Interesting: Airman Convicted in Cage Car Theft

[ErVikingo]

Airman Convicted in Cage Car Theft
The Associated Press
Jul 2 2002 6:27AM

ARNOLD, Mo. (AP) - An airman stationed at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois has been convicted of stealing a 1989 Porsche 911 belonging to actor Nicolas Cage.
In January, Missouri Water Patrol divers found the $100,000 car at Lake of the Ozarks, submerged in 12 feet of water. It had been stolen a month earlier from a parking lot in Arnold, a St. Louis suburb, while in a transport trailer on its way from California to Pennsylvania.

Last week, a U.S. Air Force court-martial convicted Robert N. Clerkin, 20, of Arnold, of five charges, including larceny of a military identification card, larceny of the car, and conspiracy to steal, destroy and deprive Cage of the car.

Clerkin already has begun serving a six-month term in the stockade at Scott, said public affairs Lt. Janice Shelley. His sentence also includes a rank reduction, forfeiture in pay and a letter of reprimand.

Authorities also have charged Michael J. Grambling, 19, of Arnold, in the theft. A preliminary hearing in his case is scheduled for July 11.

Deputies in Camden County, where the car was pulled from the lake, verified the Porsche was Cage's by checking its serial number. Arnold police said the company that was transporting the vehicle when it was stolen also verified the owner's identity.

[Doug E]

$100,000 ???? Now that's some serious price inflation.

[k9handler]

gone in 60 seconds! Ok, maybe a little slower than that. This is what the damn manning drawbacks of the 90's has done...now any damn lowlife scum with a GED can get in the military and offered a bonus to boot!!!

[maxnine11]

could he not have found a place a little, uhh, "drier", to hide it??!!!!!!!! Like over at my place!

[Overpaid Slacker]

No firing squad for this *****bag? Why have courts martial in the first place?


In the "using up my asterisk quotient for the week" category, I offer the following excerpt from Pulp Fiction:

LANCE
Still got your Malibu?

VINCENT
You know what some f***er did to it
the other day?

LANCE
What?

VINCENT
F***in' keyed it.

LANCE
Oh man, that's f***ed up.

VINCENT
Tell me about it. I had the
g-ddamn thing in storage three
years. It's out five f***in' days
-- five days, and some dickless
piece of ***** f***s with it.

LANCE
They should be f***in' killed. No
trial, no jury, straight to
execution.

As he cooks his heroin --

VINCENT
I just wish I caught 'em doin' it,
ya know? Oh man, I'd give anything
to catch 'em doin' it. It'a been
worth his doin' it, if I coulda
just caught 'em, you know what I
mean?

LANCE
It's chicken *****. You don't f***
another man's vehicle.

[bell]

we'll have to watch ebay for this car to pop up with a salvage title

[Neilk]

I think it might have been a Speedster, thus the 100k value.

[Wayne 962]

I can't imagine any 1989 car being worth $100K? What was so special about it?

Turbo?

-Wayne

[jjforland]

I'm just curious as to how many airmen we have here on the forums? I'm in the Air Force. Anyone else?

Looks like Mr Clerkin is screwed for life. How do they let idiots like that pass a secret clearance? Amazing.

[Bigbartguy]

I wondered about what 1989 911 is worth $100k also. Newspapers always seem to 'overvalue' items when a celebrity has one stolen. Makes for good print.

Same with drug busts......inflate the street value to make it a more interesting read.

Tim
1985 Targa

[Bill Douglas]

I think the guy tried to steal the wrong one. He should have opt'ed for Cages '73RS.

[billwagnon]

Keep dem RS's dry!

[Bill Douglas]

Jjforland. I'm ex defence and I'm an idiot. I've got New Zealands highest level of clearance possible which gives me access to lots of US stuff. If I actually cared. I suspect a lot of the tests they do are personality profiling and physc' test. And the fact that I don't really give a fu*k about anything probably made me quite a good risk.

Bill '79SC

[Neilk]

Wayne,

No 911 Speedster is really worth 100k, I agree. But on Ebay with Nicholas Cage as a previous owner, anything is possible.

IIRC, about 10+ years ago Car and Driver had an article on the investment value of a 911 Speedster and how they were going for 30k over list after 6 months ownership?

[speeder]

I don't think even a factory slant-nose 930S cabriolet /w showroom miles would command $100G. One w/ just low miles is about ~$50G. Unless he has the world's dumbest insurance adjuster, then I guess it's $100Gs.

FWIW, Nicolas Cage is insanely rich and has a huge collection of valuable collector cars. He just sold off a large parcel of them because he never drove, (or probably saw), them. Life's a biatch.

[Bigbartguy]

I saw Cage's Lambo Murcielago (sp?) on Ebay a month or so ago....1900 miles. Must be rough !

Tim
1985 Targa

[jjforland]

Bill Douglas:

What? New Zealand has a Military .... for what? Just kidding. I've known many in the AF that haven't given a f%ck about much of anything. However these cases are rare and unless the press gets ahold of them, or in the case of the individual being female the feminist groups support them, they usually get what they deserve.

[PDACPA]

I wanna see a picture of this 89 911 worth 100k!

and I thought mine was only worth 20-30k. He can drive mine for 1900 miles if it will make it worth 70k more!

[rstoll]

Originally posted by Bill Douglas
I think the guy tried to steal the wrong one. He should have opt'ed for Cages '73RS.

An RS won't float either.