Robbery foiled after suspect doesn't use headlights

By The Associated Press | Wednesday, May 21, 2008

   CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Cedar Rapids police say an Ohio man's plot to rob a jewelry store may have worked if not for one mistake: He forgot to turn on his headlights during the getaway.

   John Flagg Jr., 52, of Cleveland is charged with first-degree theft, third-degree burglary and numerous traffic violations.

   Police accuse Flagg of breaking into a jewelry store Tuesday night in downtown Cedar Rapids and taking dozens of watches worth more than $150,000. An officer later found Flagg driving without his headlights on and tried to pull him over.

   Police say Flagg sped away and eventually abandoned the car and tried to flee with a gym bag. Officers tracked him down and found 43 watches in the bag. Lt. Kenneth Washburn says officers found 118 more of them in Flagg's car.

   Flagg was booked in the Linn County Jail on a $2,000 bond.