Marker Bandits Caught Easily

Officers found two men with their faces blackened with permanent marker

There's a subtle difference between looking like a master of disguise and looking like a complete moron.

It's not difficult to see where these two Iowa idiots fall on that spectrum.

Twenty-three-year-old Matthew McNelly and 20-year-old Joey Miller were arrested at gunpoint after they allegedly tried to rob an apartment near their home town last week. For their disguise, they opted to use a marker to color their faces, because that's a good idea.

"I've been chief here almost 25 years, been with the department 28½ years and I've seen a lot of things that make me laugh and weird things but this was probably the best combination of the two -- strangely weird and hilariously funny all at the same time," Carroll Police Chief Jeff Cayler told CNN.

Police pulled over a car matching the alleged suspects' vehicle. Inside the car, officers found two men with their faces blackened with permanent marker.

Police say the caller described two men with painted faces attempting to break into an apartment Friday night before driving off.

"We're very skilled investigators and the black faces gave them right away," Cayler joked. "I have to assume the officers were kind of laughing at the time. I've never heard of coloring your face with a permanent marker."

McNelly and Miller were each charged with attempted second-degree burglary. Both men were released after posting bond.

Attorneys for the men declined comment Tuesday.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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