Ex-Cop blames Ghost for Stolen Goods in Basement

Incredible defense that Hughes told the court

A former police officer accused of theft stunned the courts when he blamed a ghost for the presence of the stolen items found in his basement.


Joseph Hughes from Mount Gilead, Ohio, faced 21 charges against him, including stealing 12 air conditioning units, a 6,000 watt generator and a welder. 

All are believed to have been taken from the Morrow County - one airconditioner was even conspicuously labelled 'auditor' in thick black marker.

But when stolen articles were found in Hughes’s basement, he gave a paranormal defence for why he didn't know they were there.


‘It’s going to sound kind of ridiculous, but we believed that there was some kind of paranormal presence in the basement,’ Hughes said in court. ‘It sounds kind of ridiculous but there was evidence to support it.’

The prosecutors were stunned by his defence. ‘Probably as odd as I’ve ever heard,’ said Tom Elkin of the Morrow County Prosecutor’s Office. ‘I’ve been practicing since 1983 and I can say that’s the first time I’ve heard of paranormal activity in the course of a trial.’


But Hughes didn’t stand a ghost of a chance with his defence. He was found guilty of 18 out of 20 charges.

Source: Dailymail