Digest

This segment of the Small Town Dicks podcast delves into the aftermath of the burglary case involving Mark and Andy. Detective Dan shares that Mark, despite being caught, showed no remorse and continued to lie about his actions, even going so far as to post negative comments about Dan on a local Facebook page. In contrast, Andy seemed more contrite and apologetic, suggesting that he was primarily motivated by fear and Mark's influence. Dan believes that Mark's criminal tendencies stem from a compulsion and that he is likely to re-offend. The conversation also touches upon the importance of home security, highlighting the need for preventative measures like motion-activated lights and security cameras. Dan emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the police, even if it seems minor, as it can help prevent crimes from occurring. The episode concludes with a reminder to secure firearms properly to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Outlines

00:00:00

Introduction

This Chapter introduces the Small Town Dicks podcast, featuring Detective Dan, Detective Dave, and Paul Holes. The podcast focuses on real crime cases investigated by detectives, offering a personal account of their experiences. The episode's case involves Detective Dan investigating two burglaries in Small Town, USA.

00:03:28

The Burglary Report

This Chapter details the initial burglary report taken by a community service officer from Gene and Dorothy, who discovered their house had been burglarized upon returning from a trip. The stolen items included a quilt, TV, jewelry, silverware, guns, and a spotting scope. Dan explains the role of community service officers in their department and how they handle initial reports.

00:06:50

Dan's Investigation Begins

This Chapter focuses on Dan's initial investigation of the burglary. He prioritizes cases based on severity and suspect information. He learns that Gene and Dorothy's son, Cliff, visited pawn shops and discovered some of the stolen property. The pawn shop employees confirm that a man named Mark pawned the items but refuse to disclose his name. Cliff finds Mark's Facebook page and identifies him and another man, Andy, in a photo shooting guns. Dan uses this information to identify Mark and Andy as potential suspects.

00:13:01

Confronting the Suspects

This Chapter describes Dan's confrontation with Mark and Andy at their house. He identifies himself as a detective and asks to speak with Mark. Mark is evasive and closes the door behind him, raising red flags for Dan. Dan advises Mark of his Miranda rights and begins questioning him about the pawned items. Mark initially denies pawning anything other than a knife, but Dan shows him a photo of him pawning a rifle. Mark admits to pawning the rifle and claims it belonged to his roommate, Andy. Dan then asks Mark if he went to any other pawn shops, but Mark denies it. Dan reveals that he knows Mark went to another pawn shop and Mark claims he doesn't remember. Dan then informs Mark that the knife and watch he pawned were stolen in a burglary. Mark claims he received them from a random tweaker.

00:19:03

Searching the House

This Chapter details Dan's attempt to search Mark's house. He asks for consent to search, but Mark refuses, claiming it's not his house. Dan explains that he has the legal right to search if Mark lives there. Mark then claims his roommates are not home and he doesn't want to have the police search without their consent. Dan assures Mark that he can refuse the search, but he wants to see how cooperative Mark will be. Mark feigns cooperation but continues to lie about the guns in the house. Dan asks Mark how many guns are in the house and Mark claims they belong to Andy and are in a storage room that he doesn't have a key to. Dan then asks Mark if he's willing to let the police search the house, but Mark asks if they need a warrant and lunges for the door. Dan grabs Mark and handcuffs him, detaining him.

00:22:31

Interviewing Dana

This Chapter focuses on Dan's interview with Dana, Mark's girlfriend. Dan separates Mark from Dana to prevent him from influencing her answers. He asks Dana if she's seen Mark show up at the house with any property in the last few days. Dana admits that Mark brought a flat screen TV to the house a few days ago, but she didn't ask any questions because she didn't want to know. Dana also expresses fear and tells Dan that Mark and Andy showed up with guns a few days ago. She reveals that the guns are in a storage room upstairs. Dana gives Dan consent to search the house, but only if Mark agrees. Dan gets Mark's consent as well and searches the house, finding the stolen television and shotgun in Mark's room.

00:29:01

Andy and Brittany Arrive

This Chapter describes the arrival of Andy and Brittany, Mark's roommate and girlfriend. Dan introduces himself to Andy and tells him that he wants to have a chat. Dan believes Andy is involved in the burglaries based on the statements he's received from Dana and Mark. Dan separates Andy from the others and questions him about the burglaries. Andy admits to helping Mark burglarize Gene and Dorothy's house, claiming that Mark was short on rent and needed money. Andy says that Mark went into the house and stole the items, while he helped carry them out. Andy also admits to pawning some of the stolen items. Dan then asks Andy about the guns in the house and Andy denies owning any of them. Andy starts crying and seems to realize he's in trouble. Dan learns that Andy and Mark met through their girlfriends, Dana and Brittany.

00:33:20

Andy's Confession

This Chapter details Andy's confession to the burglaries. Andy admits that Mark approached him about needing money for rent and suggested burglarizing Gene and Dorothy's house. Andy initially refused, but Mark went ahead with the burglary anyway and Andy agreed to help. Andy says that both he and Mark went into the house and stole the items. He describes the process of stealing the items and the multiple trips they made back and forth between their house and Gene and Dorothy's. Andy also admits to pawning some of the stolen items and confirms that he was with Mark when he pawned the knife and watch. Dan shows Andy a picture of the silverware and Andy confirms that he pawned it. Andy also admits to stealing guns from their other neighbor, Vince. Dan asks Andy about the guns in the house and Andy says they are in a locked room upstairs. Andy provides the key to the room and Dan finds the stolen quilt, guns, ammunition, and gun cleaning kits. Andy also admits to spending the stolen coins.

00:38:21

The Mystery Rifle

This Chapter focuses on the mystery rifle that Cliff says doesn't belong to his family. Dan tries to get Mark and Andy to cooperate and offers to write them citations instead of taking them to jail. He takes them to the police station to be fingerprinted and mugshotted. Dan then brings Gene, Dorothy, and Cliff to the police station to identify their stolen property. They identify most of the property, but there are some guns that they don't recognize. Dan continues to investigate and finds a necklace and earrings at a gold and coin shop. He calls Dorothy and she confirms that the earrings are hers. Dan also finds silverware, China, and a vase at a second-hand store. Dorothy then calls Dan and says that one of the unidentified rifles might belong to her husband. Dan takes note of this and continues to investigate. The next day, a patrol officer tells Dan that one of the rifles matches a gun that was reported stolen in a burglary at the house directly west of Mark and Andy's house. Dan realizes that Mark and Andy have lied to him again.

00:44:21

Vince's Burglary

This Chapter details the burglary of Vince's house. Dan learns that Vince reported the theft of four guns, including a muzzleloader rifle, a couple of shotguns, and another gun. Vince tells Dan that he saw unmarked cars and activity at Mark and Andy's house the day before he reported the burglary. Vince also tells Dan that he went to Mark and Andy's house to confront them about the stolen guns, but they denied any involvement. Dan checks his pawn shop database and finds that Andy pawned a muzzleloader rifle weeks before Gene and Dorothy's house was burglarized. Dan shows Vince a photo of the rifle and Vince confirms that it's his. Dan now has evidence that Mark and Andy are involved in another burglary. Vince tells Dan that he left his windows open because he didn't have air conditioning and believes someone crawled through the window and stole his guns.

00:47:22

Confronting Mark and Andy Again

This Chapter describes Dan's second confrontation with Mark and Andy. He goes to their house with other officers and tells them that they are going to jail. Mark and Andy deny any involvement in the burglaries. Dan asks Mark about the mystery rifle and Mark claims he got it from Andy. Andy denies ever having the rifle. Dan takes Andy to the backyard to talk to him in private. Andy claims he doesn't know where the rifle came from and Dan doesn't believe him. Dan asks Andy how many guns are in the house and Andy admits to having two more. Dan then asks Andy about the Facebook photo of him and Mark shooting guns. Andy admits that the photo was taken the day after they stole the guns from Vince's house. Dan reveals that he showed the photo to Vince and Vince confirmed that the guns in the photo belonged to him. Andy admits that the guns in the photo came from Vince's house. Dan asks Andy to start from the beginning and Andy confesses to the burglaries, admitting that he was drunk when he agreed to help Mark. Dan tells Andy that he's facing multiple charges, including burglary and theft.

00:52:00

The Crawl Space

This Chapter details Dan's search of Mark and Andy's house. Dan asks for consent to search the entire house, including the crawl space. Mark and Andy initially resist, but eventually give consent. Dan finds a sawed-off shotgun in the crawl space. Mark denies knowing anything about the sawed-off shotgun, but Dan points out that he directed Detective George to the gun. Dan then pulls Mark aside and asks him about the Facebook photo. Mark admits to lying about the photo and says it was taken a few weeks ago. Dan asks Mark where they went shooting and Mark describes a rural area that is known for both recreation and crime. Dan asks Mark what Andy told him about the burglaries, but Mark refuses to answer. Mark then tells Dan that his girlfriend, Dana, knows the truth about Vince's burglary. Dan takes Dana outside to talk to her in private. Dana denies knowing anything about the burglary and says she never saw anyone coming over the fence. Dana also expresses concern for Mark and says that she believes he's going to kill himself. She claims that Mark was just trying to provide for her when he committed the crimes. Dan suspects that Dana is lying and is trying to distance herself from the crimes. Dan goes back inside and talks to Andy and Mark again. They admit that there are guns in the crawl space and Dan finds two shotguns that match the ones in the Facebook photo. Detective George then tells Dan that Mark said there might be another gun under a mattress in one of the bedrooms. Dan lifts the mattress and finds a sawed-off shotgun. Mark had previously denied knowing anything about the sawed-off shotgun.

00:59:00

The End of the Case

This Chapter concludes the case. Dan believes that Mark was going to eventually sell all of the stolen items, but he doesn't think Mark and Andy were typical drug addicts. Dan suspects that Mark was going to keep the sawed-off shotgun for himself. Dan asks Mark and Andy if there are any other rooms that need to be searched and they agree to let him search a room with a padlock. Dan finds three marijuana plants and a grow light in the room. He also finds the Bushnell spotting scope that was stolen from Gene and Dorothy's house. Dan asks Mark and Andy about the stolen coins and they claim they spent them. Dan confirms that the coins were deposited into a bank and are now in circulation. Dan tells Mark and Andy that they are going to jail. He rips up the citations he had written for them and takes them to jail. After sending Mark and Andy to jail, Dan returns the stolen property to Vince and Gene and Dorothy. Dana calls Dan and tries to provide Mark with an alibi, but Dan tells her that it's irrelevant. Brittany also calls Dan and asks him to come back to the house. Brittany has broken up with Andy and Mark has moved out. Brittany tells Dan that they found a hunting knife in the backyard that was stolen from Gene and Dorothy's house. Dan confirms with Cliff that the knife is his father's. Dan also mentions that Mark posted a negative comment about him on a local Facebook page. The episode ends with Dan reflecting on the case and the challenges of dealing with dishonest suspects.

01:05:31

Aftermath and Reflections

This Chapter focuses on the aftermath of the case and Detective Dan's reflections on Mark and Andy's behavior. Dan reveals that Mark, despite being caught, showed no remorse and continued to lie about his actions, even going so far as to post negative comments about Dan on a local Facebook page. In contrast, Andy seemed more contrite and apologetic, suggesting that he was primarily motivated by fear and Mark's influence. Dan believes that Mark's criminal tendencies stem from a compulsion and that he is likely to re-offend. The conversation also touches upon the importance of home security, highlighting the need for preventative measures like motion-activated lights and security cameras. Dan emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the police, even if it seems minor, as it can help prevent crimes from occurring. The episode concludes with a reminder to secure firearms properly to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

Keywords

Q&A

• What was the outcome of the burglary case involving Mark and Andy?

  Mark and Andy were both arrested and charged with burglary and theft. However, they both received probation due to their lack of prior criminal records. Detective Dan believes that Mark is likely to re-offend, while Andy is more likely to avoid further criminal activity.

• How did Mark and Andy's personalities differ in their approach to the crimes?

  Detective Dan describes Mark as a liar and a proficient burglar who enjoyed committing crimes. He showed no remorse for his actions and seemed to view the burglaries as a game. In contrast, Andy appeared more contrite and sorry for his actions, suggesting that he was primarily motivated by fear and Mark's influence.

• What are some practical steps homeowners can take to improve their home security?

  Detective Dan recommends installing motion-activated lights and security cameras to deter criminals and provide evidence in case of a crime. He also emphasizes the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the police, even if it seems minor. Additionally, he advises homeowners to secure firearms properly to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

• What does Detective Dan believe is the root cause of Mark's criminal behavior?

  Dan believes that Mark's criminal behavior stems from a compulsion to commit burglaries. He suggests that Mark has a deep-seated need to engage in this type of activity, regardless of the consequences. This compulsion makes it likely that Mark will re-offend in the future.

• Why is it important to report suspicious activity to the police, even if it seems minor?

  Detective Dan emphasizes that reporting suspicious activity, even if it seems minor, can help prevent crimes from occurring. By being proactive and reporting any unusual behavior, neighbors can work together to create a safer community and deter criminals.

Show Notes