Those Who Cannot Do, Teach

Former Officer Robs Bank, Caught Easily

WALDORF, Md. (AP) - As bank robbers go, police say this guy was almost as dumb as they come -- and he should have known better.

A man accused of holding up a bank less than a mile from his home, then running out to his own green Honda is a former Prince George's County police officer -- who once worked robbery cases.

Charles County authorities say 43-year-old Vernon Thrift is being held in the county jail pending a bail review hearing Friday. A Prince George's police spokesman says Thrift is no longer employed by the department. Maryland court records show an officer by that name working on Prince George's cases at least as far back as 1992.

Asked to rank the caper on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most well-planned, a Charles sheriff's spokesman gave it ``maybe a 2.''
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