Moron Lawbreaker of the Week 1-2-24

A Florida man wanted by the cops tried to throw them off his trail by placing a big sign outside his house, reading: “Johnny Yates does NOT live here!!” It didn’t work. Yates, 41, who was wanted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on aggravated battery, false imprisonment and tampering charges, was eventually locked up. Deputies showed up at Yates’ Lakeland home recently after getting a tip that he was holed up inside, the sheriff’s office said on Facebook. “When the deputies arrived they noticed a note written on a dry-erase board in front of a window that said, ‘Johnny Yates does NOT live here!!’” the post said. The deputies questioned someone leaving the house, who confirmed that Yates was inside — but after surrounding the house for an hour and calling for the fugitive to come out, cops had to take it to the next level, the office said. “Enough was enough, and the ‘Surrender Smoke’ was dispensed inside the house, and four people exited the home, but no Johnny,” the sheriff’s office said. “Deputies called out some more, but still no response from Johnny, so a second helping of ‘Surrender Smoke’ was put inside the home. “Yet still, no response from Johnny,” the post said. “Finally, deputies and K-9 Dexter entered the house and located Johnny, who was hiding in a modified chest of drawers. “Johnny was arrested and taken to jail.”