Ii i I The Wrong Line of Work I by Joe Shelton Ricky King has never been known for his intelligence When he lie was 13 Ricky stole I a briefcase from a parked car carI carat I at a local mall but was unable unI unable un un- I able to get it open So he lie I brilliantly hid the briefcase in ina inI ina I a group of shrubs and waited 1 for the owner to return FinI Finally Fin Fin- Finally I ally an executive dressed man appeared and when he began getting in into to his car Ricky approached and offered to toI I help him find his stolen briefcase briefcase briefcase brief brief- I case for twenty dollars The surprised but grateful manI man i I said sure his briefcase was important to him hint so he lie handed Ricky a twenty dollar bill Ricky pointed to the bushes and said find your briefcase in them shrubs Thanks a lot said the relieved victim There is over four thousand dollars in that briefcase receipts from the business I own Ricky should have ignored II the world of crime after that but remember he lie has never been known for his intelli intelli- gence When he lie was as 16 Ricky broke into a house and al almost almost almost al- al most helped himself to a color television set He would have gotten away with it too except he lie remembered that his favorite TV show was on So he parked himself on an sofa and began watching Andy of May Mayberry berry when naturally the owners of the home returned Ricky served 60 days in the Detention Detention Detention tion Center for that one Still Ricky refused to go straight On another occasion he lie yanked on the purse of an unsuspecting old woman in a Mart K-Mart parking lot Attempting Attempt Attempt- ing his getaway by foot Ricky was tackled by a high school wrest wrestling ling star who was coming out of Mart K-Mart with witha a newly purchased bottle of Chanel hanel No 5 a present for his sweetheart When he lie tackled tackled tackled tac tac- kled Ricky the bottle broke Ricky was pinned to the cold concrete swimming in broken broken broken bro bro- ken glass and Chanel No 5 He served 90 days at the Detention Center swearing at fellow prisoners who kept telling telling telling tell tell- ing him hint how wonderful he smelled while inquiring about his plans for the evening Ricky King was fast becoming the joke of the neighborhood Friends would mock and scorn his stupidity forcing him to reply defensively defensively defensively that hed he'd soon pull off offa a big score and then wouldn't they be surprised Ricky had hadit it all planned out Unfortunately Unfortunately Unfortunately he lie had just turned 18 IS years old On a silent Sunday night in Granger Ricky pulled up to a motorcycle establishment establishment establishment establish establish- ment broke in then proceeded proceeded pro pro- proceeded to load 15 new Hondas Honda's Hondas Honda's Hondas Honda's Hon Hon- das da's into a rented U-Haul U trailer Surprisingly enough the cops didn't come Ricky was elated Now hed he'd show his friends He rushed back to the neighborhood and began riding doorbells giving each one of his friends a brand new Honda Ricky smiled with pride when they asked him how hed he'd managed to pull it off It was the happiest night in his life A couple of days later a ayoung ayoung ayoung young pal of Ricky's was racing around the streets on his newly acquired Honda when a police officer pulled him over The cop became suspicious ran a record check checkon on the bike then asked the youngster where hed he'd gotten it The kid answered Oh Ricky King gave it to me Ricky was arrested and found guilty of burglary This time there was no Detention Center however In Utah year olds go to prison Which is where Ricky is now doing a one to fifteen year sentence Ricky's old neighborhood is still the same When asked about him hinl friends and relatives relatives relatives rela rela- tives shake their heads and thoughtfully say His only aim in life was to pull off the big job ya know the really big score But the kid just never had any brains he lie should have gone to school and picked up a trade Ricky will be in prison for fora a long long time Last spring he lie tried to escape by two fifteen foot fences at the Point of the Mountain Attempted Attempted Attempted At At- tempted escate is an addit additional additional addi addi- t ional two year sentence Ricky fell from the fence and broke both of his ankles