“The Bad Dog” Erika LeBakken 1 st Block-Coach Hutchins-English C.P. Novel Project May 21, 2007

California man arrested for allegedly stealing 26 cars to see girlfriend LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whenever Antonio Moreno wanted to see his girlfriend, police say, he'd jump in a car and drive right over.But there was a problem. The 26 cars Moreno jumped into all belonged to someone else, according to authorities who arrested the 31-year-old near his Inglewood home on Wednesday. They said he was behind the wheel of a 1987 Toyota Camry when they found him.Since January, police said, Moreno had been stealing Toyota Camrys and Nissan Sentras by using a simple device that starts Japanese cars of a certain age. Acting on a tip, members of a regional auto- theft task force took him into custody.Some cars were stolen in Inglewood and abandoned in Santa Barbara, police said, while others were taken from Santa Barbara.He was "stealing vehicles as transportation to pursue their relationship," according to a statement from Lt. Paul McCaffrey, a Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman.He didn't have a driver's license or car of his own, police said.Moreno was jailed in Los Angeles for investigation of auto theft and was to be transferred to Santa Barbara to face charges, police said. It wasn't immediately clear whether Moreno had an attorney.His girlfriend, who was not arrested, told authorities she had been trying to dump him. Work Cited Jones, Brent. "California man arrested for allegedly stealing 26 cars to see girlfriend." usatoday.com. 30 April USA Today. 14 May 2007.

Once upon a time there lived an Akita named Moreno. He had had his eye on a very beautiful Akita named Lacy for an extremely long time. When Moreno gained enough courage he went to talk to Lacy.

“Hello Lacy, my name is Moreno,” Moreno said. “Hello,” replied Lacy. “Would you like to go to dinner sometime?” Moreno questioned. “Of course,” answered Lacy. Moreno and Lacy exchanged phone numbers and went their separate ways. After about three days, Moreno called Lacy and asked, “Are you free Friday?” Lacy answered with, “Yes, pick me up at 8:00!” It was settled Moreno would pick Lacy up on Friday at 8:00 p.m.

Moreno had some problems. One, he didn’t have a car and two, he didn’t have a license. It was one night before the dinner and Moreno didn’t have a car or enough money to buy a car. He thought all night about what he should do and finally came up with a solution. Tomorrow he would be behind the wheel of a used 1987 Toyota Camry.

When Moreno woke up the next morning he started to plan a way to get the car. He walked around town wearing fancy clothes and carrying a backpack on his back. When he came across the parked Toyota Camry he opened his backpack picked the lock on the door and was off with the car. He kept it in his garage until it was time to pick up Lacy.

Lacy was wearing a dress that looked as if the sun god had created it himself. It was full of beautiful colors such as reds, oranges, and yellows. “You look gorgeous!” exclaimed Moreno. “As do you,” Lacy replied. Moreno and Lacy went on to have a pleasant dinner. When it was over Moreno took Lacy home and then dumped the car a few cities away.

Moreno called Lacy and set up another get together. They decided to picnic, and had tons of fun. They fetched a Frisbee and then took a long walk along the lakes shore. Again, Moreno had stolen the car they had been traveling in and when the day was finished dumped it a few cities away and stole another car to bring home.

Anytime Moreno wanted to see Lacy he just hopped in a car and went. Lacy stopped calling him and tried to ignore him but Moreno couldn’t take the hint. He took about twenty- six cars just to keep their relationship going. Lacy didn’t know what he had been doing and Moreno planned to keep it that way.

One day when Moreno and Lacy had gone out Lt. Paul McCaffrey, the chief St. Bernard, stopped them. “Excuse me, but how did you arrive at this public park?” Lt. asked. “I drove my car,” Moreno said sophisticatedly. “May I see your license and registration please?” Lt. queried. “I don’t have them,” Moreno replied. Lt. Paul McCaffrey then took Moreno and Lacy in for custody.

After Lacy told Lt. McCaffrey that she had nothing to do with the stolen vehicles and didn’t know anything about them she was let go. Moreno was put in the pound to face charges for auto-theft and not having a license.

When everything was all said and done Lacy told Moreno that she was ending the relationship and stealing the cars would never have change her mind. Lacy went on to live a happy life. Moreno was forced to live the rest of his life in captivity.