Culture Vulture doesn't have a Stupid Criminals Division, but maybe I should start one.

Take as an example the case of Michael Birkeland, an actor and comedian who's appeared in several LDS-themed comedies ("The Singles Ward," "The Home Teachers," "Church Ball") and spent the weekend in jail - charged with felony theft.

According to this KSL report, police arrested Birkeland on Friday. He's accused of stealing a computer from a Utah Valley University art instructor, whose class Birkeland had visited shortly before the computer went missing April 3.

Here's the funny part of the KSL report:

Two days later, the victim logged onto Skype and, thanks to the built-in camera in his MacBook Pro computer, he could see exactly who was using his stolen computer over the Internet. The instructor contacted Birkeland online and also by phone, asking for the computer back, which is valued at $2,128. Court documents state that Birkeland then covered up the camera on the computer to conceal his identity. Instead of directly returning the computer, police say he dropped it off at the gift shop at Thanksgiving Point.

Birkeland posted bond Monday, and is scheduled to appear in court next Monday.

When I reviewed "The Home Teachers" in 2004, I was down on the movie but I complimented Birkeland's performance as "engaging" with "a goofy, Chris Farley-esque appeal." I wonder if that will work for him in a courtroom scene.

Labels: Stupid Criminals Division