2011 Dumbest Criminals
Dumb criminals 2011- Dumbest criminals of 2011, From beat-down muggers to wannabe superheroes to inept shoplifters, 2011 brought us a never-ending supply of dimwitted crooks. While we wait to see what hijinks 2012 will bring, let’s take a look back at some of the dumbest offenders of the past year.
Holiday tradition?
When: Dec. 4
The story: A 66-year-old man in Georgia told police he was partaking in an annual holiday ritual when they nabbed him for firing a shotgun near a shopping mall.
Wrong place, wrong time
When: Dec. 2
The story: A 22-year-old man was nabbed trying to steal video games at a Wal-Mart in Maryland.
Mugger picks wrong victim
When: Dec. 2
The story: A wannabe mugger ended up beaten and shot after an attempted carjacking in Chicago.
Social networking addict
When: November
The story: A burglary suspect in Georgia left a trail of evidence – including his car, keys and wallet – but it was another action that sealed the deal.
Sad vampire fan
When: Nov. 19
The story: An 18-year-old woman in Illinois told police she had a very good reason for driving drunk and crashing her car.
Fake doctor caught
When: Nov. 18
The story: A transgendered woman in Miami was arrested after a “patient” ended up in the hospital.
Trespassing couch potato
When: Oct. 30
The story: A burglary suspect in Oregon told his side of the story (what did he say?) after he was caught watching TV on someone else’s couch.
Very wrong number
When: Oct. 18
The story: A 61-year-old woman in Mississippi was nabbed after cops say she called and texted them to set up a drug deal.
‘Heroin for sale’ sign
When: Oct. 18
The story: Police raided a Portland, Ore., home (what did they find?) after a
Facebook post leads to drug bust
When: Oct. 17
The story: Police showed up to a 38-year-old man’s house in Illinois after he posted a fictitious story (what was it about?) on Facebook.
Fleeing Wal-Mart
When: Oct. 12
The story: Police said a young couple fled a Kentucky Wal-Mart (why?) but left something very important behind. Sadly, this isn’t the first time this has happened.
Topless high-speed chase
When: Oct. 11
The story: A 28-year-old woman is accused of leading Ohio police on a high-speed chase (watch the video) wearing not much more than a G-string. Get the latest news on her case.
Thieves steal nearly empty cash register
When: Oct. 10
The story: A Florida woman is accused of stealing a cash register that turned out to be worth more than its contents.
‘Filtered’ bank robber
When: Oct. 10
The story: A man – apparently forgetting about surveillance cameras – robbed a bank using a common household item to hide his face.
Underage designated driver
When: Oct. 8
The story: An allegedly drunk Michigan man was arrested after police found his daughter behind the wheel of his van
Drug deal gone wrong
When: Oct. 6
The story: A 35-year-old North Carolina woman was charged with selling drugs (which one?) after police said she set up a drug deal via text with the wrong person.
Churchgoers get a surprise
When: Oct. 5
The story: A 23-year-old Louisiana man told police he paraded a skimpy piece of women’s clothing (what was it?) to win a bet.
Nabbed by the lunch lady
When: Oct. 3
The story: A Texas student was accused of giving a friend phony bills (what is the charge?) to use in their high school cafeteria.
Not playing around
When: Sept. 25
The story: A 19-year-old Florida woman who unsuccessfully held up a convenience store with a toy gun was foiled by a clerk’s quick thinking.
Botched beer run
When: Sept. 21
The story: Three teens in California acted more like the Three Stooges when they tried to snatch a case of beer from a store.
Asthma-induced robbery?
When: Sept. 20
The story: A trail of beer cans and a K-9 unit led South Carolina police to a blood-soaked man who said he’d been assaulted.
Left empty-handed
When: Sept. 20
The story: Police say a 21-year-old Kansas man broke into a store and rode off on his bike, but didn’t quite get what he was after.
Dog walking and driving
When: Sept. 16
The story: A Colorado dog sitter was charged after shocked fellow drivers said they saw her leading a small dog down the street while driving her car.
Pet-washing burglars
When: September
The story: A Georgia man returned from a trip to find intruders had made themselves at home while he was gone.
Man calls cops on prostitutes
When: Aug. 31
The story: A Kansas man reportedly called police because he was upset about the escorts who showed up to his motel room.
NASCAR nudity
When: Aug. 27
The story: Tennessee racing fans got an eyeful when a nude 27-year-old man ran through a crowded parking lot wearing nothing but a smile.
Wannabe gangster nabbed
When: Aug. 24
The story: A 24-year-old Wisconsin man – who has since been linked to other crimes – was arrested on several charges after police say he tried to bribe them (for how much?).
Clown robbers fooled
When: Sept. 24
The story: Two men dressed as clowns who robbed a Colorado jewelry store (watch the video) probably weren’t laughing when they got home.
Woman denied salon treatment
When: Aug. 22
The story: A woman was charged with intoxication and assault (what is she accused of doing?) after she was refused a bikini wax at an Iowa salon.
Bad babysitter
When: Aug. 17
The story: A 23-year-old Florida babysitter was charged (with what?) after police caught her putting an 8-month-old baby in a dangerous situation
Sleepy suspect
When: Aug. 14
The story: Three men allegedly were burglarizing a New Jersey restaurant when police caught them in the act.
A tall tale
When: June 4
The story: A 22-year-old Connecticut man found in the woods near his abandoned car told police that he’d been assaulted.
Caped crusader
When: May 11
The story: A wannabe Batman was arrested when Michigan police caught him trying to scale a building late at night.
Wrong side of the law
When: March 30
The story: An Ohio man was caught on tape taking an item right from a judge’s bench.
Not-so-smart bank robber
When: March 20
The story: Pennsylvania police said a bank robbery suspect made it easy for them to find him after he made off with the cash.
There’s an app for that?
When: March 12
The story: A 21-year-old man was charged with a felony after Idaho police said he tried to pull over another car.
Funny money
When: March 10
The story: A Florida man accused of trying to pay with a fake $20 bill reportedly told police he created it on a printer he bought at Wal-Mart.
‘C’ is for crook
When: March 3
The story: Police said a Florida teen shoplifted $1.19 worth of cookies and tried to eat them before they could arrest him.