If You Catch a Thief With Sunglasses...

I heard a good story at the Gas Station Chicken Store the other day. From the Man Owner. So it was kind of straight from the chicken's mouth. I was getting in line with my 44 oz Diet Coke, when Man Owner came around the aisle and greeted me.

"How are you?"

"Good. I thought I caught a man dumping sewage in our creek, but he was only taking water OUT."

"We caught a man stealing sunglasses the other day. I came around to check the soda machine, and saw a tag on the floor. I looked at the sunglasses rack, and a pair was missing. We pulled up the tape, and sure enough, he took a pair of sunglasses, snapped off the tag, dropped it as he got a soda, and put them on.

We checked the time, then the register tape at that time. He also bought $29 worth of gas. We have really good cameras. You can zoom in close. We got his license plate number, and called the police. They came and watched both tapes. They agreed it was the same guy, and that he stole the sunglasses.

When they ran the plates, the car came back STOLEN! We printed out a picture for the police to show around. They went down the road here, and asked the clerk at the long-stay motel if he'd seen the guy. He said, 'YEAH! He stays here.' So I guess they caught him."

"Heh, heh. All for a pair of sunglasses."

"Uh huh. I guess we'll hear about it sometime."

I told The Pony, "I guess that means once a thief, always a thief. If he could pay for $29 worth of gas, surely he could have afforded sunglasses."

"COULD HAVE, maybe. But if you steal gas, you KNOW they're gonna report it and come after you. He thought he could get away with the sunglasses."

Yeah. Just his bad luck that he stole sunglasses while buying gas in a stolen car, and while living nearby.

People aren't afraid to do the right thing here in Backroads. I hope nobody gets stitches...