Pennsylvania police believe that this alleged criminal is already in the running for the stupidest of 2016 after, they say, he arranged for a follow-up meeting with an elderly victim in a shopping center parking lot, Philly.com reports.
According to Nether Providence, Pa., Police Chief David Splain, the 17-year-old suspect, identified as Jason Donte Hayes, was actually surprised when cops greeted him in the parking lot, instead of the woman police say was his victim and whom he had kidnapped and robbed the previous day.
"We were the last ones he was waiting to see. He was waiting for a little old woman," Splain told the news site. "If he can survive the remaining 340-some days of the year, he will definitely win the dumbest criminal of the year on Dec. 31."
On Jan. 3, Hayes allegedly entered the unidentified victim's home at around 3 a.m. by unlocking the first-floor kitchen window. Hayes then woke the woman, who is in her late 70s, by tapping her on the shoulder with his gun, and proceeded to demand money from her, police said. When she told him she didn't have any, Hayes then allegedly forced the victim to drive her car to an ATM and ordered her to take out $2,000, threatening to kill her and her husband, who had been sleeping in a separate bedroom back at the home, police said.
The ATM, however, allowed the woman to take out only $460, at which point Hayes drove her back to the home, waking up the husband and holding the couple hostage in their kitchen, police said. Hayes allegedly talked to the couple for an hour in the kitchen before telling them to go upstairs and sleep around 4:30 a.m. According to police, however, he ordered the woman to meet him at the shopping-center parking lot at 9 a.m. Jan. 4 with the remaining $1,500, again threatening to kill them if she didn't show up or if they reported him to police, police said.
"Her response was, 'How will I know it's you?' " Police Chief Splain said. "He said, 'I'll be dressed exactly the same way as I am today.'
"This is where stupid takes off pretty quickly," the police chief added.
Of course, the couple reported the incident.
"He clearly told the victim that he would meet her at a certain location at a certain time," Splain said. "Not that we would believe that a robber would have ever showed up for a scheduled appointment, but it was something we had to cover."
Apparently, this alleged robber thought he had covered his bases and showed up anyway, police said.
Splain and two other plainclothes officers waited for Hayes in the assigned spot, and much to their disbelief, Hayes actually showed up wearing exactly what he was wearing during the robbery: black-and-white camouflage pants and a dark scarf around his face, police said.
"We let him sit there for a couple minutes," Splain said. "It was clear he was waiting for somebody, and at that point, we took him down."
Officers recovered $363 in cash from Hayes and a gold Timex watch that had been taken from the couple's home, according to authorities. The 17-year-old was charged as an adult with kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and other charges. He was being held at Delaware County Prison on $200,000 bail.
Hayes also apparently knew the victim: The young man used to live in a rental home owned by the woman, police said.
"She was the onetime landlord, and that's why he covered his face and targeted her house," Splain said. "He knew that she had money and he knew that she wasn't going to be putting up a fight."
The couple, having suffered a terrible scare, are now receiving counseling through the county's Senior Victims Services, Splain added.
Read more at Philly.com.