Crime & Safety

Weird Crime: Scammers Aplenty Involving Fake iPads, Fake Money

A round-up of odd and unusual crimes in and around the St. Louis area.

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Computer Tablet Scam Ends With Man Grabbing $800 From Woman

A woman withdrew $800 from an ATM machine after being approached by two men on a QuikTrip parking lot in Hazelwood and said they were selling iPads and other electronic equipment. She led the men to a nearby supermarket where she withdrew $800 from an ATM machine. She then walked back to their car where they told her to take a box from the back of the car that supposedly contained the iPads. Instead, the boxes contained two picture frames that were made to look like iPads and another box that contained a wooden cutting board. Yet another box was filled with bubble wrap and a USB cord. During the transaction, one of the man grabbed the woman's $800 and fled.

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Another QuikTrip Parking Lot Business Deal Goes Bad

A Craigslist transaction between two men on a QuikTrip parking lot in Fenton  ended badly Oct. 27 when police arrested the buyer who paid the seller with four fake $100 bills.  Police said the men agreed to meet and complete a transaction at QuikTrip where a seller was to be paid for four automotive tires.

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Man Drops Off Friend at Grocery Store; Drives Grandma's car to Utah

A Wentzville man drove his friend to the grocery store June 28 in O'Fallon, MO, in his friend's grandmother's car. Instead of waiting for the friend to finish shopping, the Wentzville man decided to drive to California. He made it as far as Utah, where he was arrested.

Hail-Damaged Car Has Resale Value - Three times

A North County man received an $8,000 check from GEICO Insurance after the company determined his 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix was a total loss as a result of hail damage. The man sent GEICO the title, but did not turn over the car to the company. Police said the man then sold the car to an acquaintance, but did not turn the title over to her. The car later was reported stolen in St. Ann. The man ultimately located the car and sold it again to a third party, according to police. He was charged Oct. 10 with stealing  motor vehicle.

Stranger Danger; Another QuikTrip Connection

A man was standing in a sports bar in St. Peters when a total stranger slugged him for no apparent reason and then fled. The patron said he did not know his assailant, had not spoken to him and had never met him before. Police did not have a description of the attacker and had no way to identify him. A bartender, however, who witnessed the assault, also observed the attacker return to the bar and called police. Police ultimately caught up with the man about a block away in a QuikTrip parking lot.

This Was Nowhere Near a QuikTrip

Someone opened the valve on a 2,000-gallon vat of beet juice Oct. 30 at a business in Arnold, spilling 1,600 gallons of the stuff on the parking lot of Scott's Power Equipment and on a nearby street. Although MoDOT sometimes uses beet juice to spray on roads during icy, slick condition, Scott's uses it to partially fill the front tires on the tractors it sells as a stabilization component. Who knew?


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