True Crime Tuesday: Puppy Love Edition

Weird Tales, September 1942
Given the news currently dominating the media, I thought it would be a nice change of pace for today’s TCT to take a less-violent stance.

First up we have Michael Williams, a man who will never be considered a criminal mastermind, but who at least maintains a certain sort of persistence.

(The following quotes are all from CityPages.com.)

According to Otter Tail County Court records, Michael Wayne Williams, 20, broke into a trailer home, allegedly with the help of two others, and stole a 32-inch Vizio TV, video games and an economy size pack of Hot Pockets May 28.

The stolen items were left in a storage unit overnight before Williams and one other person drove to Pawn America in Fargo and sold the TV for $125.

How was this hungry Moriarty caught?

Police cracked the case after Williams failed to dispose of incriminating snack-food wrappers.

Yet, his life of crime was not behind him. What could possibly bring him back into the game? Love.

Puppy love.

A man called Fergus Falls police around 2:45 p.m., reporting that he observed Michael Wayne Williams break into his home […] Williams allegedly kicked in a door and took a puppy from the residence.

Williams was located by police at a relative’s home. The puppy was recovered[.]

Unfortunately, Michael isn’t the only dog fancier in the news these days, as proven by this article from SeattleWeekly.com

By the sound of it, Douglas Spink, a man who once made a fortune selling fitness catalogues to gyms, didn’t think he’d have to worry about animal cruelty charges in Whatcom County.

This, despite the fact law enforcement there had collected piles of evidence to suggest he operated a bizarre bestiality farm out of Sumas, Wash, and has already convicted and deported one man because of it.

As Caleb Hutton of the Bellingham Herald detailed, “four stallions, seven large-breed male dogs and a cage full of 13 mice, each coated in a lubricant” were seized from Spink’s home[.]

[…]

The charges seek to ban Spink from owning animals for life.

Ranch Romances, 1936