Curses, Foiled Again
After three men stole a coin collection worth several thousand dollars from a home in Corbett, Ore., they redeemed the coins in a Coinstar coin-counting machine for about $450, according to Multnomah County sheriff’s deputies. The machine rejected about 500 silver quarters, which the suspects cashed in at a bank for face value. “The obvious answer,” victim Dan Johnson Sr. said, is “that the crooks were idiots.” Deputies identified one of the suspects as Johnson’s son, Dan Johnson Jr. (Portland’s KPTV-TV)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
Police identified Keith A. Rebori, 23, as their suspect in the robbery of a pharmacy in East Stroudsburg, Pa., after they found a backpack near the scene that matched the one a surveillance video showed the robber carrying. It contained the holdup note and Rebori’s birth certificate. (Pocono Record)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
David Sherman, 49, stole a DVD player from a Walmart store in Gretna, Neb., but didn’t get far because 24 Sarpy County sheriff’s deputies were in the store for “Shop With a Cop Night.” Some of the deputies escorting 75 underprivileged children spotted Sherman running from the store with the DVD player, gave chase and caught him hiding in a car. (Omaha’s WOWT-TV)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
Pedro Prieto and Yordan Llauger aroused suspicion when they tried to buy a Nissan Maxima in Austin, Texas, using 90 $100 gift cards. Police linked the pair to the theft of people’s credit-card data. (Austin’s KVUE-TV)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
After two men stole DVDs and computer games from a Target store in Madison, Wis., one of them accidentally pocket-dialed 911 with his cellphone. A dispatcher listened for 54 minutes as the men bragged about the heist, described their vehicle and discussed where to sell the goods. They agreed to try a video store, but by the time they pulled up, police were already waiting and arrested Jason S. Hamielec, 29, and Brian A. Johnson, 28. (Associated Press)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
Two thieves stole $500 worth of Christmas decorations from a lawn in Sweetwater, Fla., that included a Mickey Mouse on a horse, hugging penguins, Snoopy on a doghouse and Santa on a sled. Police arrested two women who lived less than a block away after victim Inrid Alemendarez notified police that she’d spotted those same stolen items on their lawn. (Associated Press)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
John K. Rosenbaum, 22, drove from Jacksonville, Fla., to Kingsland, Ga., to illegally purchase a black mamba snake. During the transaction, the venomous snake bit him, he later told Georgia wildlife officials. He was hospitalized and released but faces up to a year in jail and a $1000 fine. (Jacksonville’s Florida Times-Union)... Read more

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Curses, Foiled Again
After crashing his car into a utility pole in Albany, N.Y., Miguel Medina fled, according to police, who’d already been alerted because the vehicle was equipped with OnStar. Officers arrived in time to nab Medina, and charged him with driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident. (Albany’s Times Union)... Read more

Curses, Foiled Again
Police in Portland, Ore., found it worth their while to raid a residence for suspected drug activity after they received fliers advertising “Heroin for sale” that listed the dealers’ names and address. Lt. Robert King said officers who searched the home found nearly 20 grams of marijuana, more than 10 grams of heroin, a sawed-off shotgun, thousands of dollars in cash and materials for a methamphetamine lab. They arrested six adults inside the home during the raid. (Portland’s KGW-TV)... Read more