TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION

Sometimes, when people find out I'm a writer, they ask, "So, where do you get your ideas from?" Call me weird, but I like to browse the sheriff or police log in my local paper. The advantage of living in a small town is:

1. Rush hour traffic is rare
2. You run into people you know all the time at the post office, grocery store, library, coffee shop.
3. Crime is minimal

And the criminals are stupid. Seriously. Truth is stranger than fiction. You can't make this stuff up. 


Like the guy who recently stole a bunch of stuff from a store , and when chased by the police, ran into Starbucks and locked himself in the bathroom. Now, anyone who's a frequent customer of Starbucks, like I am, knows that their bathrooms don't have windows. There's one way out of there—through the door. Talk about painting yourself into a corner! It must have been one of the easiest nabs for our guys in blue.


Then, there's the guy who shoplifted from the grocery store, and tried to make his getaway in a...wait for it...motorized shopping cart. Yep, you know what I'm talking about. The sit-down cart with the basket in the front that goes putt putt down the grocery aisle at two miles per hour. And when the cop walked up to him, and told him to get off the cart, he leapt off and attacked the officer! Now, he's charged with shoplifting and assault. Go figure.


If this doesn't end up in a play or story somewhere, it was at least good for a few hearty chuckles.