Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

It was his toes that tipped off the police

By JACOB H. FRIES
Published May 4, 2006

CLEARWATER - Richard Costello was tripped up by his own toes, police say.

Costello, 29, was trying to hawk stolen motorcycle parts on eBay, so he laid the items on a linoleum floor and took photographs for the Web site, said Clearwater police Sgt. Greg Stewart.

Costello's feet could be seen poking into some of the images, but it was his toes - tattooed with letters spelling "White Trash" - that got him caught.

The case goes back to March 6 when a 2002 Yamaha motorcycle worth $6,000 was stolen from an apartment complex parking lot on Nursery Road in Clearwater. Owner Derek Lombard called police but continued to investigate on his own.

Lombard, 24, searched eBay and found what he thought were parts from his motorcycle for sale. He told detectives, who analyzed the photos.

They noticed "White" on the right foot and "Trash" on the left. Investigators searched jail records, which noted Costello's branded digits.

"This one goes in the "Not the brightest star in the sky' file," Stewart said.

On Monday, detectives arranged to meet Costello to buy parts. He arrived in a van full of stolen property and was arrested.

Investigators don't know yet the full scope of Costello's "chop shop" operation. Police searched his apartment in Clearwater and a storage unit and uncovered numerous motorcycle parts, including some from Lombard's Yamaha.

Detectives don't know how much money Costello made selling over eBay, but say he has shipped items as far as Britain and the Netherlands.

Costello remained in the Pinellas County Jail on Wednesday on $10,000 bail facing charges of dealing in stolen property and operating a chop shop.

"He just tiptoed his way back to jail," Stewart said.

[Last modified May 4, 2006, 01:08:05]