A terrific little crime yarn out of southern Colorado, where an exterminator has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for burglary. That punishment may sound harsh, but Charles Edward Trogdon was no run-of-the-mill breaking-and-entering specialist. He allegedly spent three decades nicking precious items from the homes of clients, a vocation that allowed him to support a suspiciously extravagant lifestyle. (How many snowmobiles and trips to Paris can the average exterminator afford?) Trogdon would likely still be at his illicit craft if he hadn’t made one careless error in 2010:
Trogdon was arrested Nov. 1, 2010, after a woman watched him enter her home without permission, open a dresser drawer and steal money where money previously had gone missing.
Authorities served multiple search warrants at Trogdon’s home and recovered dozens of items that had been stolen from other customers’ homes over a period of many years.
Trogdon said he purchased many of the items at local flea markets.
This detail, I believe, is the greatest testament to Trogdon’s criminal genius:
Trogdon lived an extravagant life, Champagne said. He had multiple houses, boats, snowmobiles and took trips around the world. He since has transferred all of his assets to his wife, preventing victims from obtaining restitution.
Amazing that such a loophole exists in Colorado’s legal code. I have to think that Trogdon knew about it for many years, and started the necessary paperwork as soon as he was arrested. He would thus be the rare crook blessed with some measure of foresight.
Chris Labarthe // Aug 23, 2012 at 4:22 pm
You bolded the wrong sentence there: Trogdon lived an extravagant life, Champagne said.
Assistant DA Champagne!
Brendan I. Koerner // Aug 24, 2012 at 8:52 am
@Chris Labarthe: Heh, missed that. District attorney Christian Champagne–sounds like a secretly sinister character from a Frank Miller graphic novel.