Crime Blotter: Fugitive Roommate in Attic

— -- In this week's Crime Blotter, it's not a ghost in the attic, but rather a former tenant who came back to haunt his ex-roomie. Plus: The shoe fits for some very gullible criminals, and people who speak Klingon won't be working for a public mental-health department after all.

Who’s That Haunting the Attic?

F R E D E R I C K, Md. — There was a spy in the house of Smith.

Robin Lewis, 35, allegedly set up a secret camp in the attic of his ex-roommate's house. According to police, Lewis lived undetected for six weeks in Aaron Smith's home, spying all the time.

"He had two baby monitors, he had tapped into the phone lines, he had tapped into Internet access, he had tapped into the phone lines so he could actually monitor the phone conversations without being detected," said Lt. Tom Chase of the Frederick Police Department.

The two men had a falling out over rent and Smith thought he'd thrown Lewis out April 1. Instead, Lewis decided to stick around. He was discovered Saturday when Smith and some friends heard noises upstairs.

When they confronted Lewis, he ran and grabbed the keys to Smith's car on the way out, and then promptly drove off, police said. On Sunday, a threatening note turned up saying, "I'm watching you."

Lewis also was wanted on an unrelated armed robbery warrant, police said.

"It just blows me away, it really does, because both of them are such nice guys," said neighbor Arnie Brown.

Telling Criminals to Take a Hike

B I G B E A R L A K E, Calif. — If the shoe fits …

Ten people wanted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department responded to a fake ad offering free hiking boots. Officials had sent out 160 postcards with the bogus offer to local residents.

"If this postcard has been sent to you, you have been chosen to participate in this freeway giveaway," the postcard said. "All you need to do to participate is come to the Big Bear Elks Lodge on May 8."

The high-tech, prototype boots were supposedly being tested in the area, and those lucky enough to receive the cards could try them free of charge.