Cop Talk 16: You can’t make this shit up

Many years ago while a fire investigator in the Detroit Arson Squad I investigated a fire-bombing incident on the east side of Detroit.

The complainant in this case was not injured and there was only minor burn damage to furnishings inside her home. The complainant indicated that she saw the owner of the party store across the street ignite and throw a fire-bomb (Molotov cocktail) through her window. I asked the victim what was his motive. She indicated that the store owner’s wife was lesbian or bi-sexual and often performed oral sex on her. The victim stated that she demanded that the store owner’s wife provide her with increasing amounts of liquor from the store or she would tell the store owner his wife was a lesbian. The store owner’s wife told her husband about the affair and he was attempting to shut up the victim up before she told anyone one else. In the Arson Squad a case such as this was often referred to as, a “love fire” or labeled it a “justifiable arson”. There really isn’t any such criminal charge of course.

In criminal cases it is necessary to show motive, means and opportunity. I asked the victim how she could substantiate the motive in this matter. The victim indicated she had photographs of the store owner’s wife performing oral sex on her. She produced a small canister of negatives from one of those very small cameras that were popular during the 80’s.

I approached the official Department Photographer and asked if he could develop the negatives and reminded him this was in regard to the crimes of Blackmail and Arson. I reminded him that there should only be photographs made for the criminal file; PERIOD.

As I recall the defendant plead guilty to arson and was placed on five years hard probation. Nothing ever developed about a counter charge of blackmail. However, over the years I had numerous occasions where Police Officers would tell me about this case and show me my own photographs. Apparently there was wide circulation of these photographs.

Attached is the original photographs provided by the victim. The victim took the photographs during a sexual encounter. It may be difficult to determine exactly what is happening in the photograph because on first glance it appears that it is a photograph of a Mexican-American with a very large mustache.

You can’t make this shit up

(Photo is X rated and not publishable but it truly looks like a guy with a mustash)

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Cop Talk 16: You can’t make this shit up

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