AMES, Iowa — As soon as you make it through the doors of No Escape Iowa in Ames, you probably won't leave before getting your picture taken. Monday morning, an unwanted guest unknowingly posed for several of them.
No Escape Iowa has 15 security cameras installed, partly because guests are recorded to watch their own experience afterward; they can enjoy the teamwork that it took to solve the puzzle.
All it took was one camera, however, to catch the burglar breaking through the front door and making off with $1,200 in cash and the owner's laptop.
The burglary wasn't very clean; the owner caught him red-handed, and he left ample evidence behind, including his wallet and cell phone.
"I came out of the bathroom [after searching for him] and saw him," owner Marcus Johnson said. "It was pretty shocking. He was kind of beckoning for me to open the door, and I'm like 'nope! No way. I'm not opening the door. You stay there till the police come.'"
With a glass door separating him and the robber, Johnson grabbed a fire extinguisher for self-defense and ran to the deli upstairs. After that, the robber broke through the glass and ran out.
Johnson then came out and tossed the fire extinguisher through the passenger's side window of the robber's car as he was attempting to get away, which made it pretty easy for police to identify. The police found the car not long after that, but the robber was nowhere to be found.
With the massive amount of evidence left behind, the police had a very easy time identifying him as 47-year-old Curtis Carr.
Police believe Carr is also responsible for a string of other robberies around the Ames area. As such, police are urging any businesses to lock their doors when they're not in business hours, even if there are people inside cleaning up, doing the books, etc.
At this point, Johnson is just hoping he can get everything settled, and that none of the rest of the escapes from his business involve any crime.
If see Carr, or know anything about his whereabouts, you're asked to call Ames Police at (515) 239-5133.