Marion County Bandit Caught with a Shopping List and a Side of Misfortune
In the latest installment of “Criminals Caught Red-Handed,” the Marion County Sheriff’s Office nabbed one Dusten Mathes after a bizarre burglary attempt on August 19, 2024.
The scene unfolded when Amy Bowes returned to her Marion County neighborhood home after running errands, only to find her doors mysteriously locked. A noise at the back of the house caught her attention, revealing a white male with dark hair, dressed in black shorts, a black shirt, and a white face covering, casually hauling items as if he were on a shopping spree. Bowes, perhaps giving him the benefit of the doubt, assumed he was a utility worker—because who doesn’t pack up groceries, cleaning supplies, and silverware as part of their workday?
But when Bowes finally entered her home, she discovered her groceries, valued at $100, had been thoughtfully bagged, along with cleaning supplies, medication, silverware, and even her trusty Sig Sauer handgun. Oh, and let’s not forget the black circular Hornaday pouch containing a whopping $10 in quarters—because every thief needs a little pocket change.
The grand total of this shopping list? A cool $1,085, excluding the firearm. But this thief’s luck ran out when a sharp-eyed neighbor, Barbara Croll, noticed the same suspicious figure walking toward a gate with something in hand—right before she heard a loud thud as if someone was practicing their shot-put over a chain-link fence.
Enter Detective Terry and Deputy Childress, who managed to retrieve the victim’s safe from the other side of said fence. Inside, they found the Sig Sauer and a carved ivory Alaskan figurine, still intact and likely wondering what they did to deserve such treatment.
But the story doesn’t end there. Deputy Mullins spotted Mathes at a local store, wearing the same dark ensemble and orange-sleeved shirt captured on video. The defendant, in an attempt to plead his innocence, claimed he found the Hornaday pouch just lying in the grass near the witness’ home—because apparently, $10 in quarters just grows on trees in Marion County.
When confronted with the fact that he was being charged with armed burglary for stealing the firearm in the safe, Mathes had the audacity to claim he didn’t know there was a gun inside and that he never even opened the safe. Perhaps he thought the safe was just a really heavy lunchbox?
Mathes now faces multiple charges, including armed burglary, grand theft of a firearm, and grand theft from a residence. For a guy who tried to make off with groceries and a side of silverware, it’s safe to say this isn’t the kind of “bargain” he was hoping for.
