Summertime insects can put a damper on any kind of outdoor activity. Not only are insect bites persistently itchy, but many insect species can transmit disease-causing pathogens to humans. When people hear the term “summer insects,” most cannot help but to think of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes have been known for ruining many family vacations to Florida on account of their seemingly insatiable need to gorge themselves on human blood. Of course, mosquitoes also feed on animal blood, but details aside, everyone can agree that nothing good can result from mosquitoes, especially when they are gathered in a swarm. However, in a recent news story that most people wrongly dismissed as pure fiction, a swarm of mosquitoes managed to bring a wanted criminal to justice.

Law enforcement officers work hard to keep the streets safe from malevolent elements, but the police cannot always be expected to succeed in catching criminals. Despite what the movies may lead you to believe, police officers cannot always indulge in high speed chases within urban areas, as their job is to protect people, not endanger them further. Recently in Wisconsin, police pursued a couple of thieves before their getaway vehicle strayed into an obscure location within a cornfield. Before the getaway car drove into the cornfield, one of the thieves jumped out of the moving car, and has yet to be found. The driver, however, ditched his car and may have successfully evaded the police had it not been for the swarm of mosquitoes that had attacked him in the field.

While pursuing the driver on foot, the police officers themselves were asking their superiors for bug spray due to the unusually high mosquito population within the field. After an hour of successfully hiding, the criminal turned himself in to the authorities solely to avoid the constant mosquito attacks that he had suffered in the cornfield while running from the police. The criminal immediately blamed the mosquitoes for his capture. After the criminal had been apprehended he asked the police to wipe his forehead, which was covered in mosquitoes. The criminal had been driving a getaway car for his partner who stole well over $1,000 worth of alcohol from a corner store. The police have yet to find the other criminal, and despite how invaluable mosquitoes were to the first arrest, they are not counting on the assistance of insects to make the second arrest.

Have you ever found yourself bombarded by a swarm of mosquitoes that you could not immediately avoid?