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http://community.webtv.net/crimefighter24/crimefighter     This Week's
Crime Stoppers Report with Mike Rowe
Sunday, September 28th
Credit Card Thieves Strike 87-Year-Old Woman
No one is safe from credit card fraud, not even little old ladies who
seldom use credit cards. Maybe that sounds like a cliché, but it's
true.
In all her 87 years Madonna Cowell has never faced anything like the
financial mess caused by someone stealing her credit cards. Madonna
Cowell, Crime Victim: "It seems like it's been so hard for me to get
things straightened out and I haven't done anything. I'm beginning to
feel like a criminal myself."
On August 21st, Madonna went to a Meijer's store on Cleveland Avenue.
While she was shopping for groceries someone stole her wallet.
Det. Gerald Milner, Columbus Police: "Generally as soon as a thief gets
a credit card, if they don't have someone lined up already to use the
credit card, they'll find someone quickly and they'll immediately begin
to use those cards." That's exactly what happened. Within hours thieves
went on a $3,700 shopping spree, stopping at Sears and JC Penny at
Polaris. And the woman police say did the shopping is pictured in a
security video. A blue van she might have used was spotted outside a
Kohl's department store, clues police hope will lead to an arrest.
As for Madonna, she looks forward to being able to enjoy her retirement
again. "It's a bad experience. But I guess I've learned a lesson from it
all. You've just got to hold on to that purse." If you can help catch
these credit card thieves, call Central Ohio Crimestoppers at 645-TIPS.
Sunday, September 21th
Bumbling Burglars Caught on Tape
Frustrated that their heist wasn't going as planned, two local robbers
caused quite a mess and left behind some entertaining surveillance
video.
A security camera was watching as two bumbling burglars hit this united
dairy farmers store on Maize Road. They headed straight for a money
machine, but they soon discovered it was too heavy to steal. Det. Gerald
Milner, Columbus Police: "They attempted to pull it from the wall.
Apparently they thought it was on rollers or something, so that wasn't
successful. "
So one of the men jumped on the counter and started grabbing cartons of
cigarettes. The other guy must have figured he was on candid camera, so
he tried unsuccessfully to hide his face with a towel. The one gentleman
had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth so he must have either needed
those cigarettes badly or was willing to risk capture to sell the
cigarettes.
What the thieves who robbed this store lacked in smarts, they made up
for with persistence. After he left the store, you can see one of the
men coming back to pick up some cigarettes he had dropped.
If you recognize the men who broke into the UDF, call crimestoppers at
645-TIPS. They're offering a reward of up to $2,000.
Sunday, September 14th
Man Shot in Broad Daylight
A shooting on the east side put a man on the verge of death. Police
aren't sure if it was just an attempted robbery or a case of mistaken
identity.
On August 19th, Andre Jones was walking down Lockbourne road near
Livingston Avenue, minding his own business, when he was confronted by a
man with a gun.
Still fearful about his safety, Andre asked us not to show his face. "He
just said don't run. Give me everything you've got right now." The
attempted robbery almost turned deadly. As shots rang out, Andre
realized he was hit in the chest. "All I could think was make it home to
my little brother, make sure I could see my mom if anything happened."
The shooting happened in broad daylight. Police have a description of
the gunman, thanks to a sketch drawn by the victim. He's between 23 and
24 years of age, with a small mustache and he has braids.
Andre spent ten days in the hospital. The bullet had missed his heart by
just of a quarter of an inch.
Det. Gerald Milner, Columbus Police: "It's obvious that this individual,
if he did this once and was so callous and open with this robbery and
this shooting, that he will more than likely do it again. If he hasn't
done it already."
If have information that can help solve this shooting, Crimestoppers is
offering a reward of up to $2,000. call them at 645-TIPS.
Sunday, September 7th
Wendy's Drive-thru Murder
The killer who murdered the night-shift manager at a local Wendy's is
still on the loose. Scott Knouf had worked for Wendy's for just six
weeks when he was murdered during an attempted robbery at this
restaurant on Karl Road.
Scott's parents are still in shock. Their son had his arms in the air
when the would-be robber killed him with a gunshot fired through the
drive-thru window. Craig Knouf, Victim's Dad: "This is just stupidity.
And there's an awful lot of anger in my case." Kris Knouf, Victim's Mom:
"I pray that he gets caught so this doesn't happen to anyone else. No
parent should have to go through this."
After wounding another employee, the gunman, dressed in black, fled to a
nearby apartment complex on Shanley Drive. There was a white car next to
the drive thru window as the gunman approached. Police hope the driver
of that car can identify the killer. Larry Brown, Columbus Police: "We
believe that whenever they saw him approaching with the firearm they
fled. We would very much like to talk to the occupants or driver of the
white car if they'd like to come forward."
To help catch the killer, Wendy's has put up a $10,000 reward to go
along with $2,000 offered by crimestoppers. "If anybody knows anything
that would help us solve this. I hope they would come forward out of a
sense of right. If the $12,000 helps them make that decision, that's
great."
If you know who killed Scott Knouf, call Central Ohio Crimestoppers to
leave an annoymous tip at 645-TIPS.