Dragnet: The Big Saint (EP4748)

Summary

Summary of "Dragnet: The Big Saint (EP4748)"

Introduction In the episode titled "Dragnet: The Big Saint", hosted by Adam Graham, listeners are transported back to the Golden Age of Radio to witness a gripping auto theft investigation led by Sergeant Joe Friday and his partner, Detective Ben Romero. The episode, originally airing on April 26, 1951, delves into a complex case involving a significant drop in auto theft recovery rates, particularly of General Motors (GM) vehicles.

Initial Briefing and the Decline in Recovery Rates At the outset, Captain Stilson briefs Joe Friday and Ben Romero about a troubling trend: the recovery rate of stolen cars has plummeted from the usual 96-98% to the low 80s percent over the past four months. Captain Stilson remarks, “[...] our percentage is taking such a dive” (00:03:27), highlighting the urgency to address the issue.

Identifying the Pattern and Focusing on GM Cars Joe Friday and Ben Romero analyze the theft reports and notice a distinct pattern: most of the stolen vehicles are late-model GM cars such as Cadillacs, Pontiacs, Chevys, and Oldsmobiles, all with low mileage and in excellent condition. Captain Stilson emphasizes, “Appears that all the outstanding thefts are GM cars [...] All seem to be in good condition” (00:03:52).

Investigating Herman Salvage Yard The detectives narrow down their investigation to Herman Salvage, located at 2716 West San Pedro Street, a reputable salvage yard known for dealing heavily in GM parts. They conduct a thorough inspection of the yard, assessing the cars listed on the salvage reports. Ben Romero notes, “There’s a Caddy” (00:08:57), pointing out a suspicious Cadillac in the yard.

Uncovering Discrepancies During their investigation, Friday and Romero discover that one particular 1949 Cadillac’s engine number (598-77415) does not match its body serial number, indicating potential tampering. They remark, “Body serial doesn't match. Doesn't correspond with the engine model” (00:18:29), raising red flags about the legitimacy of the salvage operations.

Confronting Herman Lester The detectives decide to confront Herman Lester, the owner of the salvage yard, at his home in the Laurel Canyon district. Upon inspection, they present evidence linking his salvage operations to the thefts. Joe Friday asserts, “That was a stolen car, Lester, and you know it” (00:26:19), leading to Lester’s apprehension.

Arrest and Conviction Herman Lester is arrested and subsequently tried. In Superior Court Department 82, Los Angeles, California, Lester is convicted on three counts of grand theft auto and two counts of grand theft money. The court sentences him to consecutive terms, reflecting the severity of his crimes.

Notable Quotes:

• Captain Stilson (00:03:27): “As you know, the percentage of all auto theft recoveries is 96 to 98% on the average. [...] past four months that percentage has dropped to the low 80s.”
• Joe Friday (00:04:58): “Seems funny they should deal with the top avian GM cars, doesn't it?”
• Ben Romero (00:09:38): “It's only been a little over two weeks ago, hasn't it?”
• William Brownell (00:22:17): “There's a faint trace of red under the blue paint there.”
• Joe Friday (00:26:19): “That was a stolen car, Lester, and you know it.”

Adam Graham’s Commentary After the episode concludes, Adam Graham shares his insights and reflections:

• Appreciation for Unique Episodes: Graham appreciates that while many episodes of Dragnet are classics, episodes like "The Big Saint" offer unique and intriguing storylines that aren't as widely remembered.

• Sound Effects and Technical Aspects: He praises the sound effects, particularly the engine sounds at the junkyard, noting the technical prowess required to balance realistic sounds with clear dialogue.

  “From a technical standpoint, I love the sound effects work on that engine at the junkyard. They must have brought in a special engine or special piece of equipment to record that and make that come alive through the sound effect.” (19:03)

• Depiction of Violent Confrontations: Contrary to the typical portrayal of non-violent resolutions, this episode features a violent arrest, underscoring the unpredictable nature of crime enforcement.

  “It still does happen. And it can happen unexpectedly because a lot of people just do not want to go to jail.” (19:03)

• Real Locations Enhance Authenticity: Graham highlights the use of real locations, such as Laurel Canyon, enhancing the series' authenticity and providing listeners with a tangible connection to the stories.

  “Because it uses real locations, it just adds another dimension to the series.” (19:03)

• Personal Reflections on Laurel Canyon: He muses about Laurel Canyon's enduring charm and its transformation since 1951, drawing parallels to areas familiar to him in Idaho.

  “If I had to move to LA, I think I would want to move to the Laurel Canyon area because looking at the pictures reminded me of a lot of places...” (19:03)

Conclusion "The Big Saint" serves as a compelling narrative that intertwines meticulous police work with the cunning tactics of auto thieves. Through Sergeant Joe Friday and Detective Ben Romero's perseverance, the episode underscores themes of integrity, attention to detail, and the constant battle between law enforcement and criminal enterprises. Adam Graham's insightful commentary further enriches the listening experience, offering modern perspectives on classic radio storytelling.

Listeners who haven't experienced this episode will find it a captivating dive into mid-20th-century crime drama, showcasing why Dragnet remains a cornerstone of detective fiction.

Transcript

[Joe Friday]

Sam.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first, I do want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast, to please follow us using your favorite podcast software. Today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show by mailing a donation to Adam Graham, P.O. box 15913. That's P.O. box 15913, Boise, ID 83715. And you can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. And I want to welcome our latest Patreon supporter, Jerry. Supporting the podcast at the Chief of detectives level, $30 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Jerry. Really appreciate it. And now, from April 26, 1951, here is the Big Saint.

[Narrator]

The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to Auto Theft Detail. A well organized ring of car thieves begins operations in your city. It's one of the most puzzling cases you've ever encountered. Your job, break.

Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.

[Ben Romero]

It was Monday, May 11. It was fair in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of Auto Theft detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Stilson. My name's Friday. It was 8:35am when I got to room 40. Auto Theft Division Captain's office Morning, Friday morning.

[Joe Friday]

Hi, Joe.

[Ben Romero]

Ben, you want to sit down? Thank you.

[Captain Stilson]

I was just telling Romero here and briefing all the men in the bureau on this thing. That's the reason I called you two in.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, I got some figures here I.

[Officer]

Want to go over with you. All right.

[Captain Stilson]

As you know, the percentage of all auto theft recoveries is 96 to 98% on the average. That's normally.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Captain Stilson]

Checking the monthly averages, the past four months that percentage has dropped to the low 80s.

[Joe Friday]

Quite a drop.

[Captain Stilson]

Corner Pocket thinks so too. They want some action on it.

[Ben Romero]

Well, we've been working on it.

[Joe Friday]

Absolutely no pattern to the thefts. Time, location. The method makes it impossible to stake out on it.

[Captain Stilson]

Yeah, those Are some of the reasons our percentage is taking such a dive. I know the problems.

[Joe Friday]

We all do.

[Captain Stilson]

But we got to break this thing soon.

[Ben Romero]

Well, it figures. We're dealing with a well organized bunch. They know what they're doing.

[Captain Stilson]

Cross checking all the reports. It seems to boil down to this in general. Appears that all the outstanding thefts are GM cars. Cads, Pontiacs, Chevys, Oldsmobiles. All late models. All seem to be in good condition. Low mileage cars.

[Ben Romero]

Well, in addition to the regular broadcast and teletypes. We got out a special bulletin on instantly.

[Captain Stilson]

That's right. All the thefts were listed licensed, make, model and color. And sent to all major cities and border patrol stations. Nothing so far.

[Joe Friday]

I was checking through the salvage reports. Salvage buys? Do you have the last two months escape from March and April?

[Captain Stilson]

Yeah, right here. I noticed the same thing. That outfit down on San Pedro Street?

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Let me see.

[Officer]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Friday]

This is a composite on the reports for the past two months.

[Ben Romero]

That's right.

[Joe Friday]

This one here, Herman Salvage. 2716 West San Pedro. They seem to deal a little heavy on General Motors cars, don't they?

[Captain Stilson]

Yeah, they do. I've been watching the buys on this place for the past few weeks now. Wanted to make sure it wasn't coincidence.

[Ben Romero]

Well, looks like a good place to run down anyway.

[Captain Stilson]

You two want to check it out?

[Ben Romero]

All right, fine. 2716 West San Pedro. That's it.

[Captain Stilson]

Outfit appears to be okay. Never been out of line.

[Joe Friday]

Seems funny they should deal with the top avian GM cars, doesn't it?

[Captain Stilson]

Right when our recovery percentage takes a dive. Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Do you have the last salvage report there, Captain? Yeah, last month.

[Officer]

Here you are. Thank you.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah. Here's one for Herman's. 1949 Cadillac. A little further down Herman's again, 47 Olds. You know, there's five GM buys on the list. Herman got four out of five of them.

[Captain Stilson]

Let's find out why.

[Ben Romero]

From the time an automobile is first manufactured and sold. A constant and complete record is maintained on that automobile. His certificate of ownership, the pink slip in the state of California. His certificate of registration, the white slip. These two slips of paper contain the information necessary for the positive identification of your car. Fact that every motorist knows. There are many agencies that work for the protection and security of your automobile. One of these is the National Auto Theft Bureau. A kind of nationwide clearinghouse. Acting upon information supplied by the various insurance companies and other allied agencies. This bureau forwards all facts and figures concerning the disposition of motor vehicles or on a nationwide basis. Reports are made available to all Law enforcement agencies. One of the pieces of information put out by the National Auto Theft Bureau is the salvage report listing all sales and purchases of automobiles that for one reason or another may have been relegated to the junkyard or to the salvage company. A fact that many motorists may not know. 9:14am Ben and I checked through the police commission and found that the owner of Herman Salvage was a Herman Lester. He had been in business at the same location for six years and appeared to be a reputable businessman. We drove down to 2716 West San Pedro to check it out. It was an average looking garage with a connecting salvage yard filled with several hundred smashed up cars of all makes and models. It was 9:32am when we walked into the garage.

[Joe Friday]

There's a fellow there in a white shirt.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, I see him.

[Herman Lester]

Can I help you gentlemen?

[Joe Friday]

Yes, sir. Police officers. Auto theft detail.

[Herman Lester]

Oh, yes. I don't believe I know you fellas. My name's Lester.

[Joe Friday]

This is Sergeant Friday. My name's Romero. How do you do?

[Herman Lester]

How are you?

[Ben Romero]

Are you the owner here?

[Herman Lester]

Yeah, that's right. Whatever happened to Mac and Donovan? Used to drop in once, twice a month. Haven't seen him for two, three weeks now.

[Ben Romero]

Well, they're a little busy on a special assignment.

[Herman Lester]

Oh, I see.

[Ben Romero]

Bart, if we look around here.

[Herman Lester]

Oh, you bet. Make yourselves right at home. Anything special?

[Joe Friday]

No, just looking.

[Herman Lester]

Okay.

[Ben Romero]

Notice you've been pretty busy, huh?

[Herman Lester]

Yeah, had a pretty good month. Salvage racket's gonna get sour again. Looks like with the Korean War and all the cutbacks.

[Ben Romero]

Doesn't seem to have hit you so far.

[Herman Lester]

Well, no, not so far. Looks like it may tighten up anytime.

[Joe Friday]

I noticed from our salvage report. You've been doing a big business in GM merchandise.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, we have.

[Herman Lester]

You know, they're starting to build tanks back there now. We wanted to make sure we wouldn't run short on parts.

[Ben Romero]

You get a lot of call for GM parts, do you?

[Herman Lester]

Oh, yeah, we sure do. Everybody in town knows if they need something for a Caddy or a Buick or any of those cars, this the place to come. We kind of built up a reputation specializing in GM used parts.

[Ben Romero]

I see.

[Joe Friday]

Mind if we check your last few buys?

[Herman Lester]

Fine.

[Joe Friday]

You have 49 Cadillac, 47 Old Pontiac, 481949 Chevrolet. Wonder if we might see those.

[Herman Lester]

Yes, sir. Right out in the yard back this way. All four of them are really bent up, bad shape. Just breaks your heart to see beautiful merchandise like that all smashed up.

[Joe Friday]

I don't know what people are thinking.

[Herman Lester]

Of the way they drive. Yeah, you Take a new Caddy, one of those new convertibles. Really beautiful merchandise. Somebody takes one out, rolls it, we pick it up and tow it down here. Beautiful car like that all rolled up in a ball.

[Joe Friday]

Georgia Street Receiving Hospital probably picked up the rear.

[Herman Lester]

Yeah, it's really shame. Well, here we go.

[Ben Romero]

There's a Caddy.

[Joe Friday]

Oh, yeah.

[Herman Lester]

Let's see the Olds and the Pontiac on that road there. You see him?

[Captain Stilson]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

And Chevrolet, wasn't it?

[Ben Romero]

Yes, sir. 1949.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Oh, yeah.

[Herman Lester]

There she is over there. Third car down.

[Joe Friday]

Maroon.

[Ben Romero]

Maroon one?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Down there.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Herman Lester]

Looks like a graveyard, doesn't it?

[Joe Friday]

Sure does. What do you do with all these cars? Strip them down for parts.

[Herman Lester]

Well, at least the four year checking now. Yeah, they're all total wrecks. Nothing much can be done with them except for parts.

[Officer]

Mm.

[Ben Romero]

How about that Cadillac down there? The sedan?

[Officer]

Huh?

[Ben Romero]

That one over there. Can't you fix that one up? That doesn't look beyond repair from here.

[Officer]

Oh.

[Herman Lester]

Step around the other side here. You can't see from where you're standing here. The right side's all stove in. By the time you figure replacing those side panels and fenders trim, we couldn't come out on it.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, I see now. Well, I don't know too much about it, but it looked good from over there.

[Herman Lester]

Yeah, that's what we get all the time. People want us to pay top prices for stuff we can't get our money out of.

[John Bacon]

If we could repair them, fix them.

[Herman Lester]

Up and resell them as a complete automobile, there'd be a lot of money in this business.

[Joe Friday]

You do that with some of them, don't you?

[Herman Lester]

Oh, very few of them, I'll tell you. That's what we look for, but we don't always get lucky.

[Ben Romero]

I see.

[Joe Friday]

Say, how'd you boys like to see.

[Herman Lester]

Some really beautiful merchandise?

[Joe Friday]

What's that?

[Herman Lester]

Well, come on back in the shop.

[Officer]

All right.

[Herman Lester]

Kind of a hobby of mine. Here's what keeps us busy. Plates and pink slips on the way up to Sacramento for cancellation.

[Ben Romero]

Over this way.

[Herman Lester]

Here we are. Take a look at this baby. Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

A hot rod, huh?

[Herman Lester]

No, not exactly. We don't go in for that kid stuff racing around town.

[Ben Romero]

Well, sure looks like one.

[Herman Lester]

Yeah, but it's a little better than most of the kids can throw together.

[Joe Friday]

What'll it do?

[Herman Lester]

We clocked her up at Muroc at 112 last weekend. You know, they've been coming in here from all over town to see this car.

[Ben Romero]

That so?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Herman Lester]

You ever get up to Muroc Dry Lake?

[Joe Friday]

No.

[Ben Romero]

I never do, but that's the place for it, running around town. And those things can cause a lot of accidents.

[Herman Lester]

Those drag races the kids have. Yeah, we don't go in for that stuff. This is strictly scientific as far as I'm concerned. I like to build them up, See, we can make them.

[Joe Friday]

Do cost a lot of money, don't they?

[Herman Lester]

Got $5,400 in this one. Right now I'm putting more into it. Mallory ignition, milled heads, twin wake fields. Here, let me start it up for you.

[Joe Friday]

Okay.

[Herman Lester]

120 horses under. Yeah, sounds good. Listen at that. Beautiful, isn't it? Yeah. A lot of power here.

[Ben Romero]

Sure is.

[Herman Lester]

You ought to see it up in the lakes. It really goes. Yeah, I'll bet.

[Joe Friday]

This all made up on a salvage card.

[Herman Lester]

Every bit of it. Buy a few things new, but most of it's right out of wrecks like those outside.

[Ben Romero]

There takes a lot of talent to build up something like this from scrap, doesn't it?

[Herman Lester]

No, not really. After you've been at it long as I have, it's not too tough. The trick is to get more speed out of them than anyone else can.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. You did a good job on this car, huh?

[Herman Lester]

Well, if you put your mind to it, you can do a lot with a wrecked car.

[Ben Romero]

Before we left Herman Salvage, we checked all four of the GM cars that were listed on the salvage report. We made a careful check on all of the cars in the yard and in the garage, paying special attention to the few cars that were in the process of being rebuilt by Herman Lester's mechanics. We went over his records, carefully checking the disposition of all of his buys for the past several months. Everything was in perfect order. We found that in the past three weeks, Lester had taken in 10 cars. Eight of them had been stripped down for parts, and two of them had been rebuilt and resold. The Investigation showed that four of those cars were GM cars and the two that were resold were both General Motors. 11:28am Ben and I drove back to the office and asked Mac and Donovan if they'd check through the two resale cars to make sure everything was in order. As the reports indicated. We checked through on the remaining eight cars that were listed by Herman Lester as broken down for parts. According to dmv, all plates and pink slips had been returned to them for cancellation. 11:50am well, that's it, Joe.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Eight of the cars check out. Two of those were GMs.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Well, that leaves just the two that Mac and Donovan are checking, huh?

[Joe Friday]

I don't Know everything down there.

[Officer]

Looked all right.

[Joe Friday]

Succinct. Lester wasn't holding back anything, as far as I could tell.

[Officer]

It's cooperative.

[Joe Friday]

Everything in order?

[Ben Romero]

If those two that Mac and Donovan are working on check out, I gotta.

[Joe Friday]

I'd say. Well, seems to me Lester told us everything. Everything we ask him, anyway. I don't think he held back.

[Ben Romero]

If he did, I got an idea who might be able to tell us. Somebody's been left out in the cold here.

[Joe Friday]

What are you getting at?

[Ben Romero]

Well, now, if Herman's been able to buy up all those GM cars, what have the other salvage dealers been doing about it? Thanks.

[Joe Friday]

A thought.

[Ben Romero]

Let's check his competition. 12:40pm we drove back down to West San Pedro Street. We picked out a group of salvage companies in the immediate neighborhood close to Herman's. 3209 West San Pedro John's Wrecking Yard. We introduced ourselves and started to talk with the owner of John Bacon. A routine check was made of his establishment, and as far as we could tell, everything appeared to be okay.

[Joe Friday]

And that's all you made, huh? Just that one buy?

[John Bacon]

That's it. 1946 Ford. We're dying a slow death.

[Ben Romero]

Business pretty bad, huh?

[John Bacon]

Never seen it worse, at least as far as we're concerned.

[Joe Friday]

How do you account for that, Mr. Bacon?

[John Bacon]

Oh, everything, I guess. Business bad all over at the moment. Scrap metal situation's in a state of flux at the present time.

[Joe Friday]

In looking around, Mr. Bacon, we noticed you don't have much in the way of General Motors staff. Is that because of GM going into war production? Any cutback would eventually affect you fellas, wouldn't it?

[John Bacon]

No, no, not at all. Cutback would, sure, but there's no tremendous curtailment right at the present time. They're still turning on a lot of automobiles back then.

[Ben Romero]

Well, then what's your problem?

[John Bacon]

We're being outbid right up and down the line by the same outfit.

[Joe Friday]

Who's that?

[John Bacon]

A company by the name of Herman Salvage just up the street there. Go out to buy a piece of merchandise. Their boys just won't let us get near it.

[Joe Friday]

They pay more than you do, huh?

[John Bacon]

More than we can, Sergeant. I honestly don't see how they're coming out on some of their deals.

[Ben Romero]

It's that much out of line, huh?

[John Bacon]

Certainly is. You know, whenever there's anything available, all the salvage companies get their bid in. Well, Herman simply outbids all of us.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, Makes it kind of rough.

[John Bacon]

I'm not the only one. Pete Larkin up the street, old man, huh? Henry Next door. I don't know what we can do about it. Herman seems to be doing all right, no matter what he pays for his cars.

[Officer]

Mm.

[John Bacon]

None of us can figure it out. Just judging from the number of cars he outbids us on and the number he rebuilds. I just can't see how he's coming out.

[Joe Friday]

But he is, huh?

[John Bacon]

Figure he's laying odds on a big shortage? That's what all of us think he's.

[Ben Romero]

Laying in the stockpile. Is that the idea?

[Officer]

Sure.

[John Bacon]

What else could it be?

[Ben Romero]

We continued our check on all salvage dealers, both in the neighborhood of Herman Lester's place and throughout the city. It seemed to be a fact well known to most dealers that Herman was outbidding all of them on any and all GM automobiles. The only possible explanation was that he must be trying to lay in a large stockpile of this particular make of car. 3:35pm we received word from Sergeants Mack and Donovan that they had checked out the two remaining cars listed in Herman's books. The resales. Ben was right. They checked out with no discrepancy. During the next 10 days, the investigation continued. The theft of late model GM cars continued with few recoveries. Suspects were arrested and questioned. We could find no connection that might lead us to an organized ring of car thieves that might be responsible for the lack of GM car recoveries. The salvage reports showed no change in Herman's buying technique. Apparently, he was still dealing heavy on the one particular make of car. Thursday, May 25th. We received a teletype from DMV listing all the salvage by transfers. In making our usual daily check of this teletype, we noticed a 1949 Cadillac engine number 598-77415. It had been resold from salvage to a used car lot.

[Joe Friday]

That's the place right up the block.

[Officer]

Yeah, I see.

[Joe Friday]

Same Cad we saw in Herman Savage Yard?

[Ben Romero]

Yes. Funny, isn't it? The one in particular that I asked him about. You remember?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, I remember. You thought it could be fixed up. He said no.

[Ben Romero]

It's only been a little over two weeks ago, hasn't it?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, I try.

[Ben Romero]

Well, still doesn't prove anything.

[Officer]

Here we are.

[Joe Friday]

Jake's. This is the place.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah. There's a cat in the front line right down there.

[Officer]

Huh?

[Joe Friday]

I don't see anyone around, do you?

[Officer]

No, I don't.

[Ben Romero]

Well, I guess it's hard to check the engine number anyway.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

I'll get the hood release.

[Ben Romero]

Right. Yeah. There we go.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. The engines had a good steam cleaning.

[Ben Romero]

Let's see 598-777-415.

[Joe Friday]

That's it. Herman sure did a nice job on it, didn't he?

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Almost looks too good, doesn't it?

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Just a minute.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Body serial doesn't match. Doesn't correspond with the engine model.

[Ben Romero]

It's a 49 body. Could be a late 49, but it's a definite switch, isn't it?

[Joe Friday]

It sure is. That's funny.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Look at this right side here. This was the bad side, wasn't it?

[Officer]

Yeah, that's right.

[Ben Romero]

Does it look like it's been rolled out to you?

[Joe Friday]

No. There's no feathering. No orange peel. Either that's the best repaint job I've ever seen, or it's never been in an accident.

[Ben Romero]

I'll take a look underneath.

[Officer]

All right.

[Adam Graham]

Okay.

[Ben Romero]

Want to move your feet there?

[Officer]

Yeah. All right.

[Joe Friday]

Anything?

[Ben Romero]

No, nothing. There's not a seam or a joint under there. No welding marks of any kind. This car has never been in a smash up.

[Joe Friday]

The engine number checks, the body doesn't.

[Ben Romero]

And this is the one Herman couldn't fix up.

[Joe Friday]

That's what he said. Maybe he changed his mind.

[Ben Romero]

Or he lied.

[Officer]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

You are listening to Dragnet from beginning to end. Dragnet is the authentic story of your police force in action.

[Ben Romero]

1949 Cadillac engine number 598-77-4415. In checking out this automobile, Ben and I had found that the engine number corresponded with the salvage report concerning Herman Lester's place. The one big item that did not jibe was the fact that the engine was now mounted in a different body than when the car left the factory. A fact that had to be accounted for in complete detail. When we had checked this automobile on 11 May at Herman Salvage Yard, both engine and body numbers corresponded. In taking a close look at the car, it was obvious that the body had not been recognized repaired in any way. It was clear that this particular car had not been in any kind of collision. We went back to the rear of the lot and asked one of the salesman not to sell the car without informing us. When we got back to the office, we started rechecking all of the auto theft reports. We found five stolen Cadillacs. But all the body styles and models were different with the exception of one. A 1949 Cadillac sedan. Reported stolen on May 14. It was registered in the name of William Brownell. We checked his home and found that he was at work. He was a superintendent for the North American Van Lines. We drove over and picked him up and took him to Jake's used car. Lot on Vermont Avenue.

[Joe Friday]

This is the car, Mr. Brownell?

[William Brownell]

Well, it's just like mine, but I don't think it's the one.

[Ben Romero]

Are you sure?

[William Brownell]

For one thing, it's a different color.

[Joe Friday]

My car was maroon.

[Ben Romero]

You want to step over here, Mr. Brownell?

[Officer]

Huh?

[Ben Romero]

Now, if you look very closely here on the door edging and on the jamb right here. See, this is the one place sometimes they miss with a spray gun if they're gonna repaint.

[Officer]

Oh, yeah.

[William Brownell]

There's a faint trace of red under the blue paint there.

[Joe Friday]

Looks like it could be marooned, doesn't it?

[Officer]

Yeah.

[William Brownell]

Does it?

[Joe Friday]

Dad, this car's been repainted. It was maroon.

[Officer]

Mm.

[William Brownell]

Well, mine didn't have these kind of seat covers.

[Officer]

See?

[William Brownell]

Same kind of upholstery I had, though, underneath here.

[Joe Friday]

I don't know, Mr. Brownell. There must be something other than the color in the upholstery that you'd know your own car by.

[William Brownell]

Never gave it much thought.

[Ben Romero]

Well, there's usually some little identifying mark of some kind. I know that on my car, the lens on the right headlight got broken, and I had to replace it with one that didn't match.

[Joe Friday]

Something like that. So let me see.

[William Brownell]

Could I look inside there a minute?

[Officer]

Sure.

[William Brownell]

Right here under the speedometer. There was a thumbprint pressed in at the factory. It's pretty deep. No, it's not there now.

[Ben Romero]

And don't forget that the car's been repainted. Might have been covered up.

[William Brownell]

No, this was cleared down to the metal. Apparently, when they were installing the instruments at the factory, the panel wasn't dry yet. Not there now. And they couldn't have covered it up. And unless they made a special point of it.

[Ben Romero]

Well, sometimes that's done. Car thieves are kind of clever.

[William Brownell]

I'm sorry, gentlemen. I don't think this is my car. Don't think I don't wish it was, but it's not.

[Joe Friday]

Can you think of just one other thing? Maybe just one mark of identification is all we need.

[Officer]

No.

[William Brownell]

Even these tires aren't mine. I had white sidewalls.

[Joe Friday]

Could have been switched.

[William Brownell]

They were pretty new.

[Officer]

Wait a minute.

[William Brownell]

I think I remember something. No, there's no rip up there.

[Ben Romero]

What's that, sir?

[William Brownell]

I just thought of something. The boys down at the office gave me a St. Christopher medal. You know, the large metal kind you're supposed to bolt to your dashboard?

[Ben Romero]

Yes, sir.

[William Brownell]

I didn't want to put it on, so I carried it around with me in the car. There was a rip up there in the inner lining of the top. But you see, there's no rip in this one.

[Joe Friday]

Let me see.

[Officer]

How about it?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, Yeah, I can feel it.

[Ben Romero]

Does it feel like a metal.

[Joe Friday]

Let me get my pocket knife on it.

[Officer]

Okay.

[William Brownell]

What do you think they replaced the cloth up there?

[Officer]

I don't know.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Officer]

Yeah, Here it is.

[Ben Romero]

Is this it, Mr. Brown?

[William Brownell]

That's it. Look on the back there. My name's engraved on it. You see?

[Ben Romero]

Yes, sir.

[William Brownell]

Well, I sure didn't think this was my car. I never would have known it.

[Ben Romero]

That's what the guys figure. Who stole the 1949 Cadillac was taken to the police garage and a complete and thorough check was made. The car, with the exception of the engine, was positively identified as the property of William Brownell. This definitely implicated Herman Lester and showed his salvage operations to be illegitimate. He had obviously been buying one particular make of salvage automobile, outbidding all his competitors to do so. When he would buy a piece of wrecked equipment, an exact duplicate would be stolen to match it. He would then dispose of the the engine from the stolen vehicle and replace it with a salvage engine. With this system of operation, Herman Salvage had been enjoying a lucrative business which accounted for a great percentage of the stolen cars that we hadn't been able to recover. 7:25pm May 25, we drove out to pick up Herman Lesker. His home address was listed as 8625 Wonderland Drive. It was up in the Laurel Canyon district, A heavily wooded section of Los Angeles.

[Joe Friday]

Pretty nice place up in there.

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, what you can see of it through the trees now. Let's go.

[Joe Friday]

Look at that, Jill. Looks like a 50. Old everything there but the engine. No plates.

[Ben Romero]

I didn't notice that from the street, did you?

[Joe Friday]

Never could have seen it from down there.

[Ben Romero]

Looks like a garage back up in there, doesn't it?

[Joe Friday]

Perfect spot. Can't see any of this from the street with all those trees. Pretty fancy layout for a home garage. Good size.

[Ben Romero]

Somebody's working up in there.

[Officer]

Yeah.

[Ben Romero]

Come on.

[Herman Lester]

Hi there. Brings you fellas right up here.

[Ben Romero]

Want to have a little talk with you.

[Officer]

Oh, you bet.

[Herman Lester]

Come on in the house. Have a cold beer, huh?

[Ben Romero]

No, this will be all right.

[Joe Friday]

Joe, you got a hot sheet?

[Ben Romero]

Yeah, right here.

[Herman Lester]

Kind of caught me by surprise here. Working out in the garage.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, that figures. Lester, these plates are from a stolen car.

[Ben Romero]

You sure that's right? You remember a 49 Cadillac we looked at down at your place a couple of weeks ago?

[William Brownell]

I'm not sure.

[Herman Lester]

49 cat.

[Ben Romero]

That's right. Whatever became of that car?

[Herman Lester]

Oh, now I remember. Yeah, I sold that car to Jake's over on Vermont.

[Joe Friday]

Thought you told us you couldn't fix it up. I don't remember.

[Herman Lester]

You sure you don't mean some other car now?

[Ben Romero]

No, it's the same one. You know, the one we mean. How about it?

[Herman Lester]

How about what?

[Joe Friday]

That was a stolen car, Lester, and you know it. That's a stolen car out there in the yard, isn't it?

[Ben Romero]

Watch that hoist, then. There he goes, Joe. All right, Lester, hold it.

[Joe Friday]

Duck it back, Joe.

[Ben Romero]

All right, now, come on, drop it, Lester.

[William Brownell]

Drop the hammer.

[Joe Friday]

All right, I'll get the cuffs, Joe.

[Ben Romero]

Come on, get up on your feet.

[Joe Friday]

All right, come on. On your feet.

[Ben Romero]

Stand still.

[Joe Friday]

Rough one, huh?

[Ben Romero]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Come on, Lester, let's go.

[Herman Lester]

How'd you find out?

[Ben Romero]

Who tipped you off? St. Christopher.

[Narrator]

The story you just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.

On August 15, trial was held in Superior Court Department 82. City and county of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. Herman W. Lester was tried and convicted on three counts of grand theft auto and two counts of grand theft money. All sentenced to run consecutively. Grand theft auto is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 1 to 5 years. Grand theft money by a term of 1 to 10 years. The suspect was also filed on by federal authorities for violation of the dire act. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department.

The Brought yout Dragnet portions transcribed from Los Angeles. Stay tuned for counterspy next over many NBC stations.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. This is a reason I love revisiting Dragnet. Now, there are those episodes which are all time great episodes that you know, you remember. But then there are those quirky, interesting programs that you kind of forget. Because there were more than 300 original broadcasts of Dragnet. And this is one of those. And there's so much I like about this. We get a different type of crime in this sort of auto theft mixing with junkyard. And there are some really interesting details in the investigation and how they solve this. I also want to say, from a technical standpoint, I love the sound effects work on that engine at the junkyard. They must have brought in a special engine or special piece of equipment to record that and make that come alive through the sound effect. Probably not quite the same as a car engine of the same sort. Because I have to imagine that it would have been way too long loud to even hear any of the dialogue or to sound good over radio. This one was surprising too, because of all the episodes to end with a suspect violently resisting, you would not have thought this one. But again, it shows that while violent confrontations and arrest are not nearly as typical as many other programs would lead you to believe, it still does happen. And it can happen unexpectedly because a lot of people just do not want to go to jail. And another nice thing about Dragnet is that because it uses real locations, it just adds another dimension to the series. I found myself curious about Laurel Canyon and the way, of course, it's described in 1951, and I was curious how it looks today. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's still a very nice and quiet neighborhood, but with a lot of history in the entertainment industry. And according to some of the articles I read, you still do see some wildlife in the neighborhood. While there have been a lot of developments of big, new expensive homes, there's a lot of history with the entertainment industry and you still will find, you know, ramshackle cabins and Tudor homes up in that area. And I think actually if there were a place, I'm not, I'm not a person who dreams of moving to la, and I don't think that would be the best thing in the world for me. But if I had to move to la, I think I would want to move to the Laurel Canyon area because looking at the pictures reminded me of a lot of places, places and neighborhoods I'd seen around Idaho and very similar. I think probably the main difference is about 6 or $700,000 per house. Regardless, it was fun to look into and if you want to see some of the landscape, you can do a Google Images search. For me, it's probably as close as I'll get to living in la. Now it's time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the day and I want to go ahead and thank Laura patreon supporters since June 2020, currently supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of $7.14 or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Laura and that will actually do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to like the video and mark the notification bell. All those great things that help YouTube channels to grow. Dragnet will return a week from next Thursday. Coming in two weeks, we will be cross posting the series Cloak and Dagger from the new podcast series the Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio and you can hear the premiere of the great adventurers of Old Time Radio one week from Sunday. And we have a fantastic week of encore presentations for your listening pleasure. Ready to roll starting tomorrow. But from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.