 Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Drag Nets. A hold up man has been hitting the banks in your city. After two months of following down leads, you get a possible identification. Your job? It was Thursday, July 25th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day and watched out a robbery detail. My partner's Frank Smith, the boss of Chief of Detectives, Thad Brown. My name's Friday. We got our way out from the office and it was 10.42 a.m. and we got to 896 Dwayne Street. Front door. I'll get it again. You see in that window? No, can't see anybody moving around in there. I was trying to back. Right. Run this way. Uh-huh. Hey, sure pretty isn't it, Joe? What's that? Rose tree there. Bella Portugal. Sure pretty. What? Faye's got one started out by the back fence. Isn't that big? But we got roses on it already. What'd you call it? Oh, Bella Portugal rose trees. I'll pick a couple for you. Bring them in the office. Thanks, Frank. I don't know what I'd do with them, do you? Well, you can give them to Ann. She'd like them. Yeah. I get it. See anybody? No, looks like there's someone on the lawn chair over there, doesn't it? Miss Clark? Yes, who is it? Yeah, come on. You miss Viola Clark? That's right. Police officers, Miss Clark. This is Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Well, how do you do? How do you do, man? What can I do for you? We'd like to ask you a few questions. About Louis? Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. I'd rather the neighbors didn't know all my business. All right, fine. You can talk in there without anybody hearing. Yes, ma'am. Share a beautiful morning. Hot. Mm-hmm. We're planning a little trip down to the desert this weekend. Get some rest and a little sun. Yes, ma'am. I was trying to get a tan before then. Mm-hmm. Well, come on in. Thank you. Just go on through the kitchen. We can talk in the dining room. All right, thank you. I just feel funny going to a place where there's a swimming pool and sitting there without a tan, don't you? Yes, ma'am. Well, I do anyway. It makes me feel self-conscious, like. I see, ma'am. Well, just go on in and sit down. I'll get us something cold to drink. No, that's all right, Miss Clark. Thank you. How about you, Mr. Smith? No, ma'am. Well, I'm going to have something. Bill, that's my husband. Brought me a case of that new kind of drink. You know, without any calories? Yes, ma'am. All kinds of flavors. Supposed to be for people who are supposed to reduce, of course. I don't really need it, just that Bill bought it and all. Mm-hmm. Thank you. Now, what was it about, Louis? He's your brother, is that right? Well, yes. Actually, he's my half-brother. You see, his father died and our mother remarried. I see. He's my half-brother. Why don't you see him last? Oh, let's see. I guess it was before the trouble I'd make about ten years ago. Mm-hmm. You heard anything from him since? A couple of times. Different people have told me they saw it, though. He always said it best. But you haven't talked to him, huh? Well, no. Not in ten years. Would you excuse me a minute? I forgot the bottle opener. Yes, ma'am. When Louis got into trouble, we sort of stopped seeing each other. I tried to write to him when he was in prison, little talky-talk letter. But they just seemed to separate us more. What was that again, ma'am? I didn't hear you. I said that I tried to write to him when he was in prison. Sort of a, you know, a talky-talk letter. But, well, they just seemed to separate us more. I see. Did you see him when he was in prison? Oh, no. It was during the war, and I was pretty busy with other things. Mm-hmm. Bill, my husband was overseas, and I was writing to him, sending him little things. Just never seemed to get around to seeing Louis. Oh, I thought about it, but just never quite seemed to get to it. It's a new flavor, pineapple pie. Kind of tangy. You sure you don't want any? No, thank you. I've got some little crackers. Low calorie. Would you like some of them? No, ma'am, thank you. Well, when Louis got out of jail, I heard he went back East Salt Lake, I think, got a job with a paint store back there. Mm-hmm. Did pretty good. Something happened, though. He quit or got fired or something. Anyway, he came out here again. Do you have any idea where your brother might be staying? No, last I heard it was in some pretty room down on Pico. Would you have the address? I'm afraid not. Do you have any idea where we might be able to get it? Not the least. Mm-hmm. What's he done this time? Well, it'll be better if we talk to him about it, ma'am. Well, it seems to me I'm the sister. You should be able to tell me. I'm certainly going to cooperate with you. I think it'll be better if we talk to him, though. That's what you're going to handle it. There's not much I can do. Does your brother have any hobbies, anything that he might try to work at? No, not that I can remember. Well, when he was a kid, I think he used to collect stamps, but then I guess every boy does that. Mostly, though, he used to read a lot. Always had his nose in a book. Mm-hmm. Had a big collection of those books you could buy in the five and dime. You know, the little thick ones. Yeah, I kind of know what you mean. I guess he had just about everyone that was ever published. There was a big thing with the kids in the neighborhood. Well, Louis had about a hundred, all different stories. He built a case for them out in the garage out of apple boxes. I remember that, out in the garage. Yes, ma'am. Had a library going with little cards and everything. Charged the kids two cents to read the book. Real-going business. Mm-hmm. Oh, he was a funny kid. Always trying to figure out how to get somebody else to do the work for him. He'd say that if he had his way, he'd get what he wanted without really working for it. I wonder if being in jail made him change. If he still feels like that. Mm-hmm. That he can live the easy way. He's still trying. 11.31 a.m., we left the house and continued checking out the friends and relatives of the suspect Louis wrote. According to his book, he'd been arrested for the first time ten years previously on charges of 459 burglary. Five counts. He'd been sentenced to San Quentin. He'd been released four years previously. On June 11th, he walked into a bank at the corner of Reservoir and Montana streets and robbed the place of $1,180. He'd hit again on June 19th, July 12th and July 23rd. In each instance, the victims were shown mugbooks, but they were unable to make a positive identification. On July 24th, we talked to a cab driver who had driven the suspect away from the latest hold-up. He was able to give us an identification of the suspect, but when we checked the area where Rode had left the cab, we were unable to come up with additional information. The other victims were shown Rode's picture, and all of them made a positive identification. Locals and APBs were gotten out on him in all places he was known to frequent were checked. Still, we couldn't take him into custody. Two days passed while we looked for the suspect. On Friday, July 26th, the bank located on Hollywood Boulevard held up for $1,800. The suspect matched the description of Rode. From one of the people in the vicinity, we got the number of the cab the suspect was supposed to have taken. We got in touch with the traffic manager of the cab company and got the name and stand number of the driver. 9, 20 p.m. Frank and I drove out to see him. The car at Hollywood and Loma Linda? That's right. Bank near there. What time was it supposed to be? Well, the way we got it, about 5. Tonight? That's right. I don't recall the guy. You sure it was me? Well, we got the number of your cab. Let me check the way, though. All right. Take a look here. Yeah, yeah, here it is. Loma and Hollywood. Where'd you drop the fare on? 2,000 block on Sunset. That'd be near Echo Park? Yeah. Can you tell us anything about the man? No, like I told you, I've been pretty busy tonight. Well, it's pretty important. Well, what kind of things do you want to know? Well, what'd he say to you when he got into the cab? Oh, not much. Seems to me he just told me to drive right down Sunset and then he'd tell me where to let him out. Was there anything about him that stood out on the accent, maybe? Scar, birthmark, anything like that? No, it doesn't seem to me that there was. I could only get a glimpse of him in the rearview mirror. He was kind of sitting off to one side. Kind of hard to see. You don't remember anything about him there, no? No, nothing. I had to help. You say where he was going? Well, not that I remember. Just told me to drive right down Sunset until he told me to stop. Well, he got out of the cab. Did you see where he went? I didn't notice. He said something about getting a drink and asked me if I could name a good bar for him. Did you? I couldn't. I don't know the neighborhood very well. I told him they were all probably pretty good. So he seemed drunk to you? Well, he had more than a couple. I can't tell you how many. You know, some guys can hold more than those without showing it. Yeah. Well, he was like that. Hard to tell how many he'd lifted. Say, something might help. I just thought of it. You know, what's that? He had a kind of a mole on his face right by his mouth. On which side, do you remember? Well, let me think now. I was looking at him in the mirror. He was on his left side. The mirror shows things on the side that they're... Yeah, yeah. It'd be on his left side. Yeah, I always get mixed up like that. You know, when you look in the mirror, if you got something on the right side of your face, it's on the left side of the mirror. Yeah. Well, I was looking at him, the same size I saw it. Yes, there was the left side. Where was the mole? Right here, right by the upper lip. Not real big, so you'd notice it right off. You know, I forgot about it until just now. Well, when he paid the cab bill, what'd he use? You mean the size Billy gave me? Yeah. A 20. I think I got it right here. Real new. Yeah, yeah, here it is. He had a whole fistful of those, just like this. All brand new. Mm-hmm. I asked if he was going on a trip. You know, people draw a lot of money out when they're going to take a trip. I figured maybe that's what he was going to do. What'd he say? He said he wasn't. Said he just made a withdrawal from the bank, but he said he wasn't going away. Well, he's wrong there. Huh? As soon as we find him, he is. The cab driver identified Rote's mugshot and at 10.08 p.m., Frank and I drove over to the 2,000 block on Sunset Boulevard. We checked at several bars, but we were unable to find the suspect. One of the bartenders said he thought that a man answering Rote's description might have been in, but he couldn't be sure. In each of the places we left our car and we asked the owner or the bartender to notify us if the suspect should come in. 12.26 a.m. Frank and I checked back into the office. You want to check the book? I'll sign us out. All right. Yeah. You got a message here for Faye. Yeah? I want you to stop by the drug store and pick up a refill prescription for the baby. Oh, it says she's already called him. You just have to pick it up. Oh. Well, that blows the coffee in. Well, I ought to get home anyway. I could get a good night's sleep. All right. See you in the morning, old buddy. All right. You gonna have breakfast at home? I don't know. I'll say it was up half the night where the kids might be better if I'd let her sleep. Well, why don't you meet me in the morning? Good deal. About seven, huh? That'll be fine with me. All right. Go on ahead. I'll get the lights set. Hold on. I'll get it. Robbery Friday. Yes, sir? No, sir. We're the ones. How long ago was that? I see. Right away. What do you got? A bar out on Sunset. Yeah. Suspect's there now. Turn the place up. We left the city hall and we drove over to the bar on Sunset Boulevard. By the time we'd gotten there, a police unit had arrived and the disturbance was under control. The suspect had left the scene and the broadcast was put out to all cars in the area, carrying his description and the description of the clothing he was wearing. When we walked into the bar, the bartender was sitting at one of the tables in the back of the place, holding a stake to his left eye. The place itself was a mess. Bar stools were scattered over the floor. Tables were upended. The back bar was smashed and the mirror that ran along the length of the bar itself was broken. Frank and I checked with the officers from the unit and then we went back to talk to the bartender. Why don't you guys tell me about him? Sir? Why don't you tell me who he was? I didn't know. Look at this place. Look what he did. What started the fight? I don't know. Did you recognize him when he came in? All right, off. He sat down, ordered a drink. Next thing I know, the place is coming down around me. The ones you know he was the man we were looking for. After he bailed the fella next to him, that's when I knew he called you right away. He should have told me. He was rough. He should have told me. We told you not to try to take him yourself. But you did make a point of it. I just thought it was something you told everybody. We were having a nice night. Pretty good business. Sitting there watching the fights on the television. Nice and quiet. Pouring good. Looks like a good night for the till. Yeah. Door swings open and then comes this guy. I didn't pay any attention to him. Walked over and sat at the bar. Right there in the middle. Sat at the bar. Mm-hmm. Ordered a high ball. He had a couple. I should have known right then. Had been in this business any time at all. You should be able to spot the ones there like they caused trouble. What did he ask for in the drink? Bourbon and ginger. I mixed it. Collected for it and then went back to watching the fight. I always take the white corner with one of the regulars. You know a couple of bucks. Mm-hmm. I'm standing there watching the fight. All of a sudden there's one going on in the room. This new guy in the fellow next to him. Going at it hot and heavy. All right, boy. This, do any good, you know? What's that? Holding a steak on a bike eye. Supposed to take a swelling gun. I wouldn't know, sir. Sure hope so. Got to lay a bottle on my cheek before he brooks him. You want us to call a doctor for you? No, I'll check one later. Other cops ask me the same thing or more. Yes, sir. Would you like to go with me? Not much more to tell. Places just seem to explode. I jumped over the bar. I got a billy club in the back. Grabbed that and jumped over the bar and tried to get the two guys apart. They were throwing everything they could lay their hands on at each other. Well, look at the place. You better if I just put a lock on the door and open up someplace else. It'd be easier. Just to be sure, would you take a look at these? Just the man who caused the fight. Wait a minute. I can't see them good. Yeah, that's him. You're pretty sure? Yeah. Louie wrote. That's the fella. This afternoon when we talked I didn't make much of an impression then when I saw him in person. I remember it. Well, he was in here earlier then. Yeah, same guy. Did you hear him say anything at all? It might help us find him. No, but you ought to talk to the guy you had the fight with. You know. He went to school with Rote. We got the name of the man the suspect had the fight with. We drove over to his home and talked to him. He explained that he'd been enrolled in a night class with Rote. We went on to say that they'd met at school when both of them were studying criminology at one of the colleges in the office. We tried to contact the school but we were not able to reach anyone who could check the registration records for us. The next morning we called the head registrar and asked her to check the records in the college night extension courses for a Louie Rote. Thirty minutes later she called back with the suspect's address. Frank and I left the office and drove out to the place. A two-story boarding house on an Adams Boulevard. Rote had moved but he'd left a forwarding address. We drove over there and found that he was still registered. We got the number and Frank stood on one side of the door while I took the other. Yeah, what do you want? Police officers, you're under arrest. For what? Espission robbery. How'd you get to me? We did. Can I get a coat? No, you tell us where it is. We'll get it for you. Closet over there. I'll get it. There's a bottle of aspirin in the pocket there. Make sure you don't drop it. Hang over, I got it. I'm going to need something. Yeah. Don't think I ever have a headache like this one. Terrible. It's worse. Her show up was arranged and all of the victims of the holdups were present. They all gave positive identifications of Louis Rhoad as the man who'd held them up. A complaint was issued by the district attorney's office and on the following Friday, August 2nd, a preliminary hearing was held in Division 34 of Municipal Court. Rhoad was bound over for the charges filed against him. September 2nd at 10 a.m. the suspect fled guilty to robbery in the first degree. Two counts. Rhoad asked for immediate sentence and the judge sent him to San Quentin where he went through the clinic. On recommendation of the authorities at the prison, the board ordered him sent to the penitentiary of Chino, California. Seven months had passed since his arrest and from what we heard Rhoad was a model prisoner. During that time we cleaned up a string of loan company holdups and Frank's children had gone through the chicken pox and several types of virus. On Sunday, February 23rd, Frank and I were in the office trying to catch up on the detail work. You got the L.A. one, six, eight, nine, four, seven. Six, eight, nine, four, seven. I'm sure I mean one. Yeah. Terrible way to get in. Oh, man. Robbery Friday. Yeah, Savage. Mm-hmm. Well, when did it happen? You know how I did it? All right, we'll check into it right away. No, no. Send it down, will you? Right. Bye. Tell a type in from Chino. Yeah? Rhoad just broke out of jail. The immediate watch was put out on all the places Rhoad was known to frequent. All officers in the field were supplied with descriptions and pictures of the suspect. From the story as we got it from the prison officials, we were able to piece together the method of Rhoad's escape. Several months before he'd started on the bank robberies, he'd gotten work as a day laborer up at Chino. He'd managed to bury a gun and several hundred dollars in a watertight container in the prison grounds. When his arrival at the prison, he'd waited for the right moment and then he dug up the weapon and the money and made a break. He'd picked Sunday, a day when the prison grounds were crowded with visitors. Fortunately, there'd been no one hurt when Rhoad had escaped. However, we knew he was armed and he was to be considered dangerous. Two days after his escape, a man answering his description held up a grocery store. From the clerk, we obtained a positive identification of Rhoad. The next day he hit again. This time he beat one of the clerks in the store when the man refused to open the cash register. Additional information was forwarded to all law enforcement agencies throughout the area. Rhoad's picture was carried on the police television show and the daily newspapers cooperated and carried his likeness and description. Calls began to come into the complaint board from people who thought they'd seen the suspect. In each instance, the information was checked out and several of the reports appeared authentic. On Wednesday, March 4th, we got a call from Calvin Niles, the bartender who'd given us the original information on Rhoad. Frank and I drove out to see him. I tried to hold him here, tried my darnest, but he wouldn't go for it. Did he talk to him at all? Yeah, I had a couple of words. What about? Mainly about the fight he had before he got him. You know, when he broke up the place? He talked about that. He said he was sorry about it, told me the other fella caused it. He said he'd like to be able to pay for it, but he didn't have the money. I thought he was going to hit me up for a loan. Well, he acted and all. I thought sure he wanted to make a touch. You seen anything at all about where he was staying? Not a word. Didn't give me any indication. Nope. Was he driving a car? Nothing I could see. When he walked out, I went over the door to see if I could spot anything, but by the time I got out from behind the bar, he disappeared. For a cab stand around here? A couple of blocks up the street. You think he might have taken the taxi? I'll check it. I don't think he could have gotten that far on the time it took me to get to the door. I can see that far, and I didn't see him. I don't think he took the taxi. Did he come in alone? As far as I could tell, he came inside, I ordered a highball, drank it up to the left. I don't think he was here more than five minutes all the time. But you're pretty sure there wasn't anybody with him, are you? Yeah, I hadn't been out of seeing him. Did he look like he was going to meet anybody here? Not especially. You give me any reason for coming in? Not right out, he didn't. How do you mean? Lucky I did it now, I guess. I didn't plan it that way. What's that? I told you, I thought he wanted to make a touch. I told him I'd just taken the money to the bank, dropped it in the night depository, said I'd cleaned the place out. He left right after that? Yeah, finished up his drink and walked out. Sure he got a lot of nerve, if you ask me. What do you mean? He comes into the place once, breaks it up, then comes back to try to hold it up. Well, you're not sure about that, are you? As far as I'm concerned, that's what he came in for. Can you give us a description of what he was wearing? Uh, plain blue suit. Looks like it was gabberding, two button. How about a hat? No, he wasn't wearing one. Head on a white shirt, black knit tie, you know, the narrow kind, one of those little stick pins, shaped like a little ladybug. You know the kind of me? Yes, sir. One of those. All right, Mr. Niles, if anything more comes up, we'd appreciate a call from him. You got it. I'll tell you one thing, Sergeant. What's that? After that fight, I did just about everything I could to help business, help pay for the damage. Yes, sir. This is one customer I want to lose. For the next two days, the search for the suspect and staying were checked. Friends and relatives were interrogated. Al Gaten down in San Diego was notified, and he alerted the authorities at the border in the event road tried to escape into Mexico. In the meantime, our rolling stakeout was set up in the area where the thief had been hitting. Two more days passed without activity. On Monday, March 9th, Frank and I were in unit 1K80, cruising on West Pico. Sure as a quiet night. Yeah. Be glad when it's over. I'll get home and hit the sack. How you coming with the books? Huh? What do you mean for the sergeant exam? Oh, pretty good. All units. Attention. All units. A 211 has just occurred at the grocery store at the corner of Pico Boulevard and Ottawa Street. Unit 1R13 handled the call. Code 3. Better hit it. Yeah. I'm going to just leave it there, are you? Having it for a while. Four counts and violation of section 4530 PC escape. Robbery in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment and the state penitentiary for a period of not less than five years. Escape from a state prison is punishable by imprisonment for a period of not less than one year. Said second term of imprisonment to commence from the time the prisoner would otherwise have been discharged from said prison. You have just heard Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action and starring Jack Webb, a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.