Sooo... my neighbor across the street was just arrested for multiple bank robberies in multiple counties and states, identity theft, child support and fraud last Thursday. Exciting times.

It seems that Michael, who moved in across the street around October, wasnt the Iraq/Afghanistan vet, former triple A baseball player, construction site foreman and all around good guy he led us around the neighborhood to believe.

Last Thursday my wife called and said the police were just at the house and wanted to talk to me. First thought? Holy crap. What did I do? I know I was pushing it but the light was still yellow and those electric wheelchairs are pretty fast and the busload of nuns... well... with proper therapy, most of them will be okay. Then she said it was about the guy across the street.

She gave me the phone number of the officer who talked to her and I called him. He was really nice and asked what I knew about the neighbor and my contact with him and if I knew whether he was at home right now. My contact fortunately had only extended to talking to him a couple of times a week while I waited outside for the school bus with Cannon and he waited with the daughter of the owner of the house he was living in. Unfortunately I couldnt help much more other than telling them where the kids went to school so they could try and head them off before they came home and ended up in the middle of a stake out.

My wife was pretty shaken up over the idea that the house across the street was under surveillance from undercover officers and the OK Corral might be re-enacted at any moment so I came home driving through the neighborhood looking for Serpico. I didnt see anyone although I was told that if I saw a hippy/biker he was with them.

They arrested him at the house about 2:00 or so and it all went pretty peacefully - handcuffed him on the front porch and led him away and started the interview process with the homeowner who at this point was very distraught and an emotional wreck. She told me later that day that the arresting officer was really nice and was as helpful as he was able to be and that the FBI was going to interview her a bit later.

She told me later that the FBI was pretty much all business and seemed to insinuate that they were suspicious of her as well. She wanted to get all of his stuff out of her house and dump it at his mothers house but they advised her to keep it for now in case they needed to look at it. So now she is paranoid that if the guy got out of jail, he would be coming for his stuff. She is in a bad position all the way around. Instant insecurity for her and her family, paranoid of strangers because how do you know who his friends are? Trust issues with everyone now and in the future and tons of self recriminations - why didnt I connect the dots?

The biggest problem is that the guy is a very likable, self confident guy. As with all good con men he had a personality that you took an immediate liking to. I had asked him if he was interested in playing poker with me and some of my friends and he said he was. I told him about the group which includes a couple of police officers and a parole officer and he thought that would be fun as he helped train SWAT tactics in North Idaho. Pure ego and a lie for any situation. He might have made a great poker player.

-craig!