a pistol hanging on the hook in the stall. I knew who had used it last, so I found him and told him he might need to go back and check the hook. Then he ran back and got it. Thanked me profusely, as we could get into a lot of trouble for that, sometimes the public could use that restroom if in the office making a report, being interviewed, etc. Anyone can make a mistake, but mistakes involving firearms are serious. I know that, my friend knows that, and the man in this story does as well. Thankfully my story ended well. I do hope this guy's does as well. I do not like Sneaky Pete holsters because of the SP on the outside. Any crook, gun enthusiast, or officer knows what it is. I carry in a Bianchi fanny pack with secret holster. They haven't been made for a number of years, but other companies make similar items, though not nearly as well made. Any peace officer knows what it is. I am a proponent of concealed carry. I carry a lot of extra gear in mine, extra loaded mags, badge, cuffs, and small flashlight. I would like to hear the outcome of this story, was the woman who took the pistol caught? If so what was she charged with?

[Bill Bates]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

I worked on a report and follow up investigation recently on a gentleman who lost his gun because he broke a cardinal rule in concealed carry . . . he took his gun off his person and left it unsecured.

And here lies the moral of the story: avoid taking off your gun and leave it unsecured. I worry about this when leaving my firearms in my car even when it is locked in a well secure car safe. It makes me so nervous that I never carry when going to and from work. Concealed carry where I'm employed, if discovered, will get you terminated. The thought of leaving my hand gun 12 hours in the parking lot just makes me nervous.

I also, cringe when a female customer asks for handgun small enough to carry in her purse. I always recommend against it but as the saying goes, "the customers is always right (even when they are not)."

I know what my wife does with her purse, at the store it goes in the cart. She has more than once left her purse sitting in the booth at a restaurant. In this old guys opinion it is the very last place a woman should ever put her firearm for concealed carry.

any that is my minor rant for the day...carry on.

[NYlakesider]

Originally Posted by KSDeputy

I went into the restroom at the Sheriff's Office, and observed a pistol hanging on the hook in the stall. I knew who had used it last, so I found him and told him he might need to go back and check the hook. Then he ran back and got it. Thanked me profusely, as we could get into a lot of trouble for that, sometimes the public could use that restroom if in the office making a report, being interviewed, etc. Anyone can make a mistake, but mistakes involving firearms are serious. I know that, my friend knows that, and the man in this story does as well. Thankfully my story ended well. I do hope this guy's does as well. I do not like Sneaky Pete holsters because of the SP on the outside. Any crook, gun enthusiast, or officer knows what it is. I carry in a Bianchi fanny pack with secret holster. They haven't been made for a number of years, but other companies make similar items, though not nearly as well made. Any peace officer knows what it is. I am a proponent of concealed carry. I carry a lot of extra gear in mine, extra loaded mags, badge, cuffs, and small flashlight. I would like to hear the outcome of this story, was the woman who took the pistol caught? If so what was she charged with?

Bolded above. A couple years back I was interested in a S.P. holster. In fact I was thinking of getting two different sizes.

Contacted the company and was "informed" that leaving their logo off was considered customization and we do not do customization. No problem two sales lost!




I also found a LEOs gun (model 60) in the outside bathroom of my buddies gas station garage. It was setting in the sink. The detective had a paddle held belt holster and took it off to facilitate business but forgot to put it back on.

We did the tune up and some other work for the town police and I saw who had left the gun. I called the cop shop and talked to a Sergent friend of mine and told him what happened. A couple minuets later I heard over the scanner Unit * stop at the garage and pick up a package. He cough a lot of semi friendly heck from the Sergent when he got back to the base but nothing on his file. That was the reason I asked to talk to my buddy there! He was a older cop and retired a year later.

[Mainsail]

The paradigm among most gun owners is that the law requires concealed carry be 100% undetectable in all body contortions, weather, and situations. The dictionary definition of concealed is "obscured from view" however.

Here in WA you cannot lose your CPL if you fail to conceal 'well enough' and there is no law for which a police officer can so much as detain you, much less arrest you, for poor concealment.

So why do people carry in ridiculous looking pouches like that?

For some of us we remember when concealed permission was difficult or impossible to get, and when we felt the need to carry anyway we made darn sure to conceal 100%. Some of that carries over and we have to remind ourselves that we're completely lawful in doing so.

Some feel it shows weakness to carry; they feel somewhat ashamed if someone finds out they carry. Gun carriers are kooks and paranoid, or so says the modern media, and some of us believe it just enough to make carry troubling.

Regardless of the reasons, there are far too many who try to justify their anxiety of concealed carry with justifications like, "I want to surprise the bad guy" or "The bad guy will notice it and shoot me/you first".

After over a decade of open, indifferent, and concealed carry, here are some rough unscientific estimates.

OPEN CARRY = maybe 30% of regular people even notice it.
POORLY CONCEALED CARRY = maybe 5% of regular people notice it.
GOOD CONCEALED CARRY = <1% would notice it even if you were bending at the middle.

Just carry in a good OWB holster. It's comfortable and concealed and means you'll be carrying a gun better sized for accurate shots, and will be in a serious caliber.

[Leatherhead23]

What if the 'loser' didn't have the serial number to identify it or report it as stolen?

[lrrifleman]

@Faulkner,

Thank you for posting this thread, I am very interested in the ultimate outcome. In years past, prior to becoming disabled, concealed carry was a distant dream. Now that I am disabled, I see it as a necessity, where I am legal. I am not an insecure person, but with 3 damaged limbs, I do believe that I telegraph my vulnerability. When traveling out of state, I carry when I can, especially when I transport my target equipment. Because it is critical that my carry arm is carried comfortably, I am very curious how this scenario evolves. I don't envision voluntarily removing a sidearm from my person, but you never know what will happen next.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Geeeesh...

Thread cleaned up.

[JamesArthur60]

It's reported as stolen, entered into NCIC, suspect is on video and can be identified, and has procession of said reported stolen firearm. It can't get much better for PC filing of criminal charges. File charges, pick up the defendant and let the judge make the final decision. You asked for opinions, that's mine.

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Originally Posted by Leatherhead23

What if the 'loser' didn't have the serial number to identify it or report it as stolen?

As long as he wasn't hiding the serial numbers for his gun pics on the Net, he could use his iPhone to log onto the forum and read the SN to the officer right there on the scene.

[Protected One]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

As long as he wasn't hiding the serial numbers for his gun pics on the Net, he could use his iPhone to log onto the forum and read the SN to the officer right there on the scene.

I see what you did there.

[kthom]

Whaddya mean the woman didn't steal the thing, as some one said earlier? Of course she stole it! She knew it wasn't hers. She demonstrated that knowledge when she looked around furtively to see if anybody was watching her and when she found none (except the eye in the sky), she grabbed it and stuck it in her purse out of sight and beat it to her car and took it home. She may or may not have had a clue what it was, but it was obviously something likely worth some money. Even if it wasn't worth any money, it was NOT her property! She apparently has made zero effort to report the item as something she "found" that someone else lost.

Finders only possibly becomes keepers after every effort possible has been made to locate the owner of the property and that has failed. I dunno the laws of the place where this happened, particularly in the case of a "found" firearm, but unless the woman wanted trouble, she would have logically immediately proceeded to take the item to the service desk of the store or asked for the manager and turned it in as found and described the circumstances. That would have been and always has been the RIGHT thing to do. Granted the fellow who was careless and left the "thing", anything, in the cart upon leaving the store was careless, maybe even considered negligent because it was a firearm. He may not have been guilty of a violation of law (I suspect there is a law that relates to what he did, even if it's vague and not always strictly enforced), but he was and is certainly liable for whatever may result from the use of that firearm after he allowed it to escape from his possession.

The woman ... she is not only culpable from a criminal standpoint, but also liable for whatever happens with that firearm from the time she took it into her own possession. Tell me this ... what if it had been a lady's purse sitting in that shopping cart? Or a store plastic sack full of items left behind. No doubt what it was, little doubt as to what probably was inside ... even possibly a firearm but certainly likely some money, credit cards, and/or car keys. Would it have been OK for the woman to grab it and beat it out of the store to her car and then home? Would that have been stealing? Most would say so. Some today probably might say, "Finders Keepers". She had a choice. Choices have consequences, both good and bad. The choice she, or anyone else made under the same or similar circumstances tells everything we need to know about that person's character. Sadly today, probably a majority of folks may have done exactly what she did. Being in the majority does NOT make what one does right! I think we all know what divides right and wrong here. But what each of us (or anyone else) may have done under the same circumstances would identify who and what we really are and what we stand for. There is and always has been an obvious difference between right and wrong. And getting away with something that is wrong doesn't make it right!

[SRT]

Once identified, the officer would have probable cause to seek an arrest warrant/arrest the woman pursuant to AR Code 5-36-105 (2014), "Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake."

Most states have similar statutes. It's not finders, keepers... It's a crime!

[fr3db3ar]

Originally Posted by Bill Bates

And here lies the moral of the story: avoid taking off your gun and leave it unsecured. I worry about this when leaving my firearms in my car even when it is locked in a well secure car safe. It makes me so nervous that I never carry when going to and from work. Concealed carry where I'm employed, if discovered, will get you terminated. The thought of leaving my hand gun 12 hours in the parking lot just makes me nervous.

I also, cringe when a female customer asks for handgun small enough to carry in her purse. I always recommend against it but as the saying goes, "the customers is always right (even when they are not)."

I know what my wife does with her purse, at the store it goes in the cart. She has more than once left her purse sitting in the booth at a restaurant. In this old guys opinion it is the very last place a woman should ever put her firearm for concealed carry.

any that is my minor rant for the day...carry on.

I was quite happy in my CPL class to hear the instructor tell people in the class that once they put a gun in their purse, it's no longer a purse, it's now a gun and you should treat it as such.

Sent from somewhere in the time space continuum

[66 shooter]

Hey we all make mistakes, as long as we learn from them. We Cops have all made some doozies during our time, most of the time we won't admit them though. Mine came as I was in the jail to book in a DUI, as I was locking my sidearm in the lock box in the sally port, my prisoner decided he wanted to fight the Corrections guys and we all jumped in. Long story short, after the fight we all went into the booking area and a short time later another Officer came in with the key to my lock box and handed it to me. Here when we went into booking, I had forgot to finish locking the gun box and take the key. Big hard lesson learned, never to be repeated again. Fortunately, I never heard anything more about the incident.

[ken158]

Take, steal,or carry away = larceny. Larceny of a firearm = felony.

[g8rb8]

1. Is there a serial #/sales receipt for the Ruger .380?
2. Does the surveillance video clearly show the woman who allegedly took the Sneaky Pete and Ruger well enough to identify her beyond a shadow of a doubt? Your initial description makes it sound as if the video clearly show her taking the item from the cart. Is it clear enough / enough evidence to file charges / arrest?

The variables from here forward are numerous depending on the answer to the above questions.
1. Woman who is on tape is found and she admits she took the gun and turns it over.
2. Woman is never found.
3. Woman is found and identifies herself as woman on tape but does not have the Sneaky Pete or firearm. "I lost it."
4. You're pretty sure you find the woman but not 100% sure and she does not admit to being at the grocery store parking lot.
4. Assuming no serial # / sales receipt, the woman is found, house searched, a Ruger .380 is recovered but she says she bought it from a dude off Craig's List. How do you prove it's the firearm taken from the scene?

My opinion is this is theft but you have to be able to prove a few things before you can charge / arrest the woman in the video surveillance.

[TX-Dennis]

She's definitely chargeable. Getting a conviction, on the other hand, may be difficult. It all depends on the vagaries of the judge and the jury.

[Faulkner]

Originally Posted by g8rb8

1. Is there a serial #/sales receipt for the Ruger .380?
2. Does the surveillance video clearly show the woman who allegedly took the Sneaky Pete and Ruger well enough to identify her beyond a shadow of a doubt? Your initial description makes it sound as if the video clearly show her taking the item from the cart. Is it clear enough / enough evidence to file charges / arrest?

The variables from here forward are numerous depending on the answer to the above questions.
1. Woman who is on tape is found and she admits she took the gun and turns it over.
2. Woman is never found.
3. Woman is found and identifies herself as woman on tape but does not have the Sneaky Pete or firearm. "I lost it."
4. You're pretty sure you find the woman but not 100% sure and she does not admit to being at the grocery store parking lot.
4. Assuming no serial # / sales receipt, the woman is found, house searched, a Ruger .380 is recovered but she says she bought it from a dude off Craig's List. How do you prove it's the firearm taken from the scene?

My opinion is this is theft but you have to be able to prove a few things before you can charge / arrest the woman in the video surveillance.

1. We have the serial number of the .380

2. The video clearly shows the woman enough to identify her.

[tlmetesh]

There's nothing sneaky about those holsters. To me, they scream, "GUN!"

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I wouldn't throw the person in jail just yet.

Ok... so I do my grocery shopping. After loading the groceries in my truck I notice a Sneaky Pete in a cart in the parking lot.

I see it has the initials JFK on it. I know the guy cuz I seen him at the gun club with it. Big fat guy with a huge "gut". I look around the parking lot for him. Must be gone. I grab the gun, get in my truck and turn on the air cuz I don't want the frozen stuff melting. I've got the grocery store's phone number in my iPhone because I call now and then to check on a prescription. I call and tell the girl in customer service what's up. I leave my phone number for when the guy comes back looking for his gun. She says fine. I drive off. I call the gun club pres. Pres says he knows his name and will call him. Pres gets distracted with a customer at his shop.

Meanwhile... the guy discovers he's lost his Ruger and races back to the grocery store. The girl at customer service only worked a half day and has already gone home. She didn't tell anyone about it before she left. Cops show up. They look at surveillance tape. The guy doesn't recognize me but the video is good enough to get my plate number.

Cop arrives at the door (he's my neighbor). Phil, I understand you've been running around stealing guns in parking lots. Yup, that's me. Look, I got one right here. We both chuckle. Ring ring... the club pres called the guy with the gun and it's him on the phone thanking me.

End of story... no one goes to jail.

[JohnSW]

Originally Posted by Mr Pokeyman

This-
§ 3924. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake.

(being silly) It's not theft. It's just The Universe compensating the finder for the things that he/she has lost in the past.

[Protected One]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

I wouldn't throw the person in jail just yet.

Ok... so I do my grocery shopping. After loading the groceries in my truck I notice a Sneaky Pete in a cart in the parking lot.

I see it has the initials JFK on it. I know the guy cuz I seen him at the gun club with it. Big fat guy with a huge "gut". I look around the parking lot for him. Must be gone. I grab the gun, get in my truck and turn on the air cuz I don't want the frozen stuff melting. I've got the grocery store's phone number in my iPhone cuz I call now and then to check on a prescription. I call and tell the girl in customer service what's up. I leave my phone number for when the guy shows back up looking for it. She says fine. I drive off. I call the gun club pres. Pres says he knows his name and will call him. Pres gets distracted with a customer at his shop.

Meanwhile... the guy discovers he's lost his Ruger and races back to the grocery store. The girl at customer service only worked a half day and has already gone home. She didn't tell anyone about it before she left. Cops show up. They look at surveillance tape. The guy doesn't recognize me but the video is good enough to get my plate number.

Cop arrives at the door (he's my neighbor). Phil, I understand you've been running around stealing guns in parking lots. Yup, that's me. Look, I got one right here. We both chuckle. Ring ring... the club pres called the guy with the gun and it's him on the phone thanking me.

End of story... no one goes to jail.

Well...at least me know your imagination is still active!

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Originally Posted by Protected One

Well...at least me know your imagination is still active!

But ya know... these type of things aren't too far fetched. I bet some guys here with badges have true stories that are far crazier than that.

We have yet to hear the Paul Harvey from Faulkner. Who knows... maybe the story has some unexpected twists and turns.

[Protected One]

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

But ya know... these type of things aren't too far fetched. I bet some guys here with badges have true stories that are far crazier than that.

We have yet to hear the Paul Harvey from Faulkner. Who knows... maybe the story has some unexpected twists and turns.

I see what you did there!

[arjay]

Originally Posted by JohnSW

(being silly) It's not theft. It's just The Universe compensating the finder for the things that he/she has lost in the past.

Consider that stolen!

[Faulkner]

Originally Posted by arjay

Does the finder have a history?

Originally Posted by ChattanoogaPhil

But ya know... these type of things aren't too far fetched. I bet some guys here with badges have true stories that are far crazier than that.

We have yet to hear the Paul Harvey from Faulkner. Who knows... maybe the story has some unexpected twists and turns.

Things do take a slight twist.

In an attempt to gather information to identify her, a more detailed review of the surveillance video while she was in the store has revealed clear evidence of shoplifting perpetrated by the lady who a short time later picked up the Sneaky Pete.

[gdc123]

Originally Posted by Faulkner

Things do take a slight twist.

In an attempt to gather information to identify her, a more detailed review of the surveillance video while she was in the store has revealed clear evidence of shoplifting perpetrated by the lady who a short time later picked up the Sneaky Pete.

Dun....dun....dunt....plot thickins

[ChattanoogaPhil]

sneaky shoplifter...