Creepy Suspect Blamed For Electronics Going Haywire

Crime is a constant feature of video games writing. Somewhere, someone is doing something illicit with them — sometimes comically stupid, sometimes tragic. Kotaku‘s Police Blotter is here to round up the latest in games crime. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

leads Slender in suspicious Man sighting

MASON, Mich. — Cops responding to a suspicious person complaint are looking for a “very thin male wearing a white hoodie,” who was standing in the bushes outside a residence while all sorts of electronic devices inside went haywire. The unidentified complainant said he was “on the phone and computer and playing Xbox simultaneously” when everything went crazy. “Volumes went up and down and channels changed by themselves.” Then, just as suddenly, everything resumed normal function. [Lansing State Journal]

Suspect Believed Armed and Fumble-Prone

VERO BEACH, Fla. — A homeless man accused of robbing a GameStop here has turned himself in to police; surveillance photos of the Oct. 12 robbery in question showed a suspect wearing a a New York Jets home No. 6 Mark Sanchez jersey. Cops say the suspect showed a clerk a gun stuck in his waistband as he demanded “an unspecified amount of cash. He’s facing one charge of armed robbery and two counts of grand theft. Sanchez has not appeared in any game for the 3-3 Jets after being benched in favour of Geno Smith. [Fox Sports and WPTV-TV]

Grandmother Blames Grand Theft Auto

SAINT-PHILIPPE, Quebec — The grandmother of a 13-year-old blames Grand Theft Auto V for the fact her 13-year-old grandson stole her car and led cops on a chase through a residential neighbourhood at 100 km/h. Relax, he was only doing 60 in American speed.

Police said the perp “looked eight or nine years old” when he was pulled over. He was charged with fleeing police. “The negative influence of a friend” and “family troubles” also were blamed, but they aren’t popular video games, so don’t be afraid. [Sun News, Canada]

College Star Credited With 26 Steals — Not the Good Kind

LAS VEGAS — One of UNLV’s rising stars was suspended in August and has now quit the team, after his involvement in the robbery of a friend’s apartment has become known. Savon Goodman allegedly stole 26 video games valued at almost $US900 from a friend’s apartment, in addition to expensive Nike sneakers and $US500 in cash. Goodman, a 6-6 sophomore, averaged 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds for the 2012-13 Runnin’ Rebels before allegedly going all Doug Gottlieb on his friend’s stuff. [Las Vegas Sun]

Predator “Paid” Victims in Games

KNOXVILLE, Pa. — Police say a 40-year-old man in this small town near the New York state border “paid” children under 16 in video games for sex acts. Michael McCoy Seaman, 40, is facing 15 charges, among them sexual abuse of children. Investigators said Seaman paid the boys with games “if they allowed him to photograph them naked or while having sex.” Parents on the street where the suspect lived said they had suspected something strange for some time, with kids “going in and out of,” his home constantly. [WPXI-TV]

Lots of strange things happen in the pages of your local newspaper or on the 6 o’clock news. If you see something, say something. To me, that is. I’d like to write it up. Remember: You need not reveal your identity.

To contact the author of this post, write to owen@kotaku.com or find him on Twitter @owengood.