Bowel Movement Bandit
Bowel Movement Bandit | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Kenmore pooper |
| Years active | 2012–2015 |
| Known for | Repeatedly defecating in cars |
| Criminal charge | Criminal Mischief |
Capture status | Unidentified |
| Wanted since | 2012 |
| Details | |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Ohio |
The Bowel Movement Bandit (also known as the Ohio Pooping Bandit) is the alias of an unidentified man in the Kenmore neighborhood of Akron, Ohio, United States, who repeatedly defecated through the sunroofs of random people’s cars from 2012 to 2015.[1] In total, the criminal defecated on 19 parked cars in driveways, as well as children's toys left in the front yards of homes.[2] The criminal only stopped his public defecation spree after a photo of his face was captured by a hidden camera and released to the public.[3]
History[edit]
Starting in May 2012, residents of the Kenmore neighborhood in Akron, Ohio, found feces on or in their cars. If their cars were locked, the perpetrator would defecate on the hood, windshield, gas tank covering, mirrors, windows, or handles of the car.[4] However, if the cars were unlocked, the perpetrator would defecate on the interior of the car. In total, 19 people reported finding fecal matter on their car, but Lt. Rick Edwards of the Akron Police Department believes there are more victims.[5]
On March 10, 2015, the face of the perpetrator was caught on a hidden camera set up by the father of a woman whose car was targeted by the perpetrator seven times.[4] The hidden camera took a photo every twelve seconds.[6] The photo of the perpetrator was released to the public by the Akron Beacon Journal on March 11, 2015. The perpetrator was estimated to be in his mid-40s when the photo was taken.[7]
Partial list of incidents[edit]
| Date[8] | Car model | Details |
|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2012 | 2000 Toyota Celica | A 27-year-old man told the authorities that someone pooped on his car, stating it was the second time he found excrement on his vehicle. |
| December 5, 2012 | 2002 Mitsubishi Galant | A 32-year-old woman reported to the authorities that someone threw feces on the hood of her car. |
| December 19, 2012 | 2002 Mitsubishi Galant | The same woman mentioned in the December 5 incident reported that someone again put feces on the hood of her car. |
| August 14, 2013 | 2002 Toyota Celica | A 25-year-old woman reported that someone defecated on her car. She said it was the second time she found feces on her vehicle. |
| September 4, 2013 | 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier | A woman, 43, told police that someone defecated on the hood of her car and smeared excrement on the door handles. |
| October 1, 2013 | 2002 Toyota Celica | The same woman from the August 14 incident reported that someone pooped on the hood of her car again.[9] |
| July 15, 2014 | 1991 Chevrolet Camaro | A man, 30, told police that someone defecated on the hood of his car, and smeared excrement on the passenger side mirror. |
| October 15, 2014 | 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier | A man, 19, reported that someone defecated on the hood of his car, and smeared feces across the handles of the vehicle. |
| January 22, 2015 | A person alerted police that someone pooped on their car. | |
| March 10, 2015 | The perpetrator was caught by a hidden camera defecating on a woman's car.[10] |
Theories[edit]
The identity of the Bowel Movement Bandit is still unknown, but there are two main theories. The first is that the perpetrator was a homeless person. The other theory is that the perpetrator was David Ware, a 56-year-old Akron firefighter who murdered his wife and then killed himself on March 11, 2015.[11] Ware heavily resembled the photograph of the perpetrator, and committed the murder-suicide on the same day that the Beacon Journal first published the photo of the Bowel Movement Bandit.[11][12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Ortiz, Erik (March 12, 2015). "Akron, Ohio, Police Seek Man Who Defecated on 19 Cars". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Gorenstein, Colin (March 12, 2015). "The Bowel Movement Bandit" is creating a horrible mess for Ohio police". Salon. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Klee, Miles (September 20, 2017). "Forget the Viral Mad Pooper – Everyone has a Poop Bandit in their Lives". Mel Magazine. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Moran, Lee (March 12, 2015). "Ohio serial pooper who has defecated on at least 19 cars gets caught on camera (VIDEO)". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Koerner, Claudia (March 11, 2015). "Mystery Man Suspected Of Pooping On At Least 19 Cars In Ohio". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Desk, William LaRue, National (March 12, 2015). "Ohio resident, fed up after man poops on 19 cars, catches culprit on camera". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Freeman, Kevin (March 11, 2015). "Akron police searching for "mystery pooper" caught in the act". Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Adam Ferrise, cleveland com (March 12, 2015). "Police: Man has pooped on, and in, 19 Akron cars since 2012". cleveland. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ Dyer, Bob (March 11, 2015). "'Serial pooper' on the loose in Ohio". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Call of Duty: Police searching for "serial pooper"". www.cbsnews.com. March 12, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Dyer, Bob (March 28, 2015). "Pooper's trail gone cold". Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ Kent, Spencer (May 5, 2018). "Inside the mind of a serial public pooper". nj.com. Retrieved August 3, 2022.