Burglary With a Turn Down Service

Here's one that didn't make the news...but it'll make you wonder, "What kinda world is this?"

An officer caught me in the parking lot of the police station, and said I have a story for you. Like always, that catches my "journalist" ears.

I spun around and said "Alright, I'm all ears."

He began to say he was working a burglary where someone had gotten into a house and shuffled a few things around.

"Sounds common," I thought... then the hook.

The officer said the victim reported the suspect not only broke in but made the victim's bed!

"WHAT!?"

Now that is one, "nice" burglar. I mean the crime, and being a victim of the crime is a bad deal, but come on, turn down service... that's something you don't see everyday.

I wanted to track this down to air it for you, but life changed directions quickly after the much debated Sayles Boulevard shooting.

So I figure, why not make this a "Blog exclusive."

Makes you think doesn't it.

BONUS:
This story you did see on the news, a shop lifter with an eye for hygiene. Police reports show a man walked into a North Abilene pharmacy and stole several packages of teeth whitening strips, and several power toothbrushes.

Okay, hold up... why?

I'm not sure, but it did add up to over thousand dollars worth of stuff.

Still you have to imagine the line up when this guy is caught:

Officer:"Number 3 step forward and smile."
Witness: "Yep, that's got to be him, look how white those teeth are! I'd recognize that smile anywhere."

Or as my boss joked, when I shared the report with the newsroom, "Look for any new dentists opening up in the area."

To which I threw back, "Especially, anyone operating out of the back seat of their sedan."

There ya go... a nice little laugh at some of Abilene's "Hardened" Criminals.

-Tim Johnston

Shooting in the middle of town

It's terrible what happened on Sales and South 14th. A young man was shot and killed in front of several witnesses and in the middle of town. When I drove up to the scene people were still in shock, and many were hugging and consoling each other in the street. It's never easy to see that kind of thing, no matter how many times I have seen it. The worst part was seeing the mother of Austin David, the man who was shot, consoling David's girlfriend, who was in the car with him at the time of the shooting.

Photos of Austin David shared by his mom

Here is what scares me about things like this. It happened at an intersection we have all driving thousands of time, and any of us could have been in that area at that time, and any of our families could have been there too.

I don't know if you have ever listened to a police scanner all day long, but here at KTAB we do, and when I here something like this, or a high speed chase, or a vehicle accident, I think, "Where are my wife and kids?" My wife is a stay at home mother, who enjoys taking the kids out and about while I am at work. They could be anywhere in town at any point in the day. If I hear a bad accident near my home, I sometimes call my wife to make sure they were not involved. If I hear a high speed chase, I call my wife to make sure they are not in the area. It's very scary to think that at anytime someone could make a bad choice that would affect others around them in what ever way. The people who witnessed yesterday's shooting may not have been hurt, but they saw what happened and those images will be with them for a long time. The families of both men involved have to be devastated, and I know people in Abilene are still shocked at what happened on our streets.