Credit: Photo via Instagram
Update: Rodney Johnson was sentenced to 12 years in prison today for the robbery to which he was tied, and later admitted his role in, after posting a selfie with the loot to Instagram. (Cleveland.com)

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Original story posted 12/20/13: Cleveland’s Rodney E. Johnson Jr. could use a lesson in stealth.

The 21-year-old was charged with bank robbery and with using a gun during a violent crime on Tuesday. How was Johnson caught? He was identified from a selfie that he posted on Instagram, flaunting his newly acquired riches. 

According to Cleveland.com, investigators were anonymously tipped off about the photo on social media and were able to match it to surveillance images from the robbery.  

Johnson and two accomplices are accused of stealing $6,701 from the Fifth Third Bank on Cedar Road.  

Johnson was released from prison three months ago after serving a four year sentence for aggravated robbery and abduction. 

Maybe the third time— if there is one— will be the charm, and Johnson will learn to enjoy his spoils in secret. 

This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2013.

Cecily Rus joined Scene as a blogging intern in September 2013. She is a recent graduate of Colgate University, where she majored in English/Creative Writing. She has previously interned at Scene Magazine in Boston. Her interests include traveling, cheeseburgers and Game of Thrones. Cecily is a Lakewood native and an aspiring editor.

3 replies on “Cleveland Thief Posts Selfie on Instagram, Is Immediately Caught”

  1. You can’t make this stuff up. Someone with links to the Clevo media could successfully pitch a local Ridiculousness – with so many knucklehead criminals in the news.

  2. As dumb as he was, and trust, I’m against crime… But the image is pretty cool, as in “This should be on Spring Breakers 2: Adventures In Cleveland” cool…

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