August 11, 2025 • 25 mins
Dragnet - Old Time Radio Show - 257 The Big Heel
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you're about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag men.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a juvenile detail. A
(00:28):
series of house breakings has taking place in your city.
The articles taken in the method of operation indicate a
juvenile fief. Your job finding.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
It was Tuesday, July sixth, was hot in Los Angeles.
We were working to day watch out of juvenile details.
My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Powers.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
We're on our way at from the office and it was.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Ten thirty six am when we got to the old
Central Jail building, Crime Land.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Right, I'm back fins now, alright, alright, how's it going?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Hi, It's gonna.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hit the ninety probably will too. Any water around bottle
around the corner, So thanks?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
How about you just don't okay? You got anything? Force?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Right? Not the same as usual? Take about.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Same entrance, cut the screen on on the back windows,
brought the glass and find in any prints. None of
who could find. GI's a picture of the edge of
the screen here. How you see the cut edges. If
we got anything from it?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Not much. The pictures them of the knife we come
up with that we might be able to tell you
if you got the right one.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
What about the physical abadems in the house?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Right? None of march. We got a couple of partials
lifted from the glass top on the dressers. Yeah, let
me take it. Uh, and you can see here not
much of going.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Match up with the prince from the other job.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A couple of points and now I have to gould
a case on.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Only thing you got that definitely ties this one in
with the other is the footprint another one.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
It's soft earth.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Underneath the window and that print when Frank, oh, yeah, yeah,
there you go. Thank here, I think you see it
clearly the heal mark same as in the others. You
get a cast of it. You don't see it, No,
there no reason if you've looked at over it. You
got the same thing on the picture. Ye anything else
you've had it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
We got a cigarette ran out and han't had a
chance to get some more. Yeah, yeah, thanks thanks jump down.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
You've been able to chase down the rubber heel for.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, I know the lock weld. Contacted half a dozen firms.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
They all tell us the same things made special probably
some small factory specializing in custom made shoes.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Might be some sort of correcting shoe you know I speak.
Oh yeah, you've had it for a couple of weeks.
Now what do you sit on it?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
You know right where we found it. We've talked about
every repairman in town. None of 'em have seen this
kind of a heel before. None of them can tell
us where it was made. And check with the doctors
in the area. None of them know the brand figure.
It might be one of them who sent for it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Not not of theme.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
No, it's a new one to them too.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, which is mark you give you Fellings?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Well, that's all right, right, it seems no matter which
way we turn, there's another wall waiting for us. How
about Burger, anything coming from them, We'll checking it all down.
They got the same thing we came up with. Anything
turn up on the stolen merchandise. No Burger.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
We made all the checks. Pawn shops of them alerted.
Stuff's all cheap costume jewelry. No reason to try and
hocket they wouldn't get anything for it.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Brings it back to a motive. Why is he pulling
the jobs in the first place?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
All right? We'll file out with where the heels are made?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
About the only thing week with figures that some kid
out for kick gets his laughs from breaking into houses.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
There's no other reason. Stuff he's stolen you can buy
to the coll out in any dying store. A couple
of times he's left money alone in it's in plain sight.
Feel some cheap pen.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Looks like you.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Got yourself a wild one, you know? Or can you
tell us about the footprints?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I mean, not much is found under the window. Kid
wasn't moving when in her maid can't figure your stride?
Speaker 5 (03:47):
What about weight?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Want to guess, Joe?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
You know, I'd say came in about one hundred and forty,
could be fifteen pounds on one or the other. What
about the size seven? It's like seven sea? You sure
about that?
Speaker 6 (04:00):
Well?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
For sure, it's not much? Is it the best we
can do?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Okay? Last place, the woman's real store. Don't blame her,
not about the costume jewelry. She didn't much care about that.
Surprised gladiold as she was raising get tramped all over him.
Real store that he stepped on. Don't blamer, says, when
she catches injury's going to give him a good talking
to tramping up all her plant. Well, I well see
you right, yeah, sure, I'm guy. Much to go on, Henry,
(04:25):
you call it? Frank and I went back to the
office and we pulled all of the reports that we
had on the steps.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
We spent the rest of the morning going over them.
The method of operation was apparent. Each Friday night for
the past two months, between.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
The hours of eight thirty and eleven PM.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
A single thief had entered a home in a wealthy
section of town and stolen as much worthless costume jewelry.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
As he could carry out.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
On each occasion, the entry was made through a rear window.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
In those cases where the window was locked, the thief
broke the glass and undid the latch.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
On each occasion, he left at least.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
One footprint in the dirt around the house. The heel
impression was of a type that we hadn't been able
to identify. We'd gotten pictures of it out to all
major shoe manufacturers, but they were unable to tell us
where the shoes had been made. We canvassed the area
where the fifts were taking place without results. Rolling steakhouts
were set up on Friday nights, and they had met.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
At us nothing.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
The thief approached the home, broke into him, stole what
he wanted, and then he left without being apprehended or seen.
Throughout the investigation, Frank and I had been working closely
with Burglary Division, but their men hadn't been able to
come up with any more than we had. At one
fifteen PM, Frank and.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I left the office.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
We got something to eat, and then we started to
check the playgrounds again. At each one, we'd contact a
member of the park department and asked them if they'd
seen anyone wearing a pair of shoes similar to the
pictures that we had. Every place we got the same answer,
none of them had. We stopped groups of boys on
the street and asked to see their shoes. We checked
mall shops, drug store, pool halls, and bowling alleys without
any results. The same operation had been going on for
(05:52):
the past two weeks without bettering our chances of apprehending
the suspect. Five thirty PM, Frank and I left one
of the larger bowling alleys in common headed back.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
For the office. Oh, I'll sure be glad to get
home tonight.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, sure was.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I must have gone over nighty yeah, mustard paper said
ninety but it was hotter.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I can always tell. How could you always sell my feet?
Joe always tell with his feet cold. Ay, I can
walk for a couple of miles, might have any trouble,
come to hot weather, and if I step off a curb,
I got misery. Yeah, I think I'll get me another
pair of shoes. Kind of the holes in them? What
kind of the holes in you know what I mean?
You see him all the time, and the Men's magazine's
(06:32):
kind of cloth on the top, you know, real thin
leather on the sole and cloth over the top, lot
of little holes in it. They're cool. See him all
the time in the magazine, doesn't he?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, you know he's got a picture of a guy
wearing him with a tan suit on. I always got
on the same suit. And he's got a straw hat
with one of those bands made out of feathers, you know,
like a kind of snake kind of guy's always in
a tan suit in the hat.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Maybe you gotta have one of those foot can the
shoes he figures one of those suits.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, I don't know. You're not talking much today. I
haven't got room to get in. You're doing it all,
you know. Oh hih, that's pretty funny. Yet must have
been over ninety. I think I was just about to
say it last.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Have been over Ninety's alot out of here? Yeah, take
any see a kid up there?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
No, up there, just coming out of drugs during the corner,
waiting for the light there. Oh yeah, tennis player always
wearing a pair of canvas shoes. Looks like from here. Yeah,
I want to check him. You might as well. That's
good here all right, gonna wait, no, come wait, they
fell off? Pull it up? What wait a minute?
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You mean me? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah, all what do you want?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Police officers?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
So, I mean like you ask a couple questions?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
What before?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
I haven't done anything.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
No, we didn't say he did. We just want to
ask a up questions.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Oh I thought there for a minute you were after.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Me, my partner, Frank Smith. Monday is Friday. Hi.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Oh I'm I'm Malec McCarn. What do you want to ask?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You've been playing tennis? No, just practicing.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I go down to the handball court at school in practice.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I couldn't get a game this afternoon.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Fine, let us take a look at your shoes.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
What your shoes?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
There?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
That you're wearing. Want to see him? What is it's
a joke?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
No?
Speaker 4 (08:14):
We sure sounds like a rib you guys, sure you're
really coped.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
And here's the idea again.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You want to look now, let us look at your shoes.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Le okay, no reason not to do.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
There the soules we want to see.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You're sure this isn't some kind of joke.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
That's no joke. Come on that, like, let's see the souls?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure there is?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Well you satisfied now?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Okay for me to.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Go now pray none?
Speaker 7 (08:36):
Well, I say, what is this anyway? I was stopping
me in the shoe thing? You're looking for something special?
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Not anymore? We just found it.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Frank and I took the boy back to Georgia Street
and checked his name through R and I. We found
out there was no previous arrest record for him. Seven
fifteen pm. We took him into one of the interrogation rooms.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Your full name's Alec mccarrn. Is that right?
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
How old?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
I sixteen?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
What are you like?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's a forty seven eighty two Fargo Street. Where's that son?
Hup above Silver Lake? You live with your family?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (09:06):
Mother and father both leathers yeah, when you're gonna tell
me what this is all about.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
You got a job, sone?
Speaker 4 (09:11):
No, now, I got one coming up doing what fox
boy in a market supposed to go to work next week.
A kid that got now's going to the army, And
they promised me.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Is John you go to school?
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Yeah, I'm a senior in high school. Look, it's getting late.
My dad's gonna start to worry.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
There's okay, if I call him, we'll call.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Him for you in a minute. Thanks.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
What do I tell him when he wants to know
what's happening?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
We'll talk to him. Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I usually do nights.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I don't know what you mean.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
We'll leave me hours. What do you do stay home? Mostly?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Got to get my grades up for college.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I usually study during summer vacation.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
My dad helps me. I got to make up a
couple of credits.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
But you had to go to summer school for that.
I guess I'll get out.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Of school late. You study every night? Just about?
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But not everyone?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
No, No, I go out sometimes when mostly the weekend's Friday.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What do you do when you go out? Where do
you go? Show?
Speaker 6 (09:58):
Sometimes anywhere else?
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Sometimes just down at the library to get a book, mostly.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
To the show did you go with anybody?
Speaker 5 (10:05):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Where'd you get those tennis shoes?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
My dad got him for me?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Where place back east?
Speaker 6 (10:09):
I had him a long time, you know the name
of the place, not.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Right off, someplace in Maine.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I think you know anybody else's got a pair like him.
I never seen any others.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
I told you. My father got him for me. He
used to wear him when he was.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
A kid, went back to Maine for him. You guys
won't tell me what this is all about.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Huh, Yeah, we will.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
There's been a string of burglaries in town, house breaking
person that's been pulling him.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Where's a pair of shoes just like yours?
Speaker 6 (10:32):
Like mine? That's right?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
You think I'm the one?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Well, it looks like a dinner.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I'd better call my father, all right, we'll call him
for you.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
He isn't the only pair of shoes in the world, you.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Know, the only ones we've been able to find.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Side.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
There must be a lot more. We're willing to see him. Hello,
this started Friday lost as police department. So might speaking
to his lace? Yes, sir, your son's here space in
the burglary. That's right?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Well, that may be so mister mccaron, but that's the charge, answered, no, no,
we'll bring him to his home.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Sure you can't. Just a minute, let's talk to your son.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Well, dad, yeah, uh huh at.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
The police station.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
No, it's no joke.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
What well, I'll tell you when I see you.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Yeah, bye, all right, get your sweater.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
You're taking me home? Now, that's right, gus, Dad's that
you're straight?
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Huh?
Speaker 4 (11:38):
I told you it was all a mistake.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
You're afraid he didn't.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
What do you mean didn't you tell you this whole
thing is wrong?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Well he tried to. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Well you're gonna have to let me go. No, right, not,
but you have to if it's a mistake. Yeah, if
it's a mistake, fry can.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I left the office with the boy and we go
out to his home. It was a large, two story
colonial house overlooking silver light. We were admitted to the
place by a maid and we were shown into the
living room. The boy's father, Henry mccerron, was waiting for us.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
You're the opposite. Yes, that's right.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
My partner, Frank Smith, my name is Friddy. I know.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
Yeah, you want to tell me what this is all
about now, but.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
It looks like your son has mixed up with some burgeries.
Mister mcierrn, you're aware that's a pretty serious charge.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 6 (12:21):
I suppose you have some kind of proof to make
that statement.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We think, so, I'm not telling me what it is.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well, while we were talking, it would it be all
right to look at the boys room?
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Do you think that's quite fair?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Necessary?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Mister mccern, What if I say you can't let them,
we'll have to come back with a warren?
Speaker 3 (12:36):
All right? This way?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
What do you got to say about this alley? I
didn't do it, Dan, and that's the truth. Yes, sir,
that's good enough for me.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
You're here and this is it? Go ahead, right?
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, I suppose you tell me what this is all about.
The shoes that your boy's wearing here, you got them
for him, that's right.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I haven't made the water were place back eastern Maine.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Do you know if anyone else is a pair of him? No,
as far as I know, that's the only pair on
the coast. Good ton of shoes. I used to wear
them when I played. Uh huh?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
What do they have to do with this?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Well? I mean to one of the steps, we found
a print from a shoe like that outside the window.
That doesn't mean that Alex was in him at the time.
How about it, Alex, you let anybody else use his shoes? No, well,
there's your answer.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Still doesn't come down to prove.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
What night does your boy spend out of the house,
mister mcinnie, I don't know. I guess he's gone on
Friday most of the time. You know where he goes
show library.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
I don't keep a chain on him, Sergeant. I have
complete trust in Alex.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Burglary's have been taking place on Friday nights.
Speaker 6 (13:37):
Still entirely circumstanced, Yes, sir, But it.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Fits, doesn't it. What's he supposed to have? Sow costume, jewelry?
You mean five and dimes stuff? Yes, all right, there
you are. You tell me why, sir, Why did Alex
steal that? I look around, serjeant, I just spent fifteen
hundred dollars on this room.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Had it all readone?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Alex gott just about everything he wants. He gets a
good allowance.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
If he needs any more money, he only has to.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Come to me. There's no reason for him to steal.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I said, this is a nice room, and all which
you say may be true, but the fact states the
steps are taking place.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
All right, then I'll put it on the line. I've
got faith in my son.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
He's had all the things a boy could want, a
good family, good home, all the.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Things that count. Maybe there is a thief, but it
isn't my son.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I know that you got an expansion for the shoes
for the Friday nights.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
No, I'll find one.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Maybe you can try it for this too. Mister Karen
foundays in the boy's closet box a cheap costume jewelry.
With the finding of the jewelry in Alec mccaren's room,
the circumstantial case against them seemed to solidify. Although he
denied any knowledge of the pieces, he was taken down
at Georgia Street Juvenile and booked on suspicion of violation
(14:44):
of Section four fifty nine PC delinquents. His father retained
the lawyer immediately.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
The next day, the jewelry founded his home was shown
to the victims and they gave us a positive identification
of meat one of the pieces. A petition was filed
and the facts were presented to the juvenile court. Attention
was question On Thursday, July eighth, Mike and I got
back on the second floor. After talking with the mccownan boy,
he still admitted nothing.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
About the burgeries.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I don't know. Maybe I'm starting to believe the kid
and assure me you want or doesn't he stars is Friday? Yes,
why are you miss McAll?
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I've got it, sergeant, I got it right here, sir.
The way to show you that my son had no
part in these bergaries.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
All right, to go ahead.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Now you say that all the beets have taken place
on Friday night, then right, yes, And your big piece
of evidence is the heels and his shoes, right, that's
part of it. Yes, all right, then you can.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Just turn them loose, the big part. I remembered it
last night.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I couldn't get to sleep and got.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
The thinking I remember it.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Oh right, go ahead. Alex's shoes get a lot of use.
He plays a lot of tennis, wears the shoes all
the time. Closer, the soles and heels wore out. We
have sent them back east and have them Risold send
them back on May fifth. Didn't get them until May nineteenth.
Now there's two Fridays in Mastargan. The shoes were gone.
Alex couldn't have done the burglaries, right, yeah, and I
(15:56):
hope now that you would admit that shoe made a
mistake if we have, mister mcarey, well shure tell you
where you can take my word for it. Alex had
no part in any of this, good boys, honest to smart.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
He was going to steal.
Speaker 6 (16:06):
Anything, but it really came to that he wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Risk his neck for a few cheap beads. Doesn't seem so,
does it?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I know what about it?
Speaker 6 (16:14):
When you find out just a minutency, are you going
to release my son?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Now?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
No shell the shoes were out of state, then he
couldn't have committed the thefts month of May. Two fridays
in that month, that's sure, that's right, no burglaries on
either one of them.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
You are listening to dragnet the authentic story of your
police force in action.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Seemed like every attempt the father made to prove the
innocence of Alec mcnn only turned up another piece.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Of evidence against him.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
The day for his hearing a juvenile court was set
with Frank and I talked with mister Bowman in the
probation defire went on the preparation of the case from
the evidence, it appeared that the boy would be found guilty.
Requestioned and requestioned him. We went over every facet of
his story, but he still stuck to it. At no
time did he change any part of it. Saturday, July tenth,
Fang and I checked into the office.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Oh it's going to be not a scort. Yeah, probably
overnighty again. Yeah, over ninety more than that show. I'm
going over the Broadway at noon today. Picked up a
pair of those shoes I was telling you about with
the tan suit, ones with the holes in it, not
to suit the shoe you know. Finally decided last night
and need them more in a new spinning reel. I'm
going to get them. Ye, anything for us.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, looks like we might be wrong about that mccern boy. Well,
you mean another house breaking last night? Put prints all
over the place.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, all of them with the same heel print.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
We left the office, we went over the crime lands.
Ray Pinker showed us photographs and made it the scene.
The marks were identical with those we'd found before, the
size of the shoe, the way they were worn, everything
mass the information blew the case against Alec mc ken
sky high and both Frank and I saw the little relief.
The probation department was informed what had happened, and the
boy was released immediately.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Frank and I drove him to his home, where he
was reunited with his family. He obtained a name and
address to the shoe company who had made the tennis shoes,
and the radiogram was sent to the police department in
that city, requesting all information on similar shipments to the
Los Angeles area.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
We got the answer the next morning. Only one other
pair had been sent to the south Land. Those had
been sent to a mister Homer Elsworth, care of General
Delivery Van Toura, California. We checked the name through records
and identification, but we were unable to come up with
a record for him. The name was sent to George
Brett CII, Sacramento.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
At a quarter past eleven, Frank and I drove up
to the beach city. We talked to the postmaster and
several of the clerks. They told us that several pieces
of mail had been delivered to Elsworth.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Although none of the people could tell us where a
man lived, they were able to give us a good
description of him. They went on to say that they
had gathered from conversations that he resided someplace in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We left word with him as the local police.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Department recalled him the event the man returned, and then
Frank and I drove back to the city. We checked
the name again, this time with a description no me.
One of the outstanding things in the way the man
was described was that the little finger from his left
hand was missing. This was checked through the oddity file
without result. The additional information was forwarded to Brandon. We
checked with Burglary detail, but they had.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Nothing on the suspect.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Eight forty pm, we drove out to the mkaren house
and talked again to his family.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
I knew it all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I see, got a boy like Alec.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
After sixteen years, you know pretty much what he will,
what he won't do.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
A couple things we'd like to go over with you.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Sure, I think you want just I mean, well, caught
the person who was really responsible for this.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
That's what we want to talk to you about.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
That's fine, right ahead now.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
The description we've got to the man is that he's
about fifty around five foot eight, one hundred and fifty pounds,
dark haired, gray at the temples, wears glasses, has a mistache.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
He got a finger missing from the left hand.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
What's his name?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We that we don't know, so that's why we're asking
you no name. It's all well, he's used Homer Ellsworth.
We don't think that's his true name.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
It isn't, sir, name's not Ellsworth. It's Colin Homer Flin.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
You know it.
Speaker 6 (19:58):
Sure, he worked for me for ten years, handy man.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
That's our job around the house.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
You know where we can reach him. Not sure about that,
but you mean quick.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yesterday morning.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
We got Balon's address. We left for the place right away.
It was a small house in the South Hollywood area.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The front yard was overgrown and several of the pickets
from the fence were missing. It was a nineteen thirty
eight Chevrolet truck parked in the driveway. Frank and I
left our unit and walked up to the front door.
Watches Pepe front wardons there. So, yeah, I said, I
think you'd have a light out of we got it.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Don't there anything?
Speaker 9 (20:39):
We must be here we're taking the truck, wouldn't Yeah, yeah,
Homer Fallon, who are you? Police officers want to talk
to you.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Come on in and.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
Sit down. Just thinks you a little dinner. That's her.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
I don't have spaghetti.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Watch, no, sir, pretty good that kind of it's all cook.
Just drop it the water and eat up the sauce.
Pretty good. Sure you don't want none? No thanks, how
about you?
Speaker 6 (21:10):
No sir?
Speaker 5 (21:11):
No, and wait a minute. I'll turn down the fire
and we can talk. Ain't got to watch it pretty close,
gets too cooked and you got to eat it with
a spoon. Not good that way you've had it?
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Have you? You want to come in here?
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Say yeah, be right with you? Open up the sauce
and now how do you right there?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Maybe better come in now? Come on him? Sit down, sad,
sit down.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
You haven't got no right to tell me what to
do in my own house, No right at all.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Right, better check the place.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Uh yeah, here, you got no right to go through
my things.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
We'll come back with a warrant if that'd be easy.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
And we'll go ahead and do it. You got no right.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
There's something you don't want me to find.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
No, I got nothing to hide.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Then you won't mind.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I will too. You guys come in here while I'm
having a dinner. Parson a lot of trouble. He's got
no right to do this. I'm an old man. I
can't take a lot of excitement.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And why don't you save us all a lot of time? Well,
you know why we're here, you know what we want.
I do, I'm sure you do. Why don't you tell
us and a.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Big thing over nothing? That's all it is?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Then you tell us about it?
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Way, all the stuff.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Put together, it wasn't worth a dollar and a half,
none of it, not even a dollar and a half.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Well, why did you do it?
Speaker 5 (22:27):
I wanted to get the kid in trouble all his life.
He's had what he wanted all his life, different from me,
I never had nothing.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
You put the things we found in his room, did you?
Speaker 8 (22:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (22:39):
I knew you'd get to him. I wanted to sew
it up, make it look good, and I put him there.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Why'd you do the burglary last night?
Speaker 5 (22:48):
However? I got the feeling sorry for the kid sitting
in jail. We ever been arrested them a long time ago,
where back East vagged charge. I was just a kid
my way out here. Took me off a freight and
I sat in the can overnight, and then they let
me go, give me a floater out of town. I
(23:08):
got sorry for the kid figured if there was another
stealing while he was in jail, you'd let him go right,
get your cook with it, yeah, or closet there for it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
There, I'll get.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
It, the only one in there.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I got it. Here you go.
Speaker 5 (23:31):
Thanks. You know, I was sorry right after. I I
I didn't want to hurt the kid. It's really not
too bad. Didn't want to cause him no trouble.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
But he did pretty good.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
And he suppose so.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Well.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
I wanna go, yelp, oh, I forgot spaghetti. You gotta
turn it.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Off, right.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
I guess it doesn't make any difference anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
What was that your.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
Don't make any difference about you taking me to jail?
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Right?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
Yeah? The spaghetti too long?
Speaker 8 (24:18):
Homer Lindsay Fallon was tried and convicted of burglary in
the first degree six counts and received punishment as prescribed
by law. Burglary and the first degree is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than five years
in the state penitentiary.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 10 (25:01):
That's COM's about, that's come out, that's the best, that's
(25:34):
the master must come out.
Ladies and gentlemen. The story you're about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent drag men.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a juvenile detail. A
(00:28):
series of house breakings has taking place in your city.
The articles taken in the method of operation indicate a
juvenile fief. Your job finding.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
It was Tuesday, July sixth, was hot in Los Angeles.
We were working to day watch out of juvenile details.
My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Powers.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
We're on our way at from the office and it was.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Ten thirty six am when we got to the old
Central Jail building, Crime Land.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
Right, I'm back fins now, alright, alright, how's it going?
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Hi, It's gonna.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Hit the ninety probably will too. Any water around bottle
around the corner, So thanks?
Speaker 1 (01:11):
How about you just don't okay? You got anything? Force?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Right? Not the same as usual? Take about.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Same entrance, cut the screen on on the back windows,
brought the glass and find in any prints. None of
who could find. GI's a picture of the edge of
the screen here. How you see the cut edges. If
we got anything from it?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Not much. The pictures them of the knife we come
up with that we might be able to tell you
if you got the right one.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
What about the physical abadems in the house?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Right? None of march. We got a couple of partials
lifted from the glass top on the dressers. Yeah, let
me take it. Uh, and you can see here not
much of going.
Speaker 1 (01:50):
Match up with the prince from the other job.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
A couple of points and now I have to gould
a case on.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Only thing you got that definitely ties this one in
with the other is the footprint another one.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
It's soft earth.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Underneath the window and that print when Frank, oh, yeah, yeah,
there you go. Thank here, I think you see it
clearly the heal mark same as in the others. You
get a cast of it. You don't see it, No,
there no reason if you've looked at over it. You
got the same thing on the picture. Ye anything else
you've had it.
Speaker 3 (02:18):
We got a cigarette ran out and han't had a
chance to get some more. Yeah, yeah, thanks thanks jump down.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
You've been able to chase down the rubber heel for.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Yeah, I know the lock weld. Contacted half a dozen firms.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
They all tell us the same things made special probably
some small factory specializing in custom made shoes.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Might be some sort of correcting shoe you know I speak.
Oh yeah, you've had it for a couple of weeks.
Now what do you sit on it?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
You know right where we found it. We've talked about
every repairman in town. None of 'em have seen this
kind of a heel before. None of them can tell
us where it was made. And check with the doctors
in the area. None of them know the brand figure.
It might be one of them who sent for it.
Speaker 3 (02:57):
Not not of theme.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
No, it's a new one to them too.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, which is mark you give you Fellings?
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Well, that's all right, right, it seems no matter which
way we turn, there's another wall waiting for us. How
about Burger, anything coming from them, We'll checking it all down.
They got the same thing we came up with. Anything
turn up on the stolen merchandise. No Burger.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
We made all the checks. Pawn shops of them alerted.
Stuff's all cheap costume jewelry. No reason to try and
hocket they wouldn't get anything for it.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Brings it back to a motive. Why is he pulling
the jobs in the first place?
Speaker 1 (03:24):
All right? We'll file out with where the heels are made?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
About the only thing week with figures that some kid
out for kick gets his laughs from breaking into houses.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
There's no other reason. Stuff he's stolen you can buy
to the coll out in any dying store. A couple
of times he's left money alone in it's in plain sight.
Feel some cheap pen.
Speaker 5 (03:38):
Looks like you.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
Got yourself a wild one, you know? Or can you
tell us about the footprints?
Speaker 3 (03:42):
I mean, not much is found under the window. Kid
wasn't moving when in her maid can't figure your stride?
Speaker 5 (03:47):
What about weight?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Want to guess, Joe?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
You know, I'd say came in about one hundred and forty,
could be fifteen pounds on one or the other. What
about the size seven? It's like seven sea? You sure
about that?
Speaker 6 (04:00):
Well?
Speaker 3 (04:01):
For sure, it's not much? Is it the best we
can do?
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Okay? Last place, the woman's real store. Don't blame her,
not about the costume jewelry. She didn't much care about that.
Surprised gladiold as she was raising get tramped all over him.
Real store that he stepped on. Don't blamer, says, when
she catches injury's going to give him a good talking
to tramping up all her plant. Well, I well see
you right, yeah, sure, I'm guy. Much to go on, Henry,
(04:25):
you call it? Frank and I went back to the
office and we pulled all of the reports that we
had on the steps.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
We spent the rest of the morning going over them.
The method of operation was apparent. Each Friday night for
the past two months, between.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
The hours of eight thirty and eleven PM.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
A single thief had entered a home in a wealthy
section of town and stolen as much worthless costume jewelry.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
As he could carry out.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
On each occasion, the entry was made through a rear window.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
In those cases where the window was locked, the thief
broke the glass and undid the latch.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
On each occasion, he left at least.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
One footprint in the dirt around the house. The heel
impression was of a type that we hadn't been able
to identify. We'd gotten pictures of it out to all
major shoe manufacturers, but they were unable to tell us
where the shoes had been made. We canvassed the area
where the fifts were taking place without results. Rolling steakhouts
were set up on Friday nights, and they had met.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
At us nothing.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
The thief approached the home, broke into him, stole what
he wanted, and then he left without being apprehended or seen.
Throughout the investigation, Frank and I had been working closely
with Burglary Division, but their men hadn't been able to
come up with any more than we had. At one
fifteen PM, Frank and.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
I left the office.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
We got something to eat, and then we started to
check the playgrounds again. At each one, we'd contact a
member of the park department and asked them if they'd
seen anyone wearing a pair of shoes similar to the
pictures that we had. Every place we got the same answer,
none of them had. We stopped groups of boys on
the street and asked to see their shoes. We checked
mall shops, drug store, pool halls, and bowling alleys without
any results. The same operation had been going on for
(05:52):
the past two weeks without bettering our chances of apprehending
the suspect. Five thirty PM, Frank and I left one
of the larger bowling alleys in common headed back.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
For the office. Oh, I'll sure be glad to get
home tonight.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, sure was.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
I must have gone over nighty yeah, mustard paper said
ninety but it was hotter.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I can always tell. How could you always sell my feet?
Joe always tell with his feet cold. Ay, I can
walk for a couple of miles, might have any trouble,
come to hot weather, and if I step off a curb,
I got misery. Yeah, I think I'll get me another
pair of shoes. Kind of the holes in them? What
kind of the holes in you know what I mean?
You see him all the time, and the Men's magazine's
(06:32):
kind of cloth on the top, you know, real thin
leather on the sole and cloth over the top, lot
of little holes in it. They're cool. See him all
the time in the magazine, doesn't he?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Yeah, you know he's got a picture of a guy
wearing him with a tan suit on. I always got
on the same suit. And he's got a straw hat
with one of those bands made out of feathers, you know,
like a kind of snake kind of guy's always in
a tan suit in the hat.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Maybe you gotta have one of those foot can the
shoes he figures one of those suits.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Yeah, I don't know. You're not talking much today. I
haven't got room to get in. You're doing it all,
you know. Oh hih, that's pretty funny. Yet must have
been over ninety. I think I was just about to
say it last.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Have been over Ninety's alot out of here? Yeah, take
any see a kid up there?
Speaker 1 (07:24):
No, up there, just coming out of drugs during the corner,
waiting for the light there. Oh yeah, tennis player always
wearing a pair of canvas shoes. Looks like from here. Yeah,
I want to check him. You might as well. That's
good here all right, gonna wait, no, come wait, they
fell off? Pull it up? What wait a minute?
Speaker 3 (07:46):
You mean me? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (07:48):
Yeah, all what do you want?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Police officers?
Speaker 1 (07:50):
So, I mean like you ask a couple questions?
Speaker 4 (07:51):
What before?
Speaker 5 (07:52):
I haven't done anything.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
No, we didn't say he did. We just want to
ask a up questions.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Oh I thought there for a minute you were after.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Me, my partner, Frank Smith. Monday is Friday. Hi.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Oh I'm I'm Malec McCarn. What do you want to ask?
Speaker 1 (08:02):
You've been playing tennis? No, just practicing.
Speaker 4 (08:04):
I go down to the handball court at school in practice.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
I couldn't get a game this afternoon.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
Fine, let us take a look at your shoes.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
What your shoes?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
There?
Speaker 1 (08:11):
That you're wearing. Want to see him? What is it's
a joke?
Speaker 3 (08:13):
No?
Speaker 4 (08:14):
We sure sounds like a rib you guys, sure you're
really coped.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
And here's the idea again.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
You want to look now, let us look at your shoes.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Le okay, no reason not to do.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
There the soules we want to see.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
You're sure this isn't some kind of joke.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
That's no joke. Come on that, like, let's see the souls?
Speaker 3 (08:30):
Sure there is?
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Well you satisfied now?
Speaker 5 (08:33):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (08:34):
Okay for me to.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Go now pray none?
Speaker 7 (08:36):
Well, I say, what is this anyway? I was stopping
me in the shoe thing? You're looking for something special?
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Not anymore? We just found it.
Speaker 2 (08:46):
Frank and I took the boy back to Georgia Street
and checked his name through R and I. We found
out there was no previous arrest record for him. Seven
fifteen pm. We took him into one of the interrogation rooms.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Your full name's Alec mccarrn. Is that right?
Speaker 4 (08:57):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:58):
How old?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
I sixteen?
Speaker 3 (08:59):
What are you like?
Speaker 1 (09:00):
It's a forty seven eighty two Fargo Street. Where's that son?
Hup above Silver Lake? You live with your family?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (09:06):
Mother and father both leathers yeah, when you're gonna tell
me what this is all about.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
You got a job, sone?
Speaker 4 (09:11):
No, now, I got one coming up doing what fox
boy in a market supposed to go to work next week.
A kid that got now's going to the army, And
they promised me.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Is John you go to school?
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Yeah, I'm a senior in high school. Look, it's getting late.
My dad's gonna start to worry.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
There's okay, if I call him, we'll call.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Him for you in a minute. Thanks.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
What do I tell him when he wants to know
what's happening?
Speaker 1 (09:32):
We'll talk to him. Okay.
Speaker 3 (09:34):
I usually do nights.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
I don't know what you mean.
Speaker 3 (09:37):
We'll leave me hours. What do you do stay home? Mostly?
Speaker 4 (09:39):
Got to get my grades up for college.
Speaker 1 (09:41):
I usually study during summer vacation.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
My dad helps me. I got to make up a
couple of credits.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
But you had to go to summer school for that.
I guess I'll get out.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Of school late. You study every night? Just about?
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (09:51):
But not everyone?
Speaker 4 (09:52):
No, No, I go out sometimes when mostly the weekend's Friday.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
What do you do when you go out? Where do
you go? Show?
Speaker 6 (09:58):
Sometimes anywhere else?
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Sometimes just down at the library to get a book, mostly.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
To the show did you go with anybody?
Speaker 5 (10:05):
No?
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Where'd you get those tennis shoes?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
My dad got him for me?
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Where place back east?
Speaker 6 (10:09):
I had him a long time, you know the name
of the place, not.
Speaker 4 (10:12):
Right off, someplace in Maine.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
I think you know anybody else's got a pair like him.
I never seen any others.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
I told you. My father got him for me. He
used to wear him when he was.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
A kid, went back to Maine for him. You guys
won't tell me what this is all about.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
Huh, Yeah, we will.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
There's been a string of burglaries in town, house breaking
person that's been pulling him.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
Where's a pair of shoes just like yours?
Speaker 6 (10:32):
Like mine? That's right?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
You think I'm the one?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Well, it looks like a dinner.
Speaker 3 (10:36):
I'd better call my father, all right, we'll call him
for you.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
He isn't the only pair of shoes in the world, you.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Know, the only ones we've been able to find.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
Side.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
There must be a lot more. We're willing to see him. Hello,
this started Friday lost as police department. So might speaking
to his lace? Yes, sir, your son's here space in
the burglary. That's right?
Speaker 2 (11:04):
Well, that may be so mister mccaron, but that's the charge, answered, no, no,
we'll bring him to his home.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Sure you can't. Just a minute, let's talk to your son.
Speaker 4 (11:18):
Well, dad, yeah, uh huh at.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
The police station.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
No, it's no joke.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
What well, I'll tell you when I see you.
Speaker 3 (11:31):
Yeah, bye, all right, get your sweater.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
You're taking me home? Now, that's right, gus, Dad's that
you're straight?
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Huh?
Speaker 4 (11:38):
I told you it was all a mistake.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
You're afraid he didn't.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
What do you mean didn't you tell you this whole
thing is wrong?
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Well he tried to. Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 7 (11:47):
Well you're gonna have to let me go. No, right, not,
but you have to if it's a mistake. Yeah, if
it's a mistake, fry can.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
I left the office with the boy and we go
out to his home. It was a large, two story
colonial house overlooking silver light. We were admitted to the
place by a maid and we were shown into the
living room. The boy's father, Henry mccerron, was waiting for us.
Speaker 3 (12:10):
You're the opposite. Yes, that's right.
Speaker 1 (12:11):
My partner, Frank Smith, my name is Friddy. I know.
Speaker 6 (12:13):
Yeah, you want to tell me what this is all
about now, but.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
It looks like your son has mixed up with some burgeries.
Mister mcierrn, you're aware that's a pretty serious charge.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yes, that's right.
Speaker 6 (12:21):
I suppose you have some kind of proof to make
that statement.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
We think, so, I'm not telling me what it is.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Well, while we were talking, it would it be all
right to look at the boys room?
Speaker 3 (12:29):
Do you think that's quite fair?
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Necessary?
Speaker 2 (12:31):
Mister mccern, What if I say you can't let them,
we'll have to come back with a warren?
Speaker 3 (12:36):
All right? This way?
Speaker 1 (12:39):
What do you got to say about this alley? I
didn't do it, Dan, and that's the truth. Yes, sir,
that's good enough for me.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
You're here and this is it? Go ahead, right?
Speaker 1 (12:53):
Yeah, I suppose you tell me what this is all about.
The shoes that your boy's wearing here, you got them
for him, that's right.
Speaker 6 (13:00):
I haven't made the water were place back eastern Maine.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Do you know if anyone else is a pair of him? No,
as far as I know, that's the only pair on
the coast. Good ton of shoes. I used to wear
them when I played. Uh huh?
Speaker 3 (13:10):
What do they have to do with this?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Well? I mean to one of the steps, we found
a print from a shoe like that outside the window.
That doesn't mean that Alex was in him at the time.
How about it, Alex, you let anybody else use his shoes? No, well,
there's your answer.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
Still doesn't come down to prove.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
What night does your boy spend out of the house,
mister mcinnie, I don't know. I guess he's gone on
Friday most of the time. You know where he goes
show library.
Speaker 6 (13:31):
I don't keep a chain on him, Sergeant. I have
complete trust in Alex.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Burglary's have been taking place on Friday nights.
Speaker 6 (13:37):
Still entirely circumstanced, Yes, sir, But it.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Fits, doesn't it. What's he supposed to have? Sow costume, jewelry?
You mean five and dimes stuff? Yes, all right, there
you are. You tell me why, sir, Why did Alex
steal that? I look around, serjeant, I just spent fifteen
hundred dollars on this room.
Speaker 3 (13:54):
Had it all readone?
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Alex gott just about everything he wants. He gets a
good allowance.
Speaker 6 (13:58):
If he needs any more money, he only has to.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
Come to me. There's no reason for him to steal.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
I said, this is a nice room, and all which
you say may be true, but the fact states the
steps are taking place.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
All right, then I'll put it on the line. I've
got faith in my son.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
He's had all the things a boy could want, a
good family, good home, all the.
Speaker 6 (14:15):
Things that count. Maybe there is a thief, but it
isn't my son.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I know that you got an expansion for the shoes
for the Friday nights.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
No, I'll find one.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Maybe you can try it for this too. Mister Karen
foundays in the boy's closet box a cheap costume jewelry.
With the finding of the jewelry in Alec mccaren's room,
the circumstantial case against them seemed to solidify. Although he
denied any knowledge of the pieces, he was taken down
at Georgia Street Juvenile and booked on suspicion of violation
(14:44):
of Section four fifty nine PC delinquents. His father retained
the lawyer immediately.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
The next day, the jewelry founded his home was shown
to the victims and they gave us a positive identification
of meat one of the pieces. A petition was filed
and the facts were presented to the juvenile court. Attention
was question On Thursday, July eighth, Mike and I got
back on the second floor. After talking with the mccownan boy,
he still admitted nothing.
Speaker 5 (15:06):
About the burgeries.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
I don't know. Maybe I'm starting to believe the kid
and assure me you want or doesn't he stars is Friday? Yes,
why are you miss McAll?
Speaker 3 (15:15):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
I've got it, sergeant, I got it right here, sir.
The way to show you that my son had no
part in these bergaries.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
All right, to go ahead.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Now you say that all the beets have taken place
on Friday night, then right, yes, And your big piece
of evidence is the heels and his shoes, right, that's
part of it. Yes, all right, then you can.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Just turn them loose, the big part. I remembered it
last night.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
I couldn't get to sleep and got.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
The thinking I remember it.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Oh right, go ahead. Alex's shoes get a lot of use.
He plays a lot of tennis, wears the shoes all
the time. Closer, the soles and heels wore out. We
have sent them back east and have them Risold send
them back on May fifth. Didn't get them until May nineteenth.
Now there's two Fridays in Mastargan. The shoes were gone.
Alex couldn't have done the burglaries, right, yeah, and I
(15:56):
hope now that you would admit that shoe made a
mistake if we have, mister mcarey, well shure tell you
where you can take my word for it. Alex had
no part in any of this, good boys, honest to smart.
Speaker 3 (16:05):
He was going to steal.
Speaker 6 (16:06):
Anything, but it really came to that he wouldn't.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Risk his neck for a few cheap beads. Doesn't seem so,
does it?
Speaker 4 (16:12):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (16:12):
I know what about it?
Speaker 6 (16:14):
When you find out just a minutency, are you going
to release my son?
Speaker 3 (16:18):
Now?
Speaker 1 (16:19):
No shell the shoes were out of state, then he
couldn't have committed the thefts month of May. Two fridays
in that month, that's sure, that's right, no burglaries on
either one of them.
Speaker 8 (16:38):
You are listening to dragnet the authentic story of your
police force in action.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Seemed like every attempt the father made to prove the
innocence of Alec mcnn only turned up another piece.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Of evidence against him.
Speaker 2 (16:56):
The day for his hearing a juvenile court was set
with Frank and I talked with mister Bowman in the
probation defire went on the preparation of the case from
the evidence, it appeared that the boy would be found guilty.
Requestioned and requestioned him. We went over every facet of
his story, but he still stuck to it. At no
time did he change any part of it. Saturday, July tenth,
Fang and I checked into the office.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
Oh it's going to be not a scort. Yeah, probably
overnighty again. Yeah, over ninety more than that show. I'm
going over the Broadway at noon today. Picked up a
pair of those shoes I was telling you about with
the tan suit, ones with the holes in it, not
to suit the shoe you know. Finally decided last night
and need them more in a new spinning reel. I'm
going to get them. Ye, anything for us.
Speaker 2 (17:36):
Yeah, looks like we might be wrong about that mccern boy. Well,
you mean another house breaking last night? Put prints all
over the place.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Yeah, all of them with the same heel print.
Speaker 2 (17:47):
We left the office, we went over the crime lands.
Ray Pinker showed us photographs and made it the scene.
The marks were identical with those we'd found before, the
size of the shoe, the way they were worn, everything
mass the information blew the case against Alec mc ken
sky high and both Frank and I saw the little relief.
The probation department was informed what had happened, and the
boy was released immediately.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
Frank and I drove him to his home, where he
was reunited with his family. He obtained a name and
address to the shoe company who had made the tennis shoes,
and the radiogram was sent to the police department in
that city, requesting all information on similar shipments to the
Los Angeles area.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
We got the answer the next morning. Only one other
pair had been sent to the south Land. Those had
been sent to a mister Homer Elsworth, care of General
Delivery Van Toura, California. We checked the name through records
and identification, but we were unable to come up with
a record for him. The name was sent to George
Brett CII, Sacramento.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
At a quarter past eleven, Frank and I drove up
to the beach city. We talked to the postmaster and
several of the clerks. They told us that several pieces
of mail had been delivered to Elsworth.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Although none of the people could tell us where a
man lived, they were able to give us a good
description of him. They went on to say that they
had gathered from conversations that he resided someplace in Los Angeles.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
We left word with him as the local police.
Speaker 2 (18:56):
Department recalled him the event the man returned, and then
Frank and I drove back to the city. We checked
the name again, this time with a description no me.
One of the outstanding things in the way the man
was described was that the little finger from his left
hand was missing. This was checked through the oddity file
without result. The additional information was forwarded to Brandon. We
checked with Burglary detail, but they had.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Nothing on the suspect.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
Eight forty pm, we drove out to the mkaren house
and talked again to his family.
Speaker 6 (19:21):
I knew it all the time.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
I see, got a boy like Alec.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
After sixteen years, you know pretty much what he will,
what he won't do.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
A couple things we'd like to go over with you.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Sure, I think you want just I mean, well, caught
the person who was really responsible for this.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
That's what we want to talk to you about.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
That's fine, right ahead now.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
The description we've got to the man is that he's
about fifty around five foot eight, one hundred and fifty pounds,
dark haired, gray at the temples, wears glasses, has a mistache.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
He got a finger missing from the left hand.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
What's his name?
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We that we don't know, so that's why we're asking
you no name. It's all well, he's used Homer Ellsworth.
We don't think that's his true name.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
It isn't, sir, name's not Ellsworth. It's Colin Homer Flin.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
You know it.
Speaker 6 (19:58):
Sure, he worked for me for ten years, handy man.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
That's our job around the house.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
You know where we can reach him. Not sure about that,
but you mean quick.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yesterday morning.
Speaker 1 (20:10):
We got Balon's address. We left for the place right away.
It was a small house in the South Hollywood area.
Speaker 2 (20:15):
The front yard was overgrown and several of the pickets
from the fence were missing. It was a nineteen thirty
eight Chevrolet truck parked in the driveway. Frank and I
left our unit and walked up to the front door.
Watches Pepe front wardons there. So, yeah, I said, I
think you'd have a light out of we got it.
Speaker 1 (20:38):
Don't there anything?
Speaker 9 (20:39):
We must be here we're taking the truck, wouldn't Yeah, yeah,
Homer Fallon, who are you? Police officers want to talk
to you.
Speaker 4 (20:52):
Come on in and.
Speaker 5 (20:55):
Sit down. Just thinks you a little dinner. That's her.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
I don't have spaghetti.
Speaker 5 (20:59):
Watch, no, sir, pretty good that kind of it's all cook.
Just drop it the water and eat up the sauce.
Pretty good. Sure you don't want none? No thanks, how
about you?
Speaker 6 (21:10):
No sir?
Speaker 5 (21:11):
No, and wait a minute. I'll turn down the fire
and we can talk. Ain't got to watch it pretty close,
gets too cooked and you got to eat it with
a spoon. Not good that way you've had it?
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Have you? You want to come in here?
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Say yeah, be right with you? Open up the sauce
and now how do you right there?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
Maybe better come in now? Come on him? Sit down, sad,
sit down.
Speaker 5 (21:38):
You haven't got no right to tell me what to
do in my own house, No right at all.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
Right, better check the place.
Speaker 5 (21:43):
Uh yeah, here, you got no right to go through
my things.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
We'll come back with a warrant if that'd be easy.
Speaker 5 (21:49):
And we'll go ahead and do it. You got no right.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
There's something you don't want me to find.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
No, I got nothing to hide.
Speaker 3 (21:55):
Then you won't mind.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I will too. You guys come in here while I'm
having a dinner. Parson a lot of trouble. He's got
no right to do this. I'm an old man. I
can't take a lot of excitement.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
And why don't you save us all a lot of time? Well,
you know why we're here, you know what we want.
I do, I'm sure you do. Why don't you tell
us and a.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Big thing over nothing? That's all it is?
Speaker 1 (22:20):
Then you tell us about it?
Speaker 4 (22:21):
Way, all the stuff.
Speaker 5 (22:22):
Put together, it wasn't worth a dollar and a half,
none of it, not even a dollar and a half.
Speaker 1 (22:26):
Well, why did you do it?
Speaker 5 (22:27):
I wanted to get the kid in trouble all his life.
He's had what he wanted all his life, different from me,
I never had nothing.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
You put the things we found in his room, did you?
Speaker 8 (22:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (22:39):
I knew you'd get to him. I wanted to sew
it up, make it look good, and I put him there.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Why'd you do the burglary last night?
Speaker 5 (22:48):
However? I got the feeling sorry for the kid sitting
in jail. We ever been arrested them a long time ago,
where back East vagged charge. I was just a kid
my way out here. Took me off a freight and
I sat in the can overnight, and then they let
me go, give me a floater out of town. I
(23:08):
got sorry for the kid figured if there was another
stealing while he was in jail, you'd let him go right,
get your cook with it, yeah, or closet there for it.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
There, I'll get.
Speaker 5 (23:22):
It, the only one in there.
Speaker 3 (23:26):
I got it. Here you go.
Speaker 5 (23:31):
Thanks. You know, I was sorry right after. I I
I didn't want to hurt the kid. It's really not
too bad. Didn't want to cause him no trouble.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
But he did pretty good.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
And he suppose so.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
Well.
Speaker 5 (23:47):
I wanna go, yelp, oh, I forgot spaghetti. You gotta
turn it.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
Off, right.
Speaker 3 (23:58):
I guess it doesn't make any difference anyway.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
What was that your.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
Don't make any difference about you taking me to jail?
Speaker 3 (24:06):
Right?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
Yeah? The spaghetti too long?
Speaker 8 (24:18):
Homer Lindsay Fallon was tried and convicted of burglary in
the first degree six counts and received punishment as prescribed
by law. Burglary and the first degree is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than five years
in the state penitentiary.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
Dragnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces
Radio Service.
Speaker 10 (25:01):
That's COM's about, that's come out, that's the best, that's
(25:34):
the master must come out.
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