194: True Crime Oddity: Police Stop Reveals Human Being Towed on Sled

In this episode of The Shallow End, Schnebly and Toth dive headfirst into the kind of poor decision-making that only extreme weather, youthful confidence, and suspended driver’s licenses can produce. It starts in Vermont during the infamous Blizzard of 2010, where a 23-year-old man was caught driving more than 60 mph down Interstate 89 while towing a friend on a plastic sled. When police attempted a traffic stop, things somehow escalated further—as the driver tried to switch places with the person on the sled mid-incident, apparently believing legality depends on where you’re physically sitting at the moment you get caught. From there, the episode spirals delightfully into listener stories and human misjudgment, including a jaw-dropping email about two beer-buzzed teenagers who accidentally witnessed an armed jewelry store robbery—and laughed through the whole thing. The lesson? Alcohol, adolescence, and crisis situations are a dangerous cocktail. The episode wraps with another true crime oddity involving attempted bird smuggling at the U.S.–Mexico border, featuring parakeets hidden in pants, chirping during inspection, and a defense that somehow made things worse. Because of course it did. Equal parts dumb criminal behavior, bad luck, and baffling confidence, this episode is a reminder that common sense is often the first thing lost in cold weather, stressful situations, and moments when someone asks, “What if we just tried this?” Pour a strong beverage, make better choices than the people in this episode, and wade into The Shallow End—where real stories prove that someone, somewhere, is always doing something worse than you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices