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Speaker 1: Welcome to the great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.

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This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're

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going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But

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first I do want to encourage you, if you're enjoying

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the podcast, to please follow us using your favorite podcast software.

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Today's program is brought you in part by the financial

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support of our listeners. You can support the show by

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mailing it donation to Adam Graham peelbox one five nine

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one three. That's peel Box one five nine thirteen boy

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s Idaho eight three seven one five, and you can

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become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little

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as two dollars per month. And I want to welcome

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our latest Patreon supporter, Jerry, supporting the podcast at the

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Chief of Detectives level of thirty dollars or more per month.

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Thank you so much for your support. Jerry really appreciate it.

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And now, from April twenty six, nineteen fifty one, here

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is the Big Saint.

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Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true. Under

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the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're

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a detective sergeant. You're assigned to auto theft detail, A

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well organized ring of car thieves begins operations in your sitting.

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It's one of the most puzzling cases you've ever encountered.

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Your job break it.

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Speaker 3: Drag met the document a drama of an actual crime.

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While the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los

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Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on

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the side of the law through an actual case transcribed

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from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime

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to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force

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in action.

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Speaker 4: It was Monday, Mail eleventh. It was fair in Los Angeles.

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We were working a day watch out of auto theft detail.

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My partner's Ben ramerils Captain Stilson, my name is Friday.

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Was eight thirty five am when I got to Room forty,

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Auto Theft Division Captain's office.

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Speaker 5: Morning Friday, Rory, Ahi, Joe, Ben, Let's sit down, thank you.

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I was just telling Ramara here and briefing all the

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men in the bureau on this thing. That's the reason

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I called you two in. Yeah, I get some figures here.

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I want to go over with you acause you know

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all the percentage of all auto theft recoveries is ninety

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six to ninety eight percent on the average, that's normally. Yeah,

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and checking the monthly averages the past four months, that

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percentages dropped to the low eighties. Quite a drum corner

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pocket thinks so too. They want some action on it.

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Speaker 6: Well, we've been working on it.

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Speaker 5: Absolutely no pattern to the theft, time, location, the method makes

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it impossible to stake out on it. Yeah, those are

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some of the reasons our percentage is taking such a dive.

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I know the problems, we all do, but we got

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to break this thing soon.

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Speaker 4: A lot of figures were dealing with a well organized bunch.

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They know what they're doing.

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Speaker 5: And cross checking all the reports. It seems to boil

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down to this. In general here is that all the

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outstanding thefts are GM cars, Cads, Ponty Acts, Chevy, these oldsmobiles,

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all late models, all seem to be in good condition,

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low mileage cars.

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Speaker 4: In addition to the regular broadcast and teletypes, we got

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out a special bullet.

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Speaker 5: Ones that's right, all the that'ts realisted license, make, model,

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and color been sent to all major cities and border

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patrol stations.

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Speaker 6: Nothing so far.

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Speaker 5: I was checking through the salvage reports, salvage buys. Do

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you have the last two months escape in March and April? Yeah,

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right here. I know it's the same thing that I've

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fit down on San Peterro Street.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, let me see.

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Speaker 5: Oh yeah, this is a composite on the reports for

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the past two months.

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Speaker 6: That's right.

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Speaker 5: This one here Herman Salvage twenty seven to sixteen West

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San Pedro. They seem to deal a little heavy on

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General Motors card, don't they. Yeah, they do have been

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watching the buyers on this place for the past few weeks.

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Speaker 4: Now.

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Speaker 6: I wanted to make sure it wasn't coincidence.

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Speaker 4: It looks like a good place to run down anyway,

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you too want to check it out, all right?

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Speaker 6: Fine, twenty seven to sixteen West San Pedro. That's it.

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If it appears to be okay, it never been out

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of line.

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Speaker 5: Seems funny they should deal with the top AVY and

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GM cars, doesn't it right when our recovery percentage takes

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a diet?

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Speaker 6: Yeah?

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Speaker 5: Do you have the last salvage report there, Kevin? Yeah,

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the last week here you are, thank you.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, here's one for Herman's nineteen forty nine Cadillac. A

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little further down Herman's again forty seven. Ole's Yeah, there's

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five GM buys on the list. Herman got four out

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of five of them.

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Speaker 6: Let's find out why.

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Speaker 4: From the time an automobile is first manufactured and sold

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a constant and the complete record is maintained on that automobile.

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His certificate of ownership the pink slip in the state

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of California. His certificate of registration a white slip. These

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two slips of paper contained the information necessary for the

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positive identification of your car. Fact that every motorist knows.

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There are many agencies that work for the protection and

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security of your automobile. One of these is the National

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Auto Theft Bureau of nationwide clearinghouse. Acting upon information supplied

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by the various insurance companies and other allied agencies, this

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Bureau forwards all facts and figures concerning the disposition of

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motor vehicles on a nationwide basis. Reports are made available

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to all law enforcement agencies. One of the pieces of

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information put out by the National Auto Theft Bureau is

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the Salvage Report, listing all sales and purchases of automobiles that,

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for one reason or another may have been relegated to

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the junkyard or to the salvage company, a fact that

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many motorists may not know. Nine four am Ben and

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I checked through the Police Commission and found that the

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owner of Hermann Salvage was a Herman Lester. He had

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been in business at the same location for six years

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and appeared to be a reputable businessman. We drove down

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to twenty seven to sixteen West sand Pedro to check

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it out. Was an average looking garage with a connecting

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salvage yard filled with several hundred smashed up cars of

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all makes and models. It was nine thirty two am

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when we walked into the garage.

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Speaker 5: As a fellow then of shirt, Yeah, I see him.

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Speaker 4: Can I help you?

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Speaker 7: Gentlemen? Yes?

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Speaker 6: Or police officers auto theft detail?

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Speaker 7: Oh yes, don't believe I know you fellas. My name

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is Lester.

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Speaker 6: This is Sergeant Friday. My name is from Merril.

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Speaker 4: How I do How are you? Are you the owner here?

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Speaker 7: Yeah? That's right.

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Speaker 8: Whatever happened to Mac and Donovan used to drop in

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once twice a month.

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Speaker 6: I haven't seen him for two three weeks now while.

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Speaker 4: They're a little busy on a special assignment.

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Speaker 7: Oh I see all right?

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Speaker 8: If we look around here, Oh you bet make yourselves

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right at home. Anything special, No, just looking Okay, Notice

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you've been pretty busy. Huh yeah, I had a pretty

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good month. Salvage racket's gonna get sour again. Looks like

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with the Korean War and all.

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Speaker 6: The cutbacks, doesn't seem to have hit you so far.

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Speaker 7: Well, no, not so far. Looks like you may tighten

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up anytime.

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Speaker 5: I noticed from our salvage reports you've been doing a

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big business in GM merchandise.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, we have.

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Speaker 8: You know they're starting to build tanks back there now.

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We wanted to make sure we wouldn't run short on parts.

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Speaker 6: You get a lot of call for GM parts.

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Speaker 7: Do you, Oh? Yeah, we sure do.

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Speaker 8: In town knows if they need something for a Caddy

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or a Buick or any of those cars, that's the

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place to come. We kind of built up a reputation

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specializing in GMU's park.

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Speaker 5: I say, line, if we check your last few buys, fine,

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you have a forty nine Cadillac, forty seven old body

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Act forty eight, nineteen forty nine Chevrolet.

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Speaker 7: Wonder if we might see those, yes.

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Speaker 8: Sir, right out in the yard back this way. All

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four of them are really beat bad shape. Just breaks

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your heart to see beautiful merchandise like that, all smashed up.

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Speaker 7: I know what people are thinking of the way they drive.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, and you take.

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Speaker 8: A new Caddy, one of those new convertibles, really beautiful merchandise.

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Speaker 7: Somebody takes one out, rolls it. We pick it up

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and tow it down. Here, beautiful car like that, all

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rolled up in a ball.

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Speaker 6: Georgia Street receiving at probably picked up the red Yeah,

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really shamed.

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Speaker 7: Here we go. There's a Caddy.

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Speaker 6: Oh yeah, uh, let's see see uh.

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Speaker 7: Old's and the pontiacar on that road there, you see him? Yeah?

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Huh And Chevrolet, wasn't.

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Speaker 6: It, yes, sir, nineteen forty nine? Yeah, oh yeah, there

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she is over there?

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Speaker 7: Uh?

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Speaker 6: Third card?

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Speaker 7: Uh? Maroon?

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Speaker 6: Yeah, Marion one?

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Speaker 4: Yeah down there.

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Speaker 7: Yeah.

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Speaker 6: It's like a graveyard, doesn't sure it does. What do

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you do with all these cars? Sprip 'em down for parts?

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Speaker 7: Well at least uh four you checking now? Yeah, they're

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all total wrecks.

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Speaker 6: Nothing much can be done with them except for parts.

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Speaker 4: How about that Cadillac down there to Sedan? Uhuh that

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one over there? Can't you fix that one up? That

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doesn't look beyond repair from here?

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Speaker 8: Oh, step around the other side here. You can't see

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from where you're standing here. The right side's all stoven.

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By the time you figure replaced those side panels and fenders, tram,

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we couldn't come out on it.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I see now, well I don't know too much

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about it, but it'll look good from over there.

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Speaker 7: Yeah. That's where we get all the time.

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Speaker 8: People want us to pay top prices or stuff we

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can't get our money out of. If we could repair them,

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fix them up, and re sell them as a complete

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autumn and bill would be a lot of money in

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this business.

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Speaker 6: We do that with some of them, don't you.

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Speaker 7: Oh, very few of them.

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Speaker 6: I'll tell you.

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Speaker 7: That's all we look for. But we don't always get lucky.

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Speaker 8: I see, say, hund you boys like to see some

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really beautiful merchandise.

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Speaker 6: What's that?

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Speaker 7: Well, come on back in the shop, all right.

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Speaker 6: Kind of a hobby of mine.

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Speaker 7: Here's what keeps us busy.

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Speaker 8: Plates and pink slips on they we to Sacramento for cancelation.

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Speaker 4: H Over this way.

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Speaker 7: Here we are.

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Speaker 9: Take a look at this baby.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, hot rod? Huh oh, not exactly. We don't go

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in for that. Kids racing around town.

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Speaker 4: Well sure looks like one.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, but it's a little better and most of the

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kids can throw together. What dot it do?

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Speaker 8: We clocked her up at me Rock at one hundred

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and twelve last weekend. You know they were coming in

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here from all over time.

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Speaker 7: I want to see this car, that's all. Yeah. You

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ever get up to Murock Dry Lake.

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Speaker 4: No, I never do, but that's the place for it.

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Running around town and those things can cause a lot

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of accidents.

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Speaker 7: Those drag races the kids have. Yeah, we don't go

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in for that stuff.

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Speaker 6: This is strictly scientific as far as I'm concerned.

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Speaker 7: I like to build them up. See what we can

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make them do.

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Speaker 8: Cost a lot of money, don't They got fifty four

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hundred dollars in this one right now? I'm putting more

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into it. My reignition milled heads, twin Wakefields. Let me

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start it up for you.

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Speaker 7: Okay, hundred twenty horses under there. Yeah sounds good. That's

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what at that?

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Speaker 8: You want to Yeah, a lot of power in here ahead.

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Speaker 7: You want to see it up in the lake?

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Speaker 4: You really go al bat.

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Speaker 6: It's all made up on a salvage car, every bit

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of it.

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Speaker 7: Buy a few things new, but most.

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Speaker 6: Of it's right out of wrecks like those outside.

247
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Speaker 4: There takes a lot of talent to build up something

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like this and scrapped, don't it.

249
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Speaker 8: No, not really, After you've been at it long as

250
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I have, it's not too tough.

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Speaker 6: The trick is to get more speed out of them,

252
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and anyone else can't.

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Speaker 7: Yeah, we did a good job on this car.

254
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Speaker 8: Oh, if you put your mind to it, you can

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do a lot with a wreck car.

256
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Speaker 4: Before we left Herman Salvage, we checked all four of

257
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the GM cars that were listed on the salvage report.

258
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Speaker 6: We made a careful check on all of.

259
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Speaker 4: The cars in the yard and in the garage, paying

260
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special attention to the few cars that were in the

261
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process of being rebuilt by Herman Lester's mechanics. We went

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over his records, carefully checking the disposition of all of

263
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his buys for the past several months. Everything was in

264
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the perfect order. We found that in the past three

265
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weeks Lester had taken in ten cars, Eight of them

266
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had been stripped down for parts, and two of them

267
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had been rebuilt and resold. The investigation showed that four

268
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of those cars were GM cars and the two that

269
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were resold were both General Motors. Eleven twenty eight am.

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Ben and I drove back to the office and asked

271
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mc and donovan if they'd checked through the two resale

272
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cars to make sure everything was in order as the

273
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reports indicated. We checked through on the remaining eight cars

274
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that were listed by Herman. Lester is broken down for parts.

275
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According to DMV, all plates and pink slips have been

276
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returned to them for cancelation.

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Speaker 5: Eleven fifty Am. Well that's it, Joe, Yeah, eight of

278
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the cars check out. Two of those were GMS.

279
00:13:31,919 --> 00:13:34,240
Speaker 4: You know, well that leaves just the two that mcindonovan

280
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are checking.

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Speaker 6: Uh. I don't know.

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Speaker 5: Everything done there? Looked all right, says Saints Leicester. Wasn't

283
00:13:38,759 --> 00:13:42,200
holding back anything. Well as I could tell cooperative everything

284
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,320
in order. If those two that mcindonovan are working on checkout,

285
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I get it, I'd say, well, it seems to me.

286
00:13:47,960 --> 00:13:51,240
Lester told us everything everything we ask him. Anyway, I

287
00:13:51,279 --> 00:13:52,120
don't think you don't there.

288
00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:54,639
Speaker 4: If you did, I got an ID who might be

289
00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:56,440
able to tell us. Somebody's been left out in the

290
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cold here.

291
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Speaker 6: What are you getting there?

292
00:13:58,000 --> 00:13:58,159
Speaker 7: Well?

293
00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:00,840
Speaker 4: No, if Herman's been able to buy up all GM cars,

294
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:02,840
what are the other salvage dealers been doing about it

295
00:14:03,519 --> 00:14:04,000
that it's all.

296
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Speaker 6: Let's check his competition.

297
00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,399
Speaker 4: Twelve forty pm we drove back down to West.

298
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Speaker 6: San Pedro Street.

299
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Speaker 4: We picked out a group of salvage companies in the

300
00:14:14,279 --> 00:14:17,879
immediate neighborhood close to Herman's thirty two over nine West

301
00:14:17,919 --> 00:14:19,799
San Pedro John's wrecking Yard.

302
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,720
Speaker 6: We introduced ourselves and started to talk with the owner

303
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:23,600
of John Bacon.

304
00:14:24,039 --> 00:14:26,279
Speaker 4: A routine check was made of his establishment, and as

305
00:14:26,279 --> 00:14:28,360
far as we could tell, everything appeared to be okay.

306
00:14:28,519 --> 00:14:31,320
Speaker 6: And that's all you made, just that won by that's it.

307
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,720
Nineteen forty six Ford, we're dying a slow death.

308
00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:37,720
Speaker 10: Business pretty bad, huh. I've never seen it worse, at

309
00:14:37,799 --> 00:14:39,759
least as far as we're concerned. How do you account

310
00:14:39,799 --> 00:14:40,639
for that, mister Bacon?

311
00:14:40,879 --> 00:14:41,080
Speaker 7: Oh?

312
00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:43,919
Speaker 10: Everything, I guess. Business is bad all over at the moment.

313
00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,039
Scrap metal situations in the state of flux the present time.

314
00:14:47,279 --> 00:14:49,399
Speaker 5: And looking around mister began, we noticed you don't have

315
00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:51,679
much in the way a General Motors die. Is that

316
00:14:51,799 --> 00:14:54,799
because of GM going into war production, any cutback would

317
00:14:54,799 --> 00:14:56,480
eventually affect you, fellas, wouldn't they?

318
00:14:56,519 --> 00:14:57,559
Speaker 6: No, No, not at all.

319
00:14:57,679 --> 00:15:00,360
Speaker 10: Cutback would sure, But there's no tremendous cartoon one right

320
00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:02,679
at the present time. Just still turn out a lot

321
00:15:02,679 --> 00:15:03,840
of automobiles back there.

322
00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:05,240
Speaker 6: Well, then, what's your problem?

323
00:15:05,679 --> 00:15:08,039
Speaker 10: We're being out bid right up and down the line

324
00:15:08,039 --> 00:15:08,919
by the same outfit.

325
00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,559
Speaker 6: Who's that company by the name of Herman.

326
00:15:11,399 --> 00:15:13,840
Speaker 10: Salvage just up the street there, go out to buy

327
00:15:13,879 --> 00:15:16,120
a piece of merchandise there, boys just won't let's get

328
00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:16,480
near it.

329
00:15:16,799 --> 00:15:18,960
Speaker 6: They paying more than you do, huh, more than.

330
00:15:18,879 --> 00:15:21,919
Speaker 10: We can the sergeant, I unestly don't see how they're

331
00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:23,279
coming out on some of their deals.

332
00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,320
Speaker 6: It's that much out of line now, it certainly is.

333
00:15:26,039 --> 00:15:28,639
Speaker 10: You know, whenever there's anything available, all the salvage companies

334
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:29,360
get their bid in.

335
00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,240
Speaker 6: Well, Herman simply out bids all of us. Yeah, it

336
00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:33,000
makes it kind of rough.

337
00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,360
Speaker 10: I'm not the only one Pete larking up the street,

338
00:15:35,360 --> 00:15:38,360
old man, huh, Henry next door all of us. I

339
00:15:38,399 --> 00:15:41,200
don't know what we can do about it. Herman seems

340
00:15:41,240 --> 00:15:42,840
to be doing all right, no matter what he pays

341
00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:47,120
for his cars. Anemost can figure it out. Just judge

342
00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:48,919
him from the number of cars he out bids us

343
00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,840
on the number he rebuilds. I just can't see how

344
00:15:51,879 --> 00:15:54,600
he's coming out. But he is uh figure, he's laying

345
00:15:54,639 --> 00:15:56,840
odds on a big shortage. That's what all of us think.

346
00:15:56,960 --> 00:15:59,080
He's laying in the stock files at the ENDEA sure

347
00:15:59,240 --> 00:15:59,960
what else could have think?

348
00:16:03,759 --> 00:16:06,759
Speaker 4: We continued our check on all salvage dealers, both in

349
00:16:06,799 --> 00:16:09,399
the neighborhood of Herman Lester's place and throughout the city.

350
00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,159
Seemed to be a fact well known to most dealers

351
00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:14,600
that Herman was outbidding all of them on any and

352
00:16:14,679 --> 00:16:18,039
all GM automobiles. The only possible explanation was that he

353
00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,120
must be trying to lay in a large stockpile of

354
00:16:20,159 --> 00:16:23,200
this particular make of car. Three point thirty five PM,

355
00:16:23,639 --> 00:16:26,080
we received word from Sergeants Mack and Donovan that they

356
00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,960
had checked out the two remaining cars listed in Herman's books.

357
00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:33,320
The resales ben was right. They checked out with no discrepancy.

358
00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,320
During the next ten days, the investigation continued. The theft

359
00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:41,600
of late model GM cars continued, with few recoveries. Suspects

360
00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,399
were arrested. In question, we could find no connection that

361
00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,679
might lead us to an organized ring of car thieves

362
00:16:46,919 --> 00:16:49,960
that might be responsible for the lack of GM car recoveries.

363
00:16:50,679 --> 00:16:53,840
The salvag's reports showed no change in Herman's buying technique.

364
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:56,960
Apparently he was still dealing heavy on the one particular

365
00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:00,519
make of car. Thursday, May twenty fifth, we received a

366
00:17:00,519 --> 00:17:04,920
teletype from DMV listing all the salvage by transfers, and

367
00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:07,960
making our usual daily check of this teletype, we noticed

368
00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:11,359
a nineteen forty nine Cadillac engine number five nine eight

369
00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:15,039
seven seven four one five. It had been resold from

370
00:17:15,079 --> 00:17:16,640
salvage to a used car lot.

371
00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:22,279
Speaker 5: That's the place right up the block. Yeah, I say,

372
00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:24,839
same cad we saw in Herman salvage.

373
00:17:25,119 --> 00:17:27,279
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's funny, isn't it the one in particular that

374
00:17:27,279 --> 00:17:29,720
I asked him about? You remember, Yeah, I remember you

375
00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:31,839
thought it could be fixed up. He said, No, it's

376
00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:33,440
only been a little over two weeks ago, hadn't it.

377
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:36,359
Yeah right, Well, still doesn't prove anything.

378
00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,799
Speaker 6: Here we are, Jakes. This is the place. Yeah, there's

379
00:17:40,839 --> 00:17:43,359
a cad in the front line right down there. Huh.

380
00:17:44,799 --> 00:17:48,720
I don't see anyone around you? No, I don't. Well,

381
00:17:48,759 --> 00:17:50,720
I guess it's hard to check the engine number anyway.

382
00:17:50,799 --> 00:17:59,839
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll get the hood really right.

383
00:18:04,240 --> 00:18:05,039
Speaker 6: Yeah, there we go.

384
00:18:06,599 --> 00:18:11,920
Speaker 4: Yeah, engines had a good steam clean let's say five.

385
00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:14,079
Speaker 7: Nine eight.

386
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,720
Speaker 4: Seven seven four one five.

387
00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,480
Speaker 6: That's it. I'man sure did a nice job, only didn't Yeah,

388
00:18:25,279 --> 00:18:27,440
almost looks too good. It just a minute.

389
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:33,359
Speaker 5: Yeah, body cereal doesn't match, doesn't correspond with the engine model.

390
00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:37,480
Speaker 4: It's a forty nine. Body could be a late forty nine.

391
00:18:37,519 --> 00:18:38,759
But it's a definite switch in there.

392
00:18:39,039 --> 00:18:40,279
Speaker 6: I'm sure it is. That's funny.

393
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:44,200
Speaker 4: Yeah, look at this right side here.

394
00:18:45,519 --> 00:18:47,240
Speaker 6: This was the bad side, wasn't it. Yeah?

395
00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:51,599
Speaker 4: Try it looks like it's been rolled out to you.

396
00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:56,519
Speaker 6: No, there's no feathering, no orange peel. Either.

397
00:18:56,599 --> 00:18:58,720
Speaker 5: That's the best repaying job I've ever seen. Or it's

398
00:18:58,759 --> 00:18:59,799
never been in an accident.

399
00:19:00,319 --> 00:19:04,759
Speaker 6: We'll take a look underneath. Want to move your feet there?

400
00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:05,279
Speaker 7: All right?

401
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:08,440
Speaker 6: Anything?

402
00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,480
Speaker 4: No? Nothing, There's not a seam or a joint under there,

403
00:19:15,519 --> 00:19:18,400
no welding marks of any kind. This car has never

404
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,880
been in a smashup. The engine number checks, the body doesn't.

405
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:23,759
And this is the one herman couldn't fix up.

406
00:19:24,039 --> 00:19:26,480
Speaker 6: That's what he said. Maybe he changed his mind or

407
00:19:26,519 --> 00:19:26,960
he lied.

408
00:19:39,039 --> 00:19:42,799
Speaker 7: You are listening to Dragnet from beginning to end.

409
00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,759
Speaker 3: Dragnet is the authentic story of your police force and action.

410
00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,680
Speaker 4: Nineteen forty nine Cadillac engine number five nine eight seven

411
00:19:58,759 --> 00:20:02,240
seven four one and checking out this automobile, Ben and

412
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,559
I had found that the engine number corresponded with the

413
00:20:04,599 --> 00:20:05,680
salvage report.

414
00:20:05,359 --> 00:20:06,839
Speaker 6: Concerning Herman Lester's place.

415
00:20:07,279 --> 00:20:09,519
Speaker 4: The one big item that did not jibe was the

416
00:20:09,559 --> 00:20:11,599
fact that the engine was now mounted in a different

417
00:20:11,599 --> 00:20:14,359
body than when the car left the factory, a fact

418
00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:17,599
that had to be accounted for in complete detail. When

419
00:20:17,599 --> 00:20:19,839
we had checked this automobile on the eleventh of May

420
00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,920
at Herman Salvage yard, both engine and body numbers corresponded.

421
00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,599
In taking a close look at the car, it was

422
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:29,039
obvious that the body had not been repaired in any way.

423
00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:31,559
It was clear that this particular car had not been

424
00:20:31,599 --> 00:20:34,200
in any kind of collision. We went back to the

425
00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:36,200
rear of the lot and asked one of the salesmen

426
00:20:36,279 --> 00:20:39,160
not to sell the car without informing us. When we

427
00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:41,279
got back to the office, we started rechecking all of

428
00:20:41,319 --> 00:20:45,160
the auto theft reports. We found five stolen Cadillacts, but

429
00:20:45,279 --> 00:20:47,640
all the body styles and models were different, with the

430
00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,720
exception of one, a nineteen forty nine Cadillac sedan reported

431
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,680
stolen on May fourteenth. It was registered in the name

432
00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,440
of William Brown l. We checked his home and found

433
00:20:57,440 --> 00:20:59,480
that he was at work. It was a superintendent for

434
00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:01,920
the northm Manya and Van lines. We drove over and

435
00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,119
picked him up and took him to Jac's carl out

436
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:07,119
on Vermont Avenue.

437
00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:14,319
Speaker 5: This is the car, mister Brown. Now, well, it's just

438
00:21:14,519 --> 00:21:16,000
like mine, but I don't think it's the one. Are

439
00:21:16,039 --> 00:21:16,519
you're sure?

440
00:21:16,839 --> 00:21:17,160
Speaker 4: For one?

441
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,039
Speaker 6: Thing is a different color? My car was maroon. You

442
00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:26,240
wanna step over here, mister Brownew sure you know, if

443
00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:28,640
you'll look very closely here on the door edging and

444
00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:30,480
on the gym uh huh right here.

445
00:21:30,599 --> 00:21:33,640
Speaker 4: See this is the one place sometimes they miss with

446
00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:35,200
a spray gun if they're gonna repaint.

447
00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:37,799
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, there's a faint trace of red under the

448
00:21:37,799 --> 00:21:40,559
blue paint. There. Looks like it could be maroon, doesn't he?

449
00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:40,880
Speaker 4: Yeah?

450
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,880
Speaker 6: It does it that this car has been repainted. It

451
00:21:44,039 --> 00:21:44,559
was maroon.

452
00:21:46,799 --> 00:21:52,160
Speaker 5: Well, mine didn't have these kind of seat covers. Let's see,

453
00:21:53,640 --> 00:21:56,480
same kind of upholstery I had though underneath there.

454
00:21:58,160 --> 00:21:59,519
Speaker 6: I don't know, mister Brown.

455
00:21:59,519 --> 00:22:01,640
Speaker 4: Now there might be something other than the color and

456
00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,200
the upholstery that you'd know your own car buy never

457
00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,160
gave it much thought. Well, there's usually some little identifying

458
00:22:07,279 --> 00:22:09,920
markt some kind I know that on my car the

459
00:22:10,039 --> 00:22:12,160
limbs and the right headlight got broken and I had

460
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:13,839
to replace it with one that didn't match.

461
00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:19,079
Speaker 6: Something like that. You see Could I look inside them? Minute? Sure?

462
00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:24,559
Speaker 5: All right here on it the speedometer, there was a

463
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,359
thumbprint pressed in at the factory.

464
00:22:26,440 --> 00:22:29,720
Speaker 6: It was pretty deep. No, it's not there now.

465
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:32,599
Speaker 4: I don't forget that the car has been repainted. It

466
00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:33,599
might have been covered up.

467
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,039
Speaker 5: Oh, this was clear down of the metal apparently when

468
00:22:36,039 --> 00:22:37,920
they were installing the instruments at the factory.

469
00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:39,319
Speaker 6: Of the panel wasn't dry yet.

470
00:22:40,039 --> 00:22:42,119
Speaker 5: Not there now, They couldn't have covered it up unless

471
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:43,359
they made a special point of it.

472
00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:46,039
Speaker 4: Well, sometimes that's done. Car thieves are kind of clever.

473
00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,160
Speaker 6: I'm sorry, gentlemen. I don't think this is my car.

474
00:22:50,720 --> 00:22:52,839
I don't think. I don't wish it was, but it's not.

475
00:22:53,279 --> 00:22:55,559
Speaker 5: Can you think of just one other thing? Maybe just

476
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:57,279
one mark of identifications?

477
00:22:57,279 --> 00:23:00,400
Speaker 6: All we need? Oh, even these tires aren't. Man.

478
00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,079
Speaker 5: I had whiteside walls who could have been switched. They

479
00:23:03,079 --> 00:23:06,880
were pretty new. Wait a minute, I think I remember something.

480
00:23:10,799 --> 00:23:11,880
There's no rip up there.

481
00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:14,200
Speaker 6: What's that, sir? I just thought of something.

482
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:15,920
Speaker 5: The boys down in the office gave me a Saint

483
00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,000
Christopher metal you know, the large metal kind you're supposed

484
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,119
to bolt to your dashboard. Yes, I didn't want to

485
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:22,759
put it on, so I carried it around with me

486
00:23:22,839 --> 00:23:25,240
in the car. There was a rip up there and

487
00:23:25,279 --> 00:23:27,680
the inner lining of the top, but she there's no

488
00:23:27,759 --> 00:23:30,519
rep in this. Let me see, how about it?

489
00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,160
Speaker 6: Yeah? Yeah, I can feel it. Does it feel like

490
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,440
a metal can get my pocket knife on it? What

491
00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:39,720
do you think they replaced the cloth up there? I

492
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:47,200
don't know. Yeah, yeah, here, Eh does this sit mister Brodow?

493
00:23:47,519 --> 00:23:48,039
That's it.

494
00:23:48,799 --> 00:23:50,720
Speaker 5: Look on the back there, my name's engraved on it.

495
00:23:50,799 --> 00:23:53,960
You see, Yes, sir, well, I sure didn't think this

496
00:23:54,119 --> 00:23:55,599
was my car. I never would have known it.

497
00:23:55,720 --> 00:24:02,359
Speaker 4: That's what the guys figured who stole it. The nineteen

498
00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,720
forty nine Cadillac was taken to the police garage and

499
00:24:04,759 --> 00:24:07,039
a complete and thorough check was made. The car, with

500
00:24:07,079 --> 00:24:09,640
the exception of the engine, was positively identified as the

501
00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:13,160
property of William Brown l. This definitely implicated Herman Lester

502
00:24:13,279 --> 00:24:16,319
and showed his salvage operations to be illegitimate. He had

503
00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:20,160
obviously been buying one particular make of salvage automobile outbidding

504
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:22,599
all his competitors to do so. When he would buy

505
00:24:22,599 --> 00:24:25,240
a piece of wrecked equipment, an exact duplicate would be

506
00:24:25,279 --> 00:24:27,640
stolen to match it. He would then dispose of the

507
00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,240
engine from the stolen vehicle and replace it with a

508
00:24:30,279 --> 00:24:34,279
Salvage engine. With this system of operation, Herman Salvage had

509
00:24:34,319 --> 00:24:37,079
been enjoying a lucrative business which accounted for a great

510
00:24:37,079 --> 00:24:39,200
percentage of the stolen cars that we hadn't been able

511
00:24:39,240 --> 00:24:42,839
to recover. Seven to twenty five pm May twenty fifth,

512
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:45,359
we drove out to pick up Herman Lesker. His home

513
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:48,440
address was listed as eighty six twenty five Wonderland Drive.

514
00:24:48,519 --> 00:24:51,039
It was up in the Law Canyon District, a heavily

515
00:24:51,079 --> 00:24:52,599
wooded section of Los Angeles.

516
00:24:55,519 --> 00:24:58,240
Speaker 5: Pretty nice place up in there, which you can see

517
00:24:58,240 --> 00:24:59,160
of it through the trees.

518
00:24:59,519 --> 00:25:00,000
Speaker 6: Let's go.

519
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:08,680
Speaker 5: Look at that, Joe Ye looks like a fifty olds

520
00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,400
everything there but the engine, no plates.

521
00:25:12,039 --> 00:25:14,079
Speaker 6: I didn't notice that from the street. Did You never

522
00:25:14,079 --> 00:25:15,279
could have seen it from down there.

523
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,400
Speaker 5: It looks like a garage back up in there. Done there,

524
00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:23,920
perfect spot. You can't see any of this from the

525
00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,519
street with all those trees. Butt He fancy layout for

526
00:25:27,599 --> 00:25:29,279
a home garage, good side.

527
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:32,079
Speaker 6: You know somebody's working up in there.

528
00:25:33,039 --> 00:25:41,519
Speaker 9: Yeah, come on, hi, there brings your fellows right up here.

529
00:25:41,839 --> 00:25:43,279
Won't have a little talk with you.

530
00:25:43,319 --> 00:25:45,000
Speaker 6: Well, you're bet come on in the house, have a

531
00:25:45,039 --> 00:25:48,480
cold beer. Huh No, this would be all right, Joe.

532
00:25:48,559 --> 00:25:49,880
Uh you got a hot sheet?

533
00:25:50,039 --> 00:25:53,640
Speaker 5: Yeah right here, kind of call me by surprise you're

534
00:25:53,799 --> 00:25:56,039
working out in the garage. Yeah, that figures lest year

535
00:25:56,119 --> 00:25:57,839
at these plates are from a stolen car.

536
00:25:58,319 --> 00:26:00,319
Speaker 6: You sure that's why you remember?

537
00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:02,079
Speaker 4: A forty nine Cadillac We looked at down at your

538
00:26:02,079 --> 00:26:05,480
place a couple of weeks ago. Not sure, forty nine cat,

539
00:26:05,559 --> 00:26:07,200
that's right? Whatever became of that car?

540
00:26:07,759 --> 00:26:09,079
Speaker 6: Oh? No, I remember? Yeah?

541
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:11,400
Speaker 5: I sold that car to Jake's O Run Vermont. Thought

542
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:12,880
you told us you couldn't fix it up.

543
00:26:13,319 --> 00:26:15,640
Speaker 7: I don't remember. You're sure you don't mean some other.

544
00:26:15,519 --> 00:26:17,079
Speaker 4: Car now, No, it's the same one, you know, the

545
00:26:17,079 --> 00:26:17,559
one we mean?

546
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:18,200
Speaker 6: How about it?

547
00:26:18,599 --> 00:26:19,079
Speaker 7: How about what?

548
00:26:19,559 --> 00:26:20,640
Speaker 6: That was a stolen car?

549
00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:22,640
Speaker 5: Lester and you, knowing not the stolen car out there

550
00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:24,160
in the yard, didn't what's that hoistander?

551
00:26:25,799 --> 00:26:26,200
Speaker 4: They go?

552
00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:26,599
Speaker 7: Joe?

553
00:26:26,799 --> 00:26:28,279
Speaker 6: All right, lest you're holding done?

554
00:26:28,279 --> 00:26:32,039
Speaker 4: Get stop it.

555
00:26:39,079 --> 00:26:39,440
Speaker 7: All right?

556
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,440
Speaker 6: I get I don't get the cuff, Joe.

557
00:26:43,559 --> 00:26:46,079
Speaker 4: Come on, get up on your feet, all right, Come

558
00:26:46,119 --> 00:26:50,680
on on your feet, stand still rough one.

559
00:26:50,759 --> 00:26:53,880
Speaker 5: Huh yeah, come on, Lester, let's go.

560
00:26:55,200 --> 00:26:56,759
Speaker 7: Did you find out who took you off?

561
00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:04,039
Speaker 6: Saint Christopher?

562
00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,759
Speaker 2: The story you just heard was true, only the names

563
00:27:08,799 --> 00:27:10,480
were changed to protect the innocent.

564
00:27:10,759 --> 00:27:14,000
Speaker 3: On August fifteenth, trial was held in Superior Court, Department

565
00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,920
eighty two, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.

566
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:27,720
In a moment the results of that trial, Hermann W.

567
00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,359
Lester was tried and convicted on three counts of grand

568
00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:33,160
theft auto and two counts of grand theft money, all

569
00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:37,319
sentences to run consecutively. Grand theft auto was punishable by

570
00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,200
imprisonment for a term of one to five years, grand

571
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:42,519
theft money by a term of one to ten years.

572
00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,680
The suspect was also filed on by federal authorities for

573
00:27:45,839 --> 00:27:51,559
violation of the Diary Act. You have just heard Dragnet

574
00:27:51,599 --> 00:27:54,960
a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice

575
00:27:55,039 --> 00:27:57,480
comes from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,

576
00:27:57,519 --> 00:27:58,880
Los Angeles Police Department.

577
00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:03,480
Speaker 2: For rot your Dragon questions transcribe for Los Angeles, Stay

578
00:28:03,559 --> 00:28:23,319
tuned for Conversty and next over many NBC stations.

579
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:21,200
Speaker 1: Welcome back. This is a reason I love revisiting Dragnet.

580
00:28:21,559 --> 00:28:25,240
Now there are those episodes which are all time great

581
00:28:25,359 --> 00:28:30,839
episodes that you remember, but then there are those quirky,

582
00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:35,000
interesting programs that you kind of forget. Because there were

583
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,559
more than three hundred original broadcast of Dragnet, and this

584
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,279
is one of those, and there's so much alike about this.

585
00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:45,960
We get a different type of crime in this sort

586
00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:50,759
of auto theft mixing with a junkyard, and there are

587
00:28:50,799 --> 00:28:54,680
some really interesting details in the investigation and how they

588
00:28:54,759 --> 00:28:58,759
solve this. I also want to say, from a technical standpoint,

589
00:28:59,279 --> 00:29:03,000
I love the sound effects work on that engine at

590
00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,799
the junkyard. They must have brought in a special engine

591
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:11,039
or special piece of equipment to record that and make

592
00:29:11,119 --> 00:29:14,839
that come alive through the sound effect. Probably not quite

593
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,319
the same as a car engine of the same sort,

594
00:29:17,759 --> 00:29:20,279
because I have to imagine that it would have been

595
00:29:20,359 --> 00:29:24,200
way too loud to even hear any of the dialogue

596
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:28,759
or to sound good over radio. This one was surprising too,

597
00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:33,200
because of all the episodes to end with a suspect

598
00:29:33,279 --> 00:29:36,640
violently resisting, you would not have thought this one. But

599
00:29:36,839 --> 00:29:41,359
again it shows that while violent confrontations and arrest are

600
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:44,480
not nearly as typical as many other programs would lead

601
00:29:44,559 --> 00:29:49,319
you to believe. It still does happen, and it can

602
00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:52,559
happen unexpectedly because a lot of people just do not

603
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:56,440
want to go to jail. And another nice thing about

604
00:29:56,559 --> 00:30:01,599
Dragnet is that because it uses real locations, it just

605
00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:06,079
adds another dimension to the series. I found myself curious

606
00:30:06,119 --> 00:30:09,160
about Laurel Kenyon and the way, of course it's described

607
00:30:09,200 --> 00:30:12,839
in nineteen fifty one, and I was curious how it

608
00:30:13,039 --> 00:30:18,480
looks today, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that

609
00:30:18,559 --> 00:30:22,519
it's still a very nice and quiet neighborhood, but with

610
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,559
a lot of history in the entertainment industry. And according

611
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,160
to some of the articles I read, you still do

612
00:30:29,279 --> 00:30:32,920
see some wildlife in the neighborhood. While there had been

613
00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:37,079
a lot of developments of big, new expensive homes, there's

614
00:30:37,119 --> 00:30:41,400
a lot of history with the entertainment industry, and you

615
00:30:41,559 --> 00:30:45,960
still will find, you know, ramshackle cabins and tutor homes

616
00:30:46,079 --> 00:30:49,480
up in that area. And I think, actually, if there

617
00:30:49,519 --> 00:30:53,359
were a play, I'm not a person who dreams of

618
00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,279
moving to la and I don't think that would be

619
00:30:56,319 --> 00:30:58,440
the best thing in the world. For me, but if

620
00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,039
I had to move to LA, I think I would

621
00:31:01,039 --> 00:31:04,880
want to move to the Laurel Canyon area because looking

622
00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:08,000
at the pictures reminded me of a lot of places

623
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,799
and neighborhoods I've seen around Idaho and very similar. I

624
00:31:12,839 --> 00:31:16,599
think probably the main difference is about six or seven

625
00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,920
hundred thousand dollars per house. Regardless, it was fun to

626
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:25,000
look into and if you want to see some of

627
00:31:25,079 --> 00:31:28,519
the endscape, you can do a Google Images search. For me,

628
00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,400
it's probably as close as I'll get to living in La.

629
00:31:32,519 --> 00:31:35,720
Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,

630
00:31:35,759 --> 00:31:38,400
and I want to go ahead and thank Laura, Patreon

631
00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:42,640
supporter since June twenty twenty, currently supporting the podcast at

632
00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:45,920
the Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents

633
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,599
or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Laura,

634
00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:52,599
and that will actually do it for today. If you're

635
00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:58,359
enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.

636
00:31:58,599 --> 00:32:01,400
And if you're enjoying the pond cast on YouTube, be

637
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,920
sure to lock the video and mark the notification bell

638
00:32:05,200 --> 00:32:08,359
all those great things that help YouTube channels to grow.

639
00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:13,519
Dragnet will return a week from next Thursday. Coming in

640
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:18,519
two weeks, we will be cross posting the series Cloak

641
00:32:18,559 --> 00:32:23,319
and Dagger from the new podcast series The Great Adventurers

642
00:32:23,359 --> 00:32:27,799
of Old Time Radio. And you can hear the premiere

643
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:33,079
of the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio one week

644
00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:38,799
from Sunday. And we have a fantastic week of encore

645
00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:43,880
presentations for your listening pleasure, ready to roll starting tomorrow,

646
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,359
but from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham.

647
00:32:48,799 --> 00:32:49,559
Sign and off.