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About this Episode
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Dive into the captivating world of classic crime-solving with "Dragnet Radio," where each episode brings to life the thrilling police investigations from the original 1950s radio series. Join Sergeant Joe Friday and his partners as they navigate the mean streets of Los Angeles, unraveling complex cases with meticulous detail and unflinching determination. This podcast not only revisits the groundbreaking drama that set the standard for all future police procedurals but also explores the cultural impact and historical significance of one of the most influential shows of its time.
Hosts & Guests
Transcript
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Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees.
But I don't really need it.
Infliction is killing me.
Who cares?
Big retailers make it record profits.
That's why we support the German Marshall credit card bill.
See?
Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll.
This bill would cut the vital resources they need.
While increasing Megastore profits.
They deserve it.
Don't they?
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Paid for it by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
Ladies and gentlemen.
The story you're about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
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You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned a forgery detail.
Several small neighborhood businessmen are being victimized by a Czech forger.
His method of operation is an old one.
But the merchants continue to be swindled.
Your job?
Get him.
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Dragnet.
The documented drama of an actual crime.
For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case
transcribed from official police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment,
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Tuesday, July 22nd.
It was hot in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of forgery detail.
My partner's Frank Smith, the boss of Stad Brown,
chief of detectives, my name's Frank.
I was on the way into work that was 750 am when I got to room 29.
Forgery detail.
Morning, Joe.
Frank, how's it going?
Well, what did I tell you?
What do you mean?
Well, what did I say just last night when we signed out?
I don't know. What did you say?
You remember?
Well, Frank, it's been a hot night.
Looks like today's going to be hotter.
No guessing games, huh?
Well, that's just it.
It was hot. It's like I told you last night.
Well, all right, you convinced me.
I don't get up and it's okay.
Joe, I told you yesterday I must have said it five or six times,
at least, earthquake weather.
That was the last thing I said to you before we went home.
earthquake weather.
Yeah, I know.
I guess you'll believe me now, huh?
This is what they call earthquake weather.
Well, look, we're not going to go through all that again, are we?
Well, Joe, you felt it, didn't you?
Well, sure I felt it.
Everybody did.
That hasn't put any more foundation under that old wives' haily earth.
You ought to believe it.
Now, if you never did before, I tell you Joe,
in this kind of hot and muggy weather,
you get earthquakes.
You win.
What about last July?
We didn't have any then, do we?
Well, not every year, no, but that doesn't change it.
All earthquakes hit in this kind of weather, Joe.
Well, sure they do.
Now, you tell them that up at Berkeley,
you're going to change the whole size of the graph there, you frang?
Well, they can't tell you when you're going to get,
but only how bad it was after the hits.
That's what we need up there, Joe.
It's some kind of a gadget to tell us when.
Well, why worry?
You can tell from the weather.
Excuse me, am I the right place?
They're an officer Smith around here?
Yes, sir. I'm Frank Smith.
What can I do for you?
My name is Martin Miller.
I run Marty's marty's marty's six in Benson.
Thank you, pardon.
Marty's marty's a grocery store at six feet on the corner of Benson.
Oh, yes, sir.
Mr. Armstrong, the bank sent me up to see you.
Yeah, sure.
This is my partner, Sergeant Friday, Mr. Miller.
How are you?
How are you doing?
Armstrong's over at the B.A.V.A.
They called us before you got in, Joe.
Said he was sending Mr. Miller over to see us.
Why don't you have a chair, Mr. Miller here?
Joe, Armstrong says that somebody's forging Mr. Miller's checks.
Your personal checks, sir?
No, sir, my business checks.
Marty's mart's six in Benson.
Let's see if we have this right, Mr. Miller.
Yes, sir.
According to arms, there have been seven checks passed.
They were all passed last Saturday night.
Is that correct?
And that's what he told me, yes, sir.
That's why I come down to see you.
But that's not quite all.
How's that, sir?
Well, you see, as soon as I talked to the bank,
and I found out that somebody was forging my checks,
I went home and told the wife about it.
Yes, sir.
Well, the bank tells me the man has been doing the dirty work.
So, fella, by the name of a Roger Theodore or something like that.
Yes, that's right. That's the way we have it here.
Oh, you know this man?
You got him arrested already?
No, sir.
I mean, that's what Mr. Armstrong's over at the bank told us.
Oh, yeah, sure.
I didn't think you'd move that fast.
That'd be pretty fast work there.
Well, you say there were seven checks years
at this Theodore's Ford's there, right?
And, no, sure, that's all the bank knows about.
The wife and I did a little detective work on our own.
Is that right?
You bet we did.
Emma and me went through our checkbook and guess what?
Yes, sir.
You say seven, me and Emma say 14.
Well, how do you mean, sir?
14, that's how I come for you.
Well, how do you mean 14?
Well, the bank only found seven of them,
but he actually stole 14 of our business checks.
Well, you say you found that out after looking at your checkbook?
Yes, sir.
I got the figures right here in my vest pocket.
Let's see here in numbers 7,020 to 7,033 inclusive.
That makes 14 checks missing or two.
Well, how do you think the theft occurred, sir?
You stole them right out of the back part of the checkbook.
Didn't think nobody'd find that out.
No, sir.
What we mean is, how did the thief gain access to your checks?
Do you leave Mountain the open where people could get out of them?
Well, they're in a plain black-covered book.
Emma always makes out the checks most of the time.
When she's through, she turned and leased them down underneath the counter
in with a size 12 paper bags.
That way we all know where to find it.
You know, all place for everything, sure.
Uh-huh.
About when do you think the theft occurred, would you know?
Well, it'll be kind of hard to tell us the exact time.
Well, when did you say you and your wife first noticed they were missing?
This morning, right after we talked to the bank man.
That's when I got the idea to go through the checkbook.
My wife didn't think so much of the idea, but she found out I was right.
Well, would you have any idea at all as to who might have taken the checks?
Anyone suspicious, loitering around your store, anyway?
No, I don't believe so.
Emma and I know most of the people around our neighborhood.
But I wouldn't think any of those folks should do a thing like this.
How about some tranchum?
Somebody might have come in the store that you never saw before?
No, nobody I can recall.
Do you live in the back of the store, Mr. Miller?
Yeah, how'd you guess that?
Say you felt it real good.
I was just wondering, sir.
Would it be possible somebody could have broken in during the night?
No, sir. Not a chance.
Oh, no. We could have told that.
Well, how about when you and your wife have lunch?
Is it possible that you might leave the store unattended for short periods while both of you are in the back, ma'am?
Say, that's right.
You ever run a store?
No, sir.
All right, George, that just could have happened, all right?
I mean, Emma lots of times ducking the back and sit down and grab a bite of lunch or a little cut of till a mook cheese on a crack, you know?
Yes, sir.
All right, George, I'll bet that's what it could have happened, all right?
Do you figure the checks were taken in the last month or about when would you say?
Well, let's see.
You must have been some time during the last couple of weeks of memory, sirs.
That's about when we received our new checkbooks.
Last couple of weeks, that must be it.
I see.
But we want you to give this tonight for a full report of this, sir.
Right here.
I got the approval slip on me now.
Now, if you'll be kind enough to take this slip down to room 23, this tonight will take you report.
Well, thank you very much.
Appreciate you coming in, Mr. Miller.
We'll keep you informed of the developments of the case.
Here's our card. If you hear anything, appreciate you giving us a call.
Well, fine. Thank you very much.
Yes, sir.
You say you'll keep me informed of what happens on this scene?
Yes, sir. That's right.
Say, maybe you better talk to Emma when you call the store.
That's my wife.
Well, yes, sir. Won't you be there?
Oh, I'll be there, all right. But she'd like to have you call her.
Well, how's that, sir?
What's about them, other Mr. Check?
I told you it was my idea.
Yeah.
It wasn't. It was hers.
9.30 a.m., Martin Miller went down the hall to make his report.
Frank and I checked the name Roger Theodore through our files,
and also through our own eye, but there was no record on him.
10.02 a.m., we checked with the head cash here at the bank
where Miller had his checking account.
The cash here was unable to let us see the Ford's checks explaining
that they'd been sent back to the people who had deposited them.
However, he was able to give us a list of the firms
that had taken in the bad checks.
They were all large supermarkets in the central Hollywood area.
He told us that the checks had varied an amount from $32.50
up to $78.97.
And that each check was made out to a Roger G. Theodore
with the endorsement on the back of the check also by Theodore.
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well, trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Sure, you can post your job to some job board,
but then all you can do is hope the right person comes along,
which is why you should try Zippercrooter for free.
Add zippercrooter.com slash zipp.
Zippercrooter doesn't depend on candidates finding you.
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Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees
that I don't really need it.
Infliction is killing me.
Who cares?
Big retailers make it record profits.
That's why we support the German Marshall credit card bill.
See?
Banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll.
This bill would cut the vital resources they need.
While increasing Megastore profits.
They deserve it.
Don't they?
Tell Congress, stop the German Marshall money grab for corporate megastores.
Paid for it by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
11.25 am.
Frank and I drove out to a market at the corner of Franklin and Yucca.
It was a big place with fruit stands along the front and large signs saying
we never close.
What do you think we find the manager?
Probably in the back there.
These places most of them work on one of the checkstands.
Hey Joe.
Look at those Concord grapes.
There was things so big.
Sweet too, I bet.
They've figured out some way to grow without season.
They've got it made.
You know, season always gets stuck in my teeth.
Let the manager back there and pack in those cans.
See? With a badge?
Yeah, with a badge.
Pardon me.
Are you the manager here?
Yeah, something I can do for it?
Yes, sir.
This is my partner Frank Smith, my name is Friday.
Howdy Joe. My name is Giles.
My good job.
We like to talk to you about that check you cash for Roger Theodore.
Theodore?
Yes, sir.
According to the bank, you cash to check last Saturday for $64.89 for a Roger Theodore.
The check was drawn on the account of a Martin Miller.
Yeah, I remember now.
You catch them?
No, sir. Not yet.
We just like to ask you some questions.
Sure. You don't mind if I go ahead with this stuff.
Yeah, I got to get these cans, though.
No, sir.
Who cashed to check for?
Do you remember that?
Sure, I remember me.
At least I okayed it.
When the cashier's called me over, said this guy wanted to cash to check on what I okayed.
I did.
Can you describe them, man?
Sure can.
When I checked came back from the bank, I got to thinking about the crummy deal.
Remembered almost everywhere the conversation.
Of all the lousy snow, jobs, I had no good bum.
Really, dished out a little bit.
Yes, sir.
How tall would you say the man was?
Maybe 5, 10, 11, about 160 pounds.
Said he worked for this grocery store.
This Marty's...
Marty's mart.
Yeah, yeah.
That's it.
Said he worked down there.
We talked about the grocery business.
He told me how he wanted to start a place of his own.
Tired of working for somebody else.
Lousy trick.
Can he give us a further description of him, sir?
Well, he was dark.
Real dark, black, wavy hair.
His eyes were almost solid black.
Nice looking, kid.
How old would you say, western?
30, 31.
Hard to tell.
He was kind of a guy.
Don't show his age to him, mate.
Do you remember what time he came into the store?
Yeah, I was right after I announced a sale of day old bread on the PA.
That'd make it about 830 or 840.
I always try to make it thin so that we won't be stuck with a lot of bread the next day.
You know, to get it off the shelves for you.
It's not really a day all, but by the time he's going to get to the squeeze
and it sure looks like it'd been on the shelves a long time.
Well, you and the halftop cash from checks here often, sir.
I mean, never cash personal checks.
Get stuck too often.
We will cash payroll checks.
The guy's got identification.
Theodore have identification.
Sure, head is driver's life.
Do you have the check now, sir?
Yeah, that's in the back.
You want to say it?
Yes, sir. Like to if we can.
Sure thing. Hold on a minute.
I'll get it for you.
Nice.
Driver's life is likely to some month.
Yeah. Doesn't figure it uses real name though.
Here it is.
You see right here in the corner of the driver's license number.
W-414-626.
What was that again?
W-414-626.
No, two-six.
Right, thank you.
Yes, you answer.
Yeah, here.
Thanks.
There's endorsement on the back.
Okay, I said, I hope you catch it, crummy.
I'm a dirtiest trick ever played.
Yes.
Comes in here, buys a pound of wheat.
And he's 52 cents on special on a kosher Dell.
Grand total 61 cents.
Well, as you do.
Yes, sir.
Sure, if we could take this check with us,
we'd like to have our handwriting man get a look at it.
Sure, anything to catch at no good, bum.
Spent 61 cents and comes me into cash
and is checked for 6489.
It's not the weenies of the pickler, right me?
No, sir.
It's a thought of that guy spending 63 bucks of my money someplace else.
Frank and I called the office and asked them to check
with DMV for a make on the number of the driver's license
that we'd found written on the check.
11.55 am.
We began to canvas the other six stores
with theodore past bad checks.
In each instance, the descriptions we were able to obtain
varied little.
All of the managers of the stores had described them
as a dark man in his early 30s.
In checking with the managers further,
we found that all of the checks had been passed
within a period of an hour and a half.
From the addresses of the stores,
we could almost trace the exact route the forge
you had taken in making his rounds.
The victims all gave us the same story.
Theodore had made a small purchase,
talked about the grocery business,
and used his driver's license as identification
to cast the check.
2.14 pm.
We checked back into the office.
The teletype had come through from DMV
up in Sacramento giving the particulars
on the driver's license.
The license was made out to a Roger George
Theodore 1082 Whitley Street Hollywood.
The description on the license, however,
did not tally with the one that we'd gotten
from the victims of the forgeries.
We asked DMV to send a photo stat
of Theodore's license to us for handwriting comparison
with the forge checks that we'd been able to collect.
The stats office made a run for us on Theodore's M.O.
The names that they gave us were checked out
but let us know where.
4.47 pm.
Frank and I drove out to the address listed
on Theodore's driver's license.
It was a large brick apartment building
with a white marble entrance.
We didn't find the suspect's name on the mailboxes
so we rang a bell to the manager's apartment.
Yes.
Mrs. Rice.
That's right.
Something I can do for you.
Police officers, man, we'd like to ask you a few questions.
Police officers?
What's going on is something wrong?
No, Mr. Rice.
Just some routine questions about one of your tenants.
Oh. Well, in that case, come in.
Thank you very much.
If you're police officers,
I suppose you have some sort of identification.
Yes, ma'am, we do.
Here's my ID card.
My name's Joe Friday.
This is my partner, Frank Smith.
I do.
I'm Violet, right.
But then you know that.
Catch me to carefully, Stase.
Oh, what's it you wanted to know about?
I know almost all of my tenants here.
They all know me, too.
Call them by their first names.
They call me Violet.
I don't like formality.
I never could stand it.
Oh, speaking of stand.
Move that sewing under the floor and sit down, young man.
Oh, yes, ma'am.
Thank you very much.
Well, this is about Roger Theodore, Mrs. Rice.
Roger? Oh, yes.
Well, what does he want to know about it?
Him and his wife and me used to be great friends.
Roger was a cartoonist, you know.
Oh, we're one of the studios in the valley.
The pictures he used to draw.
Just beautiful.
I had some of them if you'd like to see them.
No, ma'am, not right now.
We just like to know if Mr. Theodore lives here.
No, his wife moved out about six months ago.
I'd have to get the rent.
Received to be sure.
But I think it was about six months ago.
Move down at the beach.
Took it pretty hard, you know.
It took it pretty hard.
Mrs. Theodore, Mrs. Sadden.
What's that, Mr. Rice?
When Roger died six months ago.
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The apartment house manager, Mrs. Rice, went on to tell us that Roger Theodore had caught a bad cold and that it developed into pneumonia.
She told us that his death had been very sudden and that his passing and his wife very hard.
We questioned her about the other tenants in the building who were friendly with the Theodore's,
but she was able to add little information to what we already had.
The description she gave us of Theodore matched the one we'd gotten from DMV up in Sacramento,
but bore little resentments to the one we'd obtained from the supermarket managers.
She gave us the address of Mrs. Theodore's beach house.
712 PM, Frank and I drove up to the residence.
A small white house built out over the sand.
The paint was peeling off of the shutters and a window box in front was full of dead uranium.
Mrs. Theodore was a tall woman in her late twenties.
She asked us in and we talked to her.
She kept looking at the clock over the fireplace.
What time have you got, Sergeant?
718, Miss Theodore.
It seemed it was earlier than that.
Now, what was it you were asking about, Roger?
We were wondering if you could tell us how his driver's license could have been used as identification by someone else, man.
No, I haven't the slightest idea.
Do you have his private papers, Mrs. Theodore?
Yes, most of them. They're in a strong box at the bank in town.
What is driver's license being among those papers, perhaps?
Don't remember. I think so, but I can't be sure.
It seems to me that I put them in the box just a minute.
Oh, I find.
Just happened to think it might be in here.
I put some of this things in here.
Papers, I didn't think were too important.
Miss Ma'am.
This is draft card.
Club membership cards and this personal business cards.
Say to a caricature themselves.
Is there a clever about things like that?
Yes, ma'am.
It's to me that I've seen his license someplace.
No, it's not here.
Well, where did Mr. Theodore keep the license, ma'am?
I used to keep it out in the glove compartment of the car.
Of course, I knew I'd seen it just a few days ago.
It's in the glove compartment. That's where it is.
Oh, what if we might see it, ma'am?
Sure. What time have you got, Sergeant?
At 7.20.
Thank you.
We're turning cold, all of a sudden.
Yes, ma'am. Fox coming in.
Usually I have it this time of year.
Days have been so nice. Warm.
That's funny.
What's that, ma'am?
For sure it was here.
So, just the other day, now it's gone.
From the other things, too.
Gone, ma'am?
Yes, the driver's license and the social security card.
They were both and will say, like, folder.
Kept them together in here. That's funny.
Was it possible that you might have taken them out of the car?
No. I have no reason, too. I hardly ever used the glove compartment.
No, I'm sure they were here.
Well, maybe you picked something else up in the license game with it?
Maybe.
Look to my purse as I might have picked them up.
Say, fine.
So, warm up a little. I'll build a fire tonight.
You can stand for that license, might have gone.
Have to ask Lloyd.
Lloyd?
Yes, I met him a few weeks ago on the beach.
He came down to swim. We've got to be very good friends.
Kind of have expecting him to call tonight,
but he would have called before this if he's going to.
I'll get my purse.
Fine, thank you.
I'm sure, though, it was in the glove compartment the last time I saw it.
Lloyd might have seen it when he borrowed the car.
He borrowed your car?
He'll ask me.
He said he was having his overhaul,
and I wasn't using mine, so I told him to take it.
Very nice.
Are you sure your watch is right, Sergeant?
Yes, ma'am.
What day was it Lloyd took your car?
Last Friday or Saturday, one of the other.
Nope, it's not here.
I just don't know where could have gone.
What does this Lloyd look like, Mrs. Theatre?
Lloyd is a nice looking boy, dark hair, dark eyes.
Nice looking boy.
About how old is he, ma'am?
Well, I never asked.
I'd guess 30, 31.
Lloyd, what's his last name, ma'am?
Stratton.
Lloyd Stratton.
Why are you asking all these questions about him
if he'd done something?
Is that it?
Well, we don't know, ma'am.
Do you know where he lives?
Some place in Hollywood.
I don't know the number.
He hasn't got a phone.
I called information once.
They didn't have a listing.
I was the last time he saw him, ma'am.
Monday, he came down to take a swim, and we talked.
He must be mistaken officers.
He couldn't do anything to dishonest.
I know.
By the last time he was here, he was a little short of cash.
I offered him $50 to tie him over.
He didn't want to take it, but I insisted.
I didn't have enough to do it.
What's that, ma'am?
He wanted me to cash his payroll check.
We questioned Mrs. Theodore further,
but she couldn't add anything to what she'd already told us.
She was unable to give us the names of any of Stratton's friends,
his relatives, or tell us where he might be employed.
7.46 pm.
Frank and I drove back to the office.
We ran the name and description of Lloyd Stratton through R&I.
They came up with several possible suspects.
In the process of elimination, we were left with one name,
Lloyd Stimson, who had as one of many aliases,
the name Lloyd Stratton.
His description tallied closely with the ones we'd gotten
from the victims of the forgery.
His record showed him to be a two-time loser on parole
from San Quentin at the present time.
He'd been convicted both times for forgery.
In checking the suspect's handwriting card,
Don Meyer was able to tell us that the writing on the checks
and the exemplars of the suspects were the same.
We obtained mug shots of the suspect and drove out
to check them with the victims.
9.22 pm.
We got to the market at the corner of Franklin
and Yuckett Streets, the manager's office.
Mr. Giles?
Ed?
Oh, yeah, the officers who were here this morning.
You caught the guy yet? The one who forged that check?
No, sir, not yet.
We'd like you to look at some pictures if you would.
The guy?
You got pictures of him?
Figures if you had pictures of him, you'd catch him.
Well, we think we know who he is, Mr. Giles.
We would like you to check these pictures just to be sure.
Fine. Glad to help.
Can I get that, Bob?
Yes, sir.
Here are the pictures, Mr. Giles.
Good.
Hey.
Sit down here and get that stuff off of you.
All right, fine.
All right, fine.
Now, just look through some of them,
sir, and see if the man is there, if you would.
Yeah.
I mean, he's spread him out here.
All right, playing solid there.
Look at that.
Mean-looking fellow, real criminal type.
All right, that's not him.
No. Wait a minute.
Yes, sir?
This one.
Right here. He's a guy.
He's the one who casts the check.
You sure, Mr. Giles?
I'm positive. That's him, all right, sir.
Thank you very much.
It's all right, officer.
It's glad to help.
Um, this fellow theater was real name,
Stimpson, Lloyd Stimpson.
Yeah, well, this Stimpson.
He done this sort of thing before?
Sir.
Forge checked.
Yes, sir, he's been convicted twice.
How about that?
Lazy thing.
I wonder what he tells his friends when they ask.
What's that?
About his work.
He probably tells me rights for living.
We checked with the other victims of the forgeries.
We were able to get three more identifications of the suspect.
The rest of the people involved couldn't be reached at the time.
We contacted the suspect's parole officer,
and he gave us his last known address,
and he said that he'd give us whatever assistance he could
in apprehending Stimpson, Alias Stratton.
In checking the address furnished by the parole officer,
we found the suspect had moved a week before
and left no forwarding address.
A local and an all-points bulletin was gotten out on Stratton.
There were still seven checks to be accounted for,
and none of these had been reported to us
as having been forged and passed.
In addition to the local and the APB,
we got out a special circular
giving the description of the suspect his picture
and a sample of the forged checks.
It was distributed to all supermarkets
and check cashing agencies in the area.
We requested that if the suspect attempted to cache
one of the checks, forged redetail be notified at once,
and if possible, it'd be delayed until we could pick him up.
Since none of the checks had been reported
since the previous Saturday night,
it looked like the suspect might be waiting until a coming weekend
to get rid of the other checks he had in his possession.
During the following three days,
we ran down several leads on the suspect,
but none of them panned out.
Saturday, July 26, 8.40pm,
I got back to the office after seeing
the one remaining victim.
Hey, Chujo.
Yeah.
I just checked that place out on Melrose.
They're making?
Yeah. Said Stratton was the guy
that hung the paper on him last week.
No, that's it, then. All seven of them check out.
Yeah.
All the managers said they were positive.
None of them had me down.
Oh, it's hot out.
Yeah, hot and muggy.
Let's not go into that again, huh?
Any word?
No, Joe, everything's quiet.
We figured it right, Stratton,
should make a try tonight, huh?
He figures you well, but I don't know, won't you?
Yeah.
Maybe he's figured the deal.
Maybe he plan to hit them all one weekend,
and then leave town.
It's possible.
He got away with it once,
chance that I'll try it again.
I guess.
Forgery, Friday.
Yes, sir?
Where?
Yes, sir.
What was that address again?
Hmm?
Yes, sir.
We'll be right out.
All right.
Let's hustle a market out on Promo, Stratton.
Yeah, he's there now.
The call had come from a large supermarket in the Hollywood area.
From what the clerk had said on the phone,
Stratton had made several purchases,
and then tried to catch a payroll,
checked, drawn on Marty's mark.
The clerk had recognized him immediately and called us.
When we walked into the market,
one of the clerk's motion to us from a front counter.
Over there, Joe.
Yeah.
There's no one at the stand.
Maybe it wouldn't wait.
You the cops?
I made the call.
Yes, sir. We're police officers.
Where is it?
By counter 25.
I told him to be a few minutes before I get the check.
Okay, he said he'd look around.
Maybe find something else he wanted.
Do you have the check?
Yes, sir, right here.
You see it's the same kind as the one on the circuit.
Yes, okay, sir. Thank you.
It won't be any trouble.
I mean, get me Marty here.
Well, that depends on him.
I'll go round the counter.
Come up in the back.
All right.
Mr. Theater?
Hmm?
You ride your theater?
Yes, you the manager here.
I don't see what the problem is.
It's a payroll check.
If you don't want the business, there are other stores I can go to.
No, police officers, Mr. Stratton.
I want to talk to you.
Certainly, if there's some stake, my name's not Stratton.
It's Roger Theater.
No, no mistake, Mr. Let's go.
No!
Come here.
Watch it, Joe.
All right, hold it up, Stratton.
Watch that car, Joe.
Outside.
Get in the car, Joe.
All right, hold it up, Stratton.
There we are.
Don't shoot.
Don't shoot, I won't try it.
Hey, don't shoot.
All right, out of the car, Mr.
I'll shake him.
What's this all about?
What are you trying to prove?
He's clean, Joe. Hands behind your back.
Well, check the car, Frank.
Yeah.
You won't find anything. There's nothing to find.
If you grow up for this, that's all.
It must be some kind of mistake.
I don't think so, Stratton.
Frank, what do you got?
Look, clean, Joe. Just check the seat covers.
You sure you got the right guy?
You keep calling me Stratton.
I told you my name's Theodore.
Look, get my driver's license out of my pocket.
It'll tell you who I am.
All right, let's come off it.
We know who you are.
We got your record and the dozen people who identify you.
Joe? Yeah.
All these under the seat covers in the back,
checks from Marty's Mark.
So what?
No law against having a few blank checks, is it?
Only when you try to cash him.
The story you have just heard was true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On October 21st, trial was held in Superior Court,
Department 87, city and county of Los Angeles,
state of California.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
And now, here is our star, Jack Webb.
Thank you, George Phenomen.
Friends is a good reason why Fatima continues to grow
in favor among King-sized cigarette smokers everywhere.
In Fatima, the difference is quality.
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Lloyd Harrell Stimson, alias Lloyd Stratton,
was tried and convicted of seven counts of forgery.
He is now serving as term in the state penitentiary.
Forgery is punishable by imprisonment
for a period of not less than one,
nor more than 14 years.
Ladies and gentlemen,
lightning starts a few forest fires every year.
But careless people cause many, many more.
This shameful waste of one of our greatest natural resources,
Weakens America.
This holiday weekend,
if you picnic or camp out,
please be careful with fire.
Be sure, be very sure your campfire is really out
before you leave it.
Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.
You have just heard dragnet,
a series of authentic cases from official fires.
Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police
W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Technical advisors Captain Jack Donahoe,
Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Fan Spratio.
Her tonight were Herbellis,
Cliff Arquette, Virginia Greg.
Script by John Robinson,
music by Walter Schumann,
Hal Gibney speaking.
King size Fatima has brought you dragnet,
transcribed from Los Angeles.
music by Walter Schumann,
Friday here, the Mario Lanza show over NBC.
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Infliction is killing me.
Who cares?
Big retailers and making record profits.
That's why we support the German Marshall credit card bill.
See?
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This bill would cut the vital resources they need.
While increasing Megastore profits.
They deserve it.
Don't they?
Tell Congress, stop the German Marshall money grab for corporate megastores.
Paid for it by the Electronic Payments Coalition.
