A man in the United Kingdom, who was wanted for car theft, found a unique place to escape the police and the crafty mond of the car thief has left the cops baffled. However, 18 year old Joshua Dobson was arrested by police and sent to jail.
When police in Manchester, England, arrived at a home in the Rochdale neighborhood to look for an 18-year-old fugitive car thief, they discovered an unusual sight. A massive teddy bear appeared to be “breathing” in the corner. The police also discovered their suspect, Joshua Dobson, inside the bear.
“Our neighborhood task force and divisional tasking team in #Rochdale could bearely believe what they stumbled across in search for a wanted man last month,” The Greater Manchester Police wrote on Facebook. “When we went to arrest [Dobson], our officers noticed a large bear breathing in the address before finding Dobson hidden inside!”
According to the Daily Mail, police had been looking for Dobson since May. The 18-year-old then allegedly stole a Mitsubishi SUV worth over $10,000 USD, gassed it up without paying, and drove away.
He evaded capture until July, when police searched for him at his girlfriend’s home in Rochdale. According to the Daily Mail, when officers arrived, they did a “double take” when they noticed a five-foot stuffed teddy bear breathing heavily in a corner — and discovered Joshua Dobson hiding inside.
This case has ended satisfactorily, if bizarrely, for the cops.
Dobson “is now stuffed behind bars after being sentenced last week for theft of a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified, and fleeing a petrol station without payment,” the Greater Manchester Police said on Facebook. “Hopefully he has a bearable time inside,” they added.
Dobson was also charged with stealing the Mitsubishi, driving without a licence or insurance, and stealing gas from a gas station without paying, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Dobson was also sentenced for crimes he committed earlier in March, such as stealing a Vauxhall Astra van, stealing a toolbox and two tablets, and causing criminal damage.
The 18-year-old was sentenced to nine months in a young offenders institution, according to the BBC. If Dobson has Internet access, he may discover that he has become the target of online mockery.
Users on Facebook reacted positively to Greater Manchester Police’s post about Dobson’s failed escape plan. “What a grizzly ending,” one user remarked. “I bet the officers couldn’t believe it when they found him,” another joked. Some claimed they had to check the date because they thought the cops were playing an April Fool’s joke.
Dobson may not have avoided arrest, but he certainly made headlines for his inventive — albeit ineffective — method of evading the cops. And it appears that police in Manchester have decided to take the incident in stride.
They continued to laugh about the incident on Facebook: “We certainly had a more than bearable time last week being able to bring one of the town’s thieves to justice!”
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