Evening star., 1949-02-03
2PIane- Riding Yeggs
Pick Up S135,00O in
Robberies in 5 States
Toledo, Ohio

used an ''airlift" from Washington
to Knoxville, Tenn. for a 100000
job, and picked up at least $4,000
more in five-state foray, was told
today by Detective Chief c. B. Wells
of Knoxville.
Now in Waynesville, N. C. Jail, the
pair has admitted staging 25 safe
burglarieS in a WhirlWind seven
month dash through the South,
during which they bought at least
three automobiles and purchased
more than $4,000 worth of dia-
monds and clothes for their women
companions, Detective Wells said.
The brains and safecracking
artist of the pair was identified as
Kenneth Bruce Sheetz, %, a 6-foot,
198-pounder, who told Detective
Wells that he once played football
for the University of Virginia and
later took a whack at profess
sional ball
Met in Penitentiary.
His companion was named as
Robert B, Brady, jr., o. who, like
ISheetZ, came from Norfolk, Va
They met not as boys in Norfolk
but at Virginia State Penitentiary,
where Sheetz will return to COM
plete three and a half year
stretch for violating parole on
previous safecracking conviction,
Mr.. Wells said.
Before they yielded meekly to
North Carolina State policemen
looking for drunken drivers, Sheetz
and Brady gave police of Tennessee,
Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia
and West Virginia bad time. Once
they were caught in the act at
Cleveland. Tenn, but escaped after
kidnapping one of the arresting Of
f1cers.
Their top achievement crimewise
involved the chartering of a plane
from an airport near Washington
for a Christmas night expedition to
Knoxville and that city's record
$4,000 safe haul.
Posed as Potato Salesman.
Detective Webb said the story ac-
tually began December 8, when the
pair visited Knoxville to look things
over. Brady showed up at a ware
house owned by City Councilman
and former Mayor Cas- Walker, who
operates a chain of Knoxville gro
ceries. While representing himself
aS a nofato co1ecpoon pro5v cow
the chance to pick up a few pota-
toes of another variety.
On Christmas Day Sheetz regis
tered at the Hotel Statler in Wash
ington as K. E. RaWis of Gastonia,
N. c. Detective Wells said Brady
was with him, but did not register.
During the day, they chartered
the plane and took off for the
promised land. At 40 am. De-
cember 26, knowing that the banks
had been closed and the bountiful
pre-Christmas receipts were on
hand, they began Knoxville's
biggest safe burglary.
Took IL Minutes.
Eleven minutes later it was all
over and they were on their way
back to Washington with $4,000
in cash and S24,00O in bonds and
securities which they later de-
stroyed
For Sheetz, who boasted of being
able to pound off any safe combina-
ton knob and drive the spindle
home for kill in from one and
half to three minutes, it was a long
nights work, Detective Wells said.
They felt in an expensive mood.
Back in Washington, they gave the
pilot the $500 he wanted for the
round trip, and tipped him $500.
Then they lolled about the StatIer
for three more days while Knoxville
police fumed.
To Detective Chief Wells they
were about the slickest pair he ever
encountered. Later he learned how
they drove about from town to town
with a complete set of burglar tools.
Invariably, it was Sheetz who
punched in the safes while Brady
played lookout. When Brady heard
some one approaching he would toss
a little gravel against window and
the pounding inside would cease
When the danger was past, another
tinkle of gravel would signal a re-
sumption of work.
Sheetz carried a fashlight taped
over except for small hole to
release a thin shaft of light.
1t was several days after their
arrest January 20 that the pair
talked. The police finally remem-
bered a North Carolina law which
made possession of burglar tools
30-year ofense. Then Sheetz began
bargaining for something better and
the whole thing came out, Detective
Wells said.
He told how the pair had the
nerve to return to Knoxville Janu-
airy Is, and how Sheetz calmly ap-
peared at a police station to pay
his woman companions fine for
reckless driving after she met with
shght accident. After paying off
$50 for damages to the other driver,
: