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South Euclid OH Feb 20 2015 He fought the law — again and again.
Nathaniel Ferguson, 49, had been arrested a whopping 108 times when he snatched a bunch of teeth-whiteners and bolted through the open doors of a CVS pharmacy in suburban Cleveland on Monday, police said.
“I don’t have anything on me,” the prolific shoplifter reportedly yelled at a drug store security guard who knows him well.
Ferguson had a getaway car waiting and roared down the road where he was stopped by a couple of old acquaintances from the South Euclid Police Department, authorities said. They asked for his ID as a matter of procedure.
He allegedly gave them the name of his brother.
“Probably the majority of his arrests are just like that,” South Euclid Sgt. Mike O’Connor told the Daily News.
Rarely if ever violent, the career criminal is the most dogged of petty thieves in Northeastern Ohio. His busts date back to at least 1984, and cops and grocery store security guards recognize him at a glance, authorities said.
“He’s an experienced criminal,” O’Connor said. “Experienced, but not necessarily successful.”
His take in the CVS heist was valued at $47.26 in dental products, cops said.
He had seven open warrants from the Cleveland suburbs, including three out of the South Euclid local court. His rap sheet includes 26 aliases — mostly just varied spellings of his real name, but occasionally more ambitious ruses, such as Bruce Hogan and Nathan Hope.
By the time of his 109th arrest, even police seemed impressed by the three-digit tally of run-ins for stealing and drug possession.
“Does anyone have a contact for Guinness Book of World Records?” cops asked in a Facebook post. “We think we might have one worth evaluating.”
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