 Ladies and gentlemen the story you are about to hear is true the names have been changed to protect the innocent You're a detective sergeant You're assigned to bunco fugitive detail a pawnbroker tells you he suspects a swindle. He isn't sure Your job check it out The documented drama of an actual crime For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles police department You will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files From beginning to end from crime to punishment Drag net is the story of your police force in action Was Wednesday May 18 was cool in Los Angeles We're working the day watch out of bunco fugitive detail my partner's Frank Smith the boss is Captain Dillion My name's Friday. I was on my way into the office It was 755 a.m. When I got to room 38 Monk up your jitter Hi, Joe morning. You remember Fred Alpin. Oh sure. Hi Fred. Hi. Hold my own sign Well, what's new? I'm not sure maybe just wasting my time yours too Fred thinks he stumbled onto a con game Joe, all right. No look that way to me. Oh, well, what's the stain? Well, I was just telling Smith here Yeah, the fella came in last night a little guy. He was kind of timid probably never been to pawn shop before At least he wasn't a steady, you know, I could spot them straight off Yeah, I went upon a ring got a big green stone fancy setting all gimmicked up You know who man's ring real fancy though asked me what it was worth. What'd you tell him worth 20 bucks? Maybe 25 that what you told him now, you know, I can't loan full value. You know that Offered him five bucks. I would have gone up to ten of me to press me That's better a lot of brokers would give you take the five you kidding when all the pieces They're gonna have a hammer it started calling me a crook Said the ring was an emerald shouted screamed all over the place. It's an emerald He said a five thousand dollar emerald that hook of glass Are you sure you didn't make a mistake Fred? No, I ask you sorry Would anybody try to pawn a 5g emerald with me? I ask you Glass that's what it was green glass and nice setting though. What do you think Joe? The old diamond switch maybe could be sounds like the only difference is the color You get his name friend. Yeah, I asked him. He just shouted and carried on though He wasn't making any sense at all got his license Oh, yeah, he's parked right in front of the place got the number when he drove off thought you might want it Mm-hmm rode it out Put him a pocket He should be right here No, wait a minute. Oh, yeah, here it is a match for it on the inside You make it out. All right. Yeah, I think so we'll check it Uh-huh might be a good idea if you got right on it, huh? What do you mean? Well just before I left my place He stopped all I carrying on think it sunk in what I told him about the ring being no good Got real quiet, you know kind of like he was making up his mind about something. Yeah, ask me to sell him a gun Fred Alpin gave us a description of the man who had tried to pawn the ring We called our branch of DMV and asked them to check the license number They came up with the information that the automobile bearing that license was registered in the name of Garfield Hunt 221 North Selma Avenue, Hollywood 903 a.m. Frank and I do a lot to talk to him Well, I sure as a clear day. Look at those hills Joe. I read in the paper. You can see for 40 miles That morning Who are you what do you want? There's mr. Hunt here? No, no, he's not here. Well, he lives here, doesn't he? Who are you? I'm sorry, man. We're police officers Please that's right. This is my partner Frank Smith. My name's fight. Where is it? What's happening to him might have come inside be lily's your talk. Oh Yes, of course. Well, I forgot so for still made up slept down here last night So I'd be near the phone Thought he might call Somebody call your husband didn't come home. Never happened before I'm 37 years. Yes, ma'am. Just let me fold up that blanket so you can sit down Thank you You got any idea where your husband might have gone miss, huh? No No idea at all. What time do you leave? 935 looked at the clock as he went up the door Couldn't believe it. Not like God to go out that late usually in bed by 10. Yes, ma'am Promised me it only begun now Promised me be back by 10 30 for sure. I never heard a word from him after that not a word What do you suppose happened to him? Oh, we're sorry. We don't know miss, huh? Well, you must have some notion Sorry, we don't he said you wanted to talk to him just a few questions routine What about we'd rather talk to him you notify the police that he's missing? No, I didn't know what to do Figured you'd get in touch with me when you found him. Yes. I wasn't thinking very good. Never happened before Are there any friends he might be staying with relative? We don't know anybody else from Los Angeles. I see just moved out here last winter in Kansas Children have grown up settled Gar sold the business We moved out here Kansas winters can be pretty cold. Yes, ma'am. Your husband retired and he should be worked hard all his life deserves a rest And a little trouble with his heart last year. No, not a real attack. The doctor told him to take it easy Not Gar though Was not here two months before he got all restless and fidgety Couldn't take it sitting around the house Started up again in business. Yes We had a tailor shop back in Kansas Gar found a new business district opening up in San Fernando Valley Offer Magnolia Boulevard They were renting cheap. You know, right at the beginning wanted ten and Didn't do much business at first, but things been getting better. Well, Gar's a good tailor Lot more careful than most burnish trade young the days when There were You try to reach him there at the shop. I called last night three four times this morning, too Nobody You can find it. We'll do our best Yes, maybe I should have notified you last night. Yes, ma'am. I didn't know what to do Thought you'd get in touch with me if something happened better to call us first Then it might not happen Mrs. Hunt gave us a description of her husband. We advised her to make a formal report at the Valley Division. A local and APB were sent out 315 p.m. Patrol car unit 9L 7 8 reported hunted been found sitting in his car. The car was parked on Mulholland Drive Hunted readily identified himself. We asked the officers to bring him in for questioning Hi Joe Frank. Hi Pete. Here he is. Thanks for spotting for sure any time We'll sit down hunt What's now What do you want with me just like talk to you? That's all this Frank Smith. My name's Friday I've never been under arrest before not once well now. You're not under arrest now much hunt And what am I doing here? Why did those officers make me come with them? Well, you didn't go home last night your wife's been worried about you Well, I was going home when they found me wasn't any place else to go Sarah happened to have called she didn't call sir Well, how'd you find out you tried to buy a gun pawn shop over on Main Street? Oh What do you want the gun for I wouldn't have heard them. I just wanted my money back. I thought I could scare them That's all I don't know nothing about firearms thought maybe I could scare would you want to scare now? Who were they? Well, they said they was rent the store next to my said they were jewelers It opened up a valley branch for lasting world, you know the big jewelry store down down here, uh-huh cooks That's what they were out and out cooks went looking for murder this morning Back door to this door was open. You know the one next to mine. Yes, sir. Go ahead I couldn't find hide the harrow and the place was empty. That's a couple of fakes Had the windows soaked over so nobody could see what they were up to pound on some old boards making me think that they was remodeling How much money did they get from you? Not them exactly fellow working with them Must have been working with them only way it makes sense Well, I suppose you tell us about it, will you? He'd come into my shop the day before yesterday Oh, it was long about one o'clock in the afternoon call himself Norman. Chris. He said he was from Greeley Really? That's a town in Colorado where my brother lives city. He knew my brother had back there What do you want with you? Well, he claimed that I asked him to look me up. See how I was doing Probably didn't know it at all They must have told him them jeweler fellas. Uh-huh. I've got to thinking back Remembered I mentioned having a brother in Colorado one day when he was having lunch told him the town to really What happened then did he sell you the ring? Oh You know about that too. Well, you tried to pawn it didn't you? No, sir. Not really. I I just wanted to find out how much it was worth so that I could tell Sarah You know I was doing a surprise I figured that I'd give him another day before I tried to sell it Why'd you happen to buy it? Oh, I wasn't buying it outright. I was just lonely morning Told me had a chance to option some property out near Encino real bargain said he had to close the deal But 5 p.m. That same day you needed cash for a clincher. Mm-hmm had to get the money from Colorado That's what he said. He was afraid he wouldn't be here in time. He couldn't go to bank and have any credit in LA Needed three thousand dollars. He said that the five loan in the three. He'd give me back four thousand first thing the next morning All of me is ringing for security said was worth seven thousand easy that cost him more than that You hand the money over No, sir, not by a dime site home. I didn't have three thousand dollars. I told him straight out Said all I had was fifteen hundred my savings account. I guess I shouldn't have said that Very nuts it. He told me he might be able to swing it for fifteen hundred You'd have to go out there and see him in person said he'd come back. Did he leave them? No, we're not right away. I stopped him. I told him there was no point in coming back. I'm no jewel I said how do I know that rings worth seven thousand dollars told me to get it appraised while he was gone Told me to take it to any jewel. I wanted to seem like he Sure trusted me leaving a valuable ring like that Kind of sold me on him. Mm-hmm. I went next door to ask those fellas who said there was jewelers Place was locked up. So I figured they was still out to lunch Mm-hmm. I figured maybe they was in the Stuck store down on the corner and see if did you find them up there? Yes, sir What they say about the ring perfect That's what they said one of them put a gadget up his eye look through a You know what I mean? Yes, sir. I know Perfect animal worth ten thousand dollars. That's all in it acted like they thought it was mine Offered to buy if I wanted to sell I told them about the other fella But he needed three thousand dollars. I told him a whole story. I did They said they'd loan him five without batting the line all but to make out a check right then and there And it took my win the way that was so anxious. I said, maybe we could go in fifty-fifty They put up fifteen hundred. I put up fifteen hundred that way the guy would have three thousand if he still needed that much It could both make it a little You know one of them asked me how I wanted to check should make it out to me I told them make it out cash. You remember how he signed it Jones Quincy Jones, that's the name I knew him by other one called himself Wyatt Tuesday Oh, I don't think that's a real name. Do you probably one of those? What'd you call it? Yes, sir. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's it. Well, anyway I went over to my bank and do out the fifteen hundred about 230 the public came back the one who gave me the ring Yeah, said he tried to talk the real estate people into being satisfied with fifteen hundred wouldn't come down Sisted on the whole three thousand. I told him not to worry that I had it Give him my fifteen hundred in the check. He said the check at the okay He seems hot was on a local bank. He promised that he'd pay me back the next morning. That'd be yesterday Yes, sir. And when he didn't show up, I wanted to make sure just how much it was worth the ring Mm-hmm case something had happened to it case. He didn't come back for it. That's why I went to the pawn shop Over me five dollars But I know the pawn shop Couldn't believe McPherson was just glass hunk of glass Then a great light broke on me How I'd been pranked All of a sudden it comes Well, why'd you stay out all night? Why didn't you go home? Well, you see your sir, I I couldn't face her Sarah. I knew I'd been swindled $100 every set that we'd say in my 37 years It was Sarah's money, too Not just because she's my wife They helped her in Well, we'll try and get it back for you, Mr. Hunt. Ah I've watched the show for 37 years. Is it? That's what I kept thinking while I was sitting in my car up there in the hills All day long this kept being $1,500 I'll I'll have to tell I want Well, sir, I think that's up to you She'll know it anyway, she'll know something's wrong Too late to start all over It won't happen There's not a chance Have what sir another 37 years We continued to interview the victim Garfield Hunt He gave us descriptions of the three suspects the stats office came up with 24 possibles We showed the mug books to her he identified two of the photographs Ernest Wilcoxson and Paul Cleaver Hunt was positive that Wilcoxson and Cleaver were the man who had rented the store next to his and had pretended to be juror He was unable to find a photograph of Norman Chris the man who had sold in the ring We pulled the packages on Wilcoxson and Cleaver. They've both done time for burglary. They had not previously worked with a third person We call the lasting well jewelry company. They informed us that they were not opening a branch out in the valley We checked with the owners of the building in which Hunt had his tailor shop They told us the adjacent store had been rented on a weekly basis and that the renters had said they intended to use the space for temporary story a Local and an APB were sent out on all three suspects 513 p.m. Using the information from their mama sheets Frank and I began checking various places where Cleaver and Wilcoxson had been known to hang out 712 p.m. We went into the black parrot bar on south Broadway, and we talked to the bartender Not by them names they don't know well, maybe these pictures will help How about it? Yeah, they come in here once a while. Yeah, that's what we heard always come in together As far as I know ever bring somebody with them tall thin fellow about 30 blonde hair No, just two of them never seen him with another guy. I see what you want for you know how we can turn them up We ain't here now we can wait won't be in tonight. How do you know they got money? Well big roll the redheaded one was in yesterday Quincy Jones That's what he told me his name was done and running a tab he paid it up and full I had plenty left over All right, well as they're carrying a roll. They don't come to my place and put them expensive joints like down on the strip You know places like that when they blow in their loot they come back to me and start running up another tab I called them on it, but what can you do? This way I get some of their bundles You know where they live around here somewhere. I couldn't pin it down for you who could How bad you want to find out what do you mean? Who cost you drink you that thirsty for me girl over there in the corner booth of blonde. Oh, yeah She knows him been out with him a couple of times. I've seen him leave together. All right I'm just kidding about that drink. It's on the house for you guys in her too. No, we won't I will pay for hers It's up to you Good evening miss. Yeah, no, aren't you? Yes, ma'am place could stand for the new talent. Yeah, I'll move over. Thanks Thank you. What's the matter with this side? We're police officers. I Didn't like that Well, our school said I was gonna meet somebody new today, you know in the mine paper. Mm-hmm. It's a big cop You're your pick What'd that come from these guys? You shouldn't call them guys Jake. It's all about the lady a drink that makes him a gentleman from the gentleman That's what you should say. Oh sure See you're very good health gentlemen I Then what can I do for you? I'm at your service. The bartender says these guys are friends of yours I wouldn't say those pictures do them justice, but there is a resemblance. You know them with Matt We weren't formally interduce, but we've met me a lot of people in here not the best people in town Maybe it's not the best button town, but it's convenient. I work down the street. Uh-huh. You know where these men live Oh, you mean these two so-called friends of mine. Yeah Am I Well You ever hear of the North Cross Arms Hotel? Yeah. Well, I haven't been there with them, of course I'm not sure that's a residence, but Quincy was carrying a hotel key and one night it fell out of his pocket I think that was the name on the tag North Cross Arms. All right. Thank you. Thank you for the brandy. Don't mention Am I what do we owe you six bits? She makes good stuff There you go. Keep the change Looks like I got one decent break that's so them paying a tad today before you pick them up No, they didn't pay it. No, who did man named hunt The clerk at the North Cross Arms hotel told us the two men who resembled will coxson and cleaver were registered under the names of Jones and truesdale. He said they'd gone out for the evening He showed us up to their room 36 and we asked him about the suspect known as norman chris He told us he'd never seen anybody with will coxson and cleaver who answered chris description 248 a.m. Will coxson and cleaver returned to their room We took him into custody and drove him down to the city hall for questioning How many times you want to hear so we get the truth does hunt say he gave us any money? He never gave us a cent did he or no, we even paid his lunch tab a couple of times right always managed to have fumbler So is us a couple of lunches. He paid them back. What 15 hundred bucks buys a lot of lunches What 15 you got your share you've been spending all over town hunt say he gave it to us You still had over 600 bucks when we picked you up now where'd it come from hollywood park? Pick three long shots yesterday. You want the names of the horses? Where's christ? Told you before never heard of him. Who is he? The guy who worked the game with never heard of him. You want to take this rap yourself. What rap? Why'd you rent that store out in the valley store? We showed him your mug shots. The man you read it from he made you You want it in person? How about it? Guess I got us there. Yeah, we were gonna open up a bookie joint. Is that right? Yeah, we changed our minds looked the situation over decided might get a little warm out in the valley and cleared out Bookie joint, huh? That's right. Not a jewelry store. What are you talking about us jewelers Ernie and me? That's what you told hunt nothing of the kind laid it on the line told him We were bookies just between us. He was kind of pleased about it likes to play the horses himself Like the idea of being able to lay a bet so convenient. You're a liar Now look say maybe that's what happened to his money. Maybe he lost it on a nag come on Let's try it again. Now. Why'd you rent the store? You're gonna get the same answers same questions same answers is a waste of time We got plenty uh-uh 72 hours. That's all you got you can hold us on suspicion for 72 Then you can turn us loose unless you prove something we'll prove it how we didn't take any money from hunt Nobody says we did even him if he was a mark for this What's his name chris? That's right. How do you wrap us into the package hunt never saw us with him? Nobody saw us we'll find somebody 72 hours and you got to turn us loose. That's the law. That's right. We know the law Why'd you break it? We continued to question the suspects, but we were unable to break them down Thursday may 19th 7 45 a.m. Another team of detectives took over the interrogation frank and I went back to the office Think they'll pop out jump No unless we turn up chris you call your wife. Yeah, sure ball me out kept in her wedding After 10 you're lucky. Yeah, maybe when if I'll get home tonight. I got it Bunker fugitive friday Yeah, that's right Sounds like them how long go Uh-huh Yeah Chris fits the description smashed up a car in the hollywood freeway georgia street recognize him for my teletype He able to talk died 10 minutes after they brought him in At the morgue the victim garfield hud identified the body. He was positive. It was norman christ the man who had sold him the ring Will coxson and cleaver were also shown the body They denied it. They'd ever seen chris before The next day friday may 20th the evidence against will coxson and cleaver was taken to the district attorney's office The complaint was refused The evidence was deemed insufficient to bring them out at a trial at this time will coxson and cleaver were released 605 p.m. Frank and I got ready to sign out. Well, not really tears it sure does The da's office knows they're guilty. We know it and can't do a thing. Yeah I guess we've been wasting our time joe's just fanning the ball Well, I'll tell you we've spotted them and they're gonna stay spotted. Yeah next time they move in on a mark We'll make it stick. It wouldn't be very smart of them to try it twice. Yeah, that's smart. Huh? They tried it once The story you've just heard is true The names were changed to protect the innocent two months later on july 12th Will coxson and cleaver were apprehended for a similar crime They were charged with one count grand theft On november 6th trial was held in department 98 superior court state of california in and for the county of los angeles Ernest he will coxson and paul cleaver were found guilty of one count grand theft and were sentenced to a term prescribed by law Grand theft is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not less than one year Or for a period of from one to ten years in the state penitentiary You have just heard dragnet the authentic story of your police force inaction and starring jack webb A presentation of the united states armed forces radio service