Crime Blotter: Woman Nailed for Polly in a Bra

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Crime Blotter: Woman Nailed for Polly in a Bra

Updated 10:03 AM ET December 2, 2005

A Florida woman learns that smuggling Polly in your bra doesn't always get you a better cracker; a convenience store clerk faces jail time for falling asleep on the job; and an admitted DVD thief is tripped up by his own pants. "Crime Blotter" promises to never lull its readers into a snooze and always give them something to squawk about.


Polly Wants a Parrot
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Polly may want a cracker but a Florida woman is in trouble for allegedly padding her bra with a stolen rare parrot and attempting to peddle it for a vintage car.

Police say Jill Knispel, an employee at Baby Exotic Birds of Englewood, stole a Greenwig parrot from the store and hid it in her bra. She then allegedly tried to trade in the $2,000 bird for a vintage 1964 Kharman Ghia automobile and, according to officials at the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, bragged about her theft to the car owners.

Unfortunately for Knispel, the car's owners knew the parrot's rightful owner and they contacted authorities.

"The circumstances of the case are the most bizarre I've ever encountered," said veteran wildlife investigator Lenny Barshinger. After DNA tests confirmed the parrot's identity, Knispel was charged with grand theft. She was held in Sarasota County Jail for under $1,000 bond.


Clerk Arrested After Falling Asleep on Two Jobs
MERRIMACK, N.H. -- A convenience store clerk apparently picked the wrong time to fall asleep on the job.

New Hampshire police went to a 7-Eleven in Merrimack on Nov. 14 after a customer reported that no one was minding the store. When they arrived, authorities said they found Sammer Gandhi asleep in the back office, with a quarter-pound of marijuana spread out on the desk counter with a scale and a smaller bag of pot. Police said Gandhi, 19, was packaging the pot for resale.

Gandhi has been charged with marijuana possession with intent to distribute. Maybe he should have had some coffee beans next to him in the back office.


Alleged Thief Caught By the Seat of His Pants
FERNDALE, Mich. -- A good strong belt -- and a better getaway vehicle -- might have kept a DVD thief out of the grasp of Michigan police officers.

Police say James Green, 30, stole several DVDs from a store on Oct. 30 and initially tried to make his getaway on a bicycle. However, when officers found him in an alley, he abandoned the bike and attempted to get away by foot.

Green's only problem was that his sagging, baggy jeans got in the way. His pants fell to his ankles and tripped him.

Police said Green kicked off his pants and shoes and jumped a fence into the backyard of a house, where police apprehended him.

Green has pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and retail fraud and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.


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