A 30-year-old employee of Pla-Mor Lanes bowling alley in Decatur,
Illinois, triggered a massive rapid response from police when she
reported she was knocked unconscious by a robber with a bowling ball who
emptied the company's safe.
However, when police looked at the surveillance video, it told a
different story.
At 9:25pm on Thursday, eight officers responded to the report of the
robbery, many of them using their emergency lights and traveling at "an
increased rate of speed," said an affidavit by patrol officer James
Weddle.
Jamie L. Gordon said "she had been struck in the head with a bowling
ball and all of the money, $2,100, had been stolen out of the safe,"
Weddle wrote in his statement.
She said she did not see her assailant because she was struck from
behind and knocked unconscious.
When a manager arrived at the bowling alley, he granted Weddle
permission to view the surveillance video.
"I observed Jamie walk into the office. Jamie walks over to the counter
in the office and picks up a red bowling ball with her left hand and a
cash drawer with her right hand," the affidavit said. "Jamie proceeds to
strike herself twice in the back, left side of her head with the
bowling ball."
Gordon then "dropped to the floor," where she remained for 13 minutes, waiting for another employee to discover her. After informing Gordon that he "just watched her strike herself in the head with a bowling ball twice on video," he asked her where the money was. "Jamie sighed and stated, 'Some of it is in my car.'" She led the officer to her car "where she pulled out a Hello Kitty brand bag full of money. The bag contained $439." When asked where the rest of the missing money was, Gordon said she had gambled it away in the bowling alley's slot machines.
During an interview, Gordon said she recently gambled away her pay check. After that, "she began taking money from the drawers and safe." She said she "already owed Pla-Mor Lanes $250" as a result of the other missing cash. "Jamie admitted to striking herself in the head with the bowling ball in an attempt to make it look like she had been robbed. Jamie advised she struck herself with the bowling ball so that she would have a knot on her head when police arrived." Gordon, who has no prior criminal record, was booked into the Macon County Jail, where she was being held on $7,500 bond.
Gordon then "dropped to the floor," where she remained for 13 minutes, waiting for another employee to discover her. After informing Gordon that he "just watched her strike herself in the head with a bowling ball twice on video," he asked her where the money was. "Jamie sighed and stated, 'Some of it is in my car.'" She led the officer to her car "where she pulled out a Hello Kitty brand bag full of money. The bag contained $439." When asked where the rest of the missing money was, Gordon said she had gambled it away in the bowling alley's slot machines.
During an interview, Gordon said she recently gambled away her pay check. After that, "she began taking money from the drawers and safe." She said she "already owed Pla-Mor Lanes $250" as a result of the other missing cash. "Jamie admitted to striking herself in the head with the bowling ball in an attempt to make it look like she had been robbed. Jamie advised she struck herself with the bowling ball so that she would have a knot on her head when police arrived." Gordon, who has no prior criminal record, was booked into the Macon County Jail, where she was being held on $7,500 bond.
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