Police in Madison, Wisconsin had little difficulty identifying the perpetrator of a crime. While a vacationing family from New Jersey posed for a picture in front of the State Capitol building, Glen Lambright stole the bag they'd momentarily left by a doorway behind them. Unfortunately, Lambright successfully got away with the bag containing the father's wallet. However, the family's picture had been taken using a self-timer to allow them all to be in the picture. Lambright was in the picture too. When the picture was shown to the police, Lambright was recognized and arrested. Not a picture-perfect crime.

Police in Gallatin, Tennessee had less difficulty identifying 20-year-old Dustin Matthew Marshall as the man who'd been accused of walking out of the local Wal-Mart wearing a new pair of jeans he hadn't paid for. It seems Marshall had left his old jeans in the dressing room and his wallet was in the back pocket of those jeans. Nevertheless, Marshall wasn't caught until later that night when a man and woman were reported leaving the Longhorn Steak House without paying the bill. Obviously, Marshall thought that the bill was taken care of – that crime pays.

Police in Lexington, Kentucky had the least difficulty identifying a criminal. After responding to a call about noise from a vacant house, 52-year-old David Hartsell, who had been in the process of stealing copper from the house, was caught running away. In their attempt to apprehend a second man believed to be involved in the crime, police searched the house from top to bottom. It was while the police were in the basement that the dry wall in the ceiling gave way and 36-year-old Charles Creech fell to the floor. Even lying on his back, Creech's life wasn't looking up.

Police in Capitola, California unfortunately weren't as lucky. They weren't able to identify the man who robbed a local bank. Allegedly the man demanded $20 and $100 bills from a teller before he jumped onto the counter, pushed the teller aside and took an undisclosed amount of money from the till. The police believed the robber was a transient in his 40's or 50's, but they weren't able to find anyone fitting that description. What they did find were witnesses who told them about a man who was offering $1,000 to anyone who'd give him a ride to Santa Cruz. It seems someone "let the money ride".

About the Author:
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word, news blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com