Port-a-potty doesn't make good hiding place

(4/12/07 - MOUNDSVILLE, WV) -- Police looking for a purse snatcher were able to flush the suspect out from the portable toilet where he was hiding.

"A Port-A-Potty is not a good place to hide," police Chief James Kudlak said Wednesday. "There's only one way out."

Johnny Snodgrass, 21, apparently matched the description of a man caught on videotape at a store where an 89-year-old woman's purse was stolen in March and from a nearby video poker establishment where her wallet was found, police said.

The thief got away with about $45.

Acting on a tip, police went to a construction site where Snodgrass was working on Monday to question him, but he ran into the portable restroom. Officers yelled for him to come out and he soon complied, police said.

Snodgrass was being in jail on $5,000 bond on Wednesday. He's scheduled to appear before a magistrate on April 25.

Kudlak said Snodgrass claims he is innocent.

Court officials said Snodgrass did not yet have an attorney.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Get more News »

• Email
• Print
• Report a typo
•