Weโve heard of some strange crimes in our day, but one that just occurred in a township in Michigan had us wondering if it was possibly the most dangerous of the yearโฆ Canton Township Police were dispatched about a week ago to a Home Depot because a man was caught shoplifting โ this according to a filed police report. Now that sounds pretty typical โ unfortunate, but typical as far as police reports go regarding shoplifting. What caught our attention were the specifics. Turns out the โmanโ who was not named (letโs hear it for crack journalism) attempted to shove three saw blades down his pants before exiting the store. Now I donโt know about you, but that just screams โdangerโ in my opinion. And how did he know which was the best 12-inch miter saw blade and thus worthy of the effort in the first place?
Smuggling Saw Blades in Your Pants
The storeโs loss prevention officer (itโs unfortunate that we live in a world where these guys are needed) told police he saw the man
conceal three saw blades in his pants before trying to leave the storeย through the garden area. Now, I pictured these as being 7-1/4โณ circular saw blades for several reasons. One, itโs rare to see recip saw blades sold in single packsโฆ Two, the price of the blades ($40 each) indicates these were circular saw bladesโฆ and three, the story is simply more funny if you picture a guy trying to walk out of the Depot with three Irwin Weld-tec or Freud blades jammed into his pants.
As youโd expect, Police arrested the man on charges of third-degree retail fraud. The three saw blades, representing nearly $120 stayed at the store. Weโre a little surprised the cop on duty didnโt claim they needed the saw blades asโฆ umโฆ evidence. Until the trial he could keep them safely installed on his table or miter sawโฆ
Whatโs the weirdest crime story youโve heard regarding tools? Let us know in our forums or on our Facebook page.
