August 2007

Clackamas man assaulted by man on Craigslist:
A couple from Clackamas, Oregon were assaulted at their home when they arranged to buy a car on craigslist. They agreed to meet the seller in Portland but the seller never showed. When the couple returned home their driveway was blocked off with trashcans.

They had told the seller their home address during the initial contact and they had thousands of dollars in cash with them to pay for the car.

Not the brightest move on their part but I digress…

A guy in a ski mask jumped out and smashed out the car window causing some lacerations to one of the victims. Luckily that’s all the injuries their were and the couple escaped.

The best part?

The couple said they will shop again on Craigslist.org, but more cautiously.

Um…ok.

Suspect in woman’s disappearance leaves free on bail:
The most disheartening story about craigslist and crime is the story of Donna Jou.

The 19-year-old Jou disappeared back in June after leaving on a date for someone she met on craigslist. Now the main suspect in her disappearance is free on bail.

The prime suspect in the disappearance of San Diego State biology student Donna Jou is again free. John Burgess, 35, was released from Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles on Wednesday after posting $250,000 bail while he awaits trial on charges that he had failed to report his address to the state’s registry of sex offenders.

Now back in my dating years I was not above using the newspaper personals and in my later dating years the internet. However if I was dating today after what I’ve learned about the activities on craigslist I would never use it to meet people.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Donna Jou and hopefully she’ll be found safe and alive.

Cops warn of Craigslist scam:
The good people of Greenwood Village, Colorado are being warned by police to be on the look out for a craigslist real estate scammer.

Victims have inquired about a rental home through an independent real estate broker via Craigslist, identifying himself as Dan Reynolds (no relation, I swear), James Edwards, or James Forrest, police said.

Victims have met with the subject, typically at a Starbucks in or around the Denver metropolitan area, and have paid the suspect $250 as a retainer for a rental property.

The checks are cashed despite that the victims say they are told that the check would only be used if the owner approves them for the lease, police said.

The article has a police phone number you can call if you have any information.

Mistress Gorgeous and the BPD:
Jacob Rogers and Kara Rogers, aka Mistress Georgous, were arrested for running a house of prostituion out of their home. Undercover Boston police contacted them through an ad on craigslist where the criminal geniuses gave them their home address. Police promptly raided the house.

Through my family of websites we have an award we like to give out to criminals like this and The Rogers are the first recipients here at craigscrimelist. It’s the…

Woman Used CraigsList For Prostitution, Police Say:
The woman at left is 38-year-old Diane Bergeron. Busted for craigslist prostitution in Hollywood, Florida.

An undercover officer used the Internet advertisement allegedly posted by 38-year-old Bergeron to find her apartment.

The officer said Bergeron was put under arrest when she offered him services for a specific dollar amount and then disrobed.

She was also charged with battery on law enforcement. I wonder how that came about.

As Web Fuels Bike Thefts, Victims Turn Vigilantes:
This is a pretty interesting article about the problem of bicycle thefts in Washington D.C. and how the stolen bikes turn up on craigslist. It also tells the story about how one man took the law into his own hands to get his bike back. That part of the story isn’t as exciting as it sounds.

10News Investigates Craigslist Home Rental Scam:
Check out what happens when a local San Diego news station tries to confront a group of craigslist rental scammers.

After being confronted by the 10News I-Team, the group decided to leave.

They were in such a hurry to leave, their car struck I-Team photojournalist Michael Gonzalez.

“At the moment I was standing in front of the vehicle and I realized the guy was going to go, I moved out of the way and apparently he struck the camera guy and took off,” said witness Miguel Samaniego.

The incident could have been worse, but Gonzalez is OK.

Give that man a bonus. Or maybe some hazard pay.

Craigslist Apartment Scam Suspect Arrested:
Police in Austin, Texas have arrested Francisco David Garza. He’s been scamming college kids into renting apartments on craigslist. The problem is Garza didn’t own or rent the apartments.

A local real estate agent has some helpful tips.

“If you’re gonna sublease with somebody, you want to be very diligent about it,” said David Kline of Kline Properties. “You should ask to see their copy of their lease, and go and talk with the owner and make sure that the owner approves of the sublease. Anytime that you’re subleasing a unit, you are not going to be putting an additional deposit down. Your are not going to be putting additional rent down.”

Hartland woman arrested for prostitution:
Un unnamed 31-year-old woman from Hartland, WI was arrested for prostitution after offering sex for money to an undercover cop.

Hartland police were tipped off to the woman’s alleged prostitution after a detective with the Oconomowoc Police Department discovered an ad for the woman’s services on the Milwaukee branch of Craigslist, a popular local classified Web site, said Detective Adam Mueller with the Hartland Police Department. The ad allegedly offered hourly and half-hour rates for “peer pleasure” from a “real and serious” provider, Mueller said.

Here’s the part I don’t get.

The Hartland woman has not been charged with a crime and the case is under review by Waukesha County Assistant District Attorney Lesli Boese.

They must be really bored in Hartland to review a case like this for that long.

UPDATE: It turns out her name is Tonya M. Karimi and this isn’t her first brush with the law on these charges.

Man finds his stolen trailer on Craigslist:
Rodney Middleton, 37, and Michelle Perreault, 35, have been arrested by the RCMP after stealing a British Columbia man’s flatbed trailer and trying to sell it on craigslist. The victim recognized it on craigslist.

I bet that was the easiest arrest the Mounties ever had.

Ad on Craigslist leads to prostitution arrest:
I wonder if news editors are just copying and pasting that headline. It seems to be everywhere.

Anyway today’s contestant is 23-year-old Elizabeth Ann Schmidtke. Come on down!!!

BUFFALO GROVE–An advertisement on Craigslist.com led to the arrest of a Loves Park woman Tuesday for alleged prostitution in northwest suburban Buffalo Grove.

A Buffalo Grove police officer located an online ad that appeared to offer prostitution services in the area, according to a release from police. An undercover officer contacted the listed telephone number and was told to meet the female caller, later identified as Elizabeth Ann Schmidtke, 23, at the Extended Stay America Hotel at 1525 Busch Parkway, the release said.

During the course of their meeting, Schmidtke allegedly offered to perform a sex act for a fee. At that time, the undercover officer identified himself as a police officer, and placed Schmidtke under arrest. Schmidtke, of Loves Park, was charged with prostitution, a Class A misdemeanor, and also had an outstanding arrest warrant for failing to appear on a DUI charge in Winnebago County, the release said.

A hooker living in Loves Park? Who would have thought?