It appears that life on the dark side is not so rosy
after all.

When Darth Vader made an appearance at a movie theater in Springfield, Ill., on May 21, he wasn't there to recruit minions or to watch his doppelganger in the sixth and final Star Wars movie, "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith."

Instead, he robbed the cash register.

According to Springfield Police Lieutenant Doug Williams, an unidentified man wearing a Darth Vader mask, black pants and a black shirt walked into the Showplace Eight Theatre at about 9:15 p.m. The man made his way behind the counter of the front cashier area, shoved the employee aside and grabbed an undisclosed amount of money.

Williams said the suspect did not utter a word during the crime, nor could witnesses detect any heavy breathing coming from behind the mask. There was also no sign of the villain's ubiquitous light saber.

The suspect reportedly fled the theater and escaped into a nearby wooded area. Police have no lead in the case.

The man is approximately six feet tall and 150 pounds. Williams said the suspect also wore a green money belt in addition to his all-black ensemble.

Anyone with information should contact the Springfield Police at (217) 788-8322.

Working out a disagreement like a mature adult was not an option for Donna Maria Thomas.

The 42-year-old North Carolina mother is accused of exposing herself to her daughter's assistant principal.

Authorities in Raleigh, N.C., say Thomas, 42, had a contentious history with officials at her daughter's high school. On May 17, she picketed the school board's headquarters.

"She was protesting the school's disciplinary treatment with regard to her daughter," said Jim Sughrue, a spokesperson for the Raleigh Police Department.

Thomas reportedly saw the high school's assistant principal, Darnell Bethel, arrive for a doctor's appointment across the street and went to confront him. She prevented the man from entering the building and then lifted her dress and exposed her buttocks.

Sughrue said the woman was not wearing any underwear. Bethel reported the incident to authorities and a warrant was issued.

Thomas was arrested on May 19 and charged with simple assault, indecent exposure and communicating threats. A charge of making a harassing phone call was included because of a separate incident involving another school official.

Thomas was released from the Wake County Jail after posting $2000 bail.

Lavern Dunlap's 60-mile outing to visit a family member could have turned deadly for two of her passengers.

When a California Highway Patrol officer pulled the Glendora woman's Toyota Corolla over, the officer found nine people crammed inside the vehicle, including two children in the trunk.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a motorist contacted police after spotting two children, a boy and a girl, in the trunk just as Dunlap, 35, closed it.

A CHP officer in the area stopped Dunlap's car and discovered seven occupants packed into the main body of the car and two in the trunk. The trunk's occupants, a 15-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl, were sweating profusely, the report said.

Dunlap told authorities that she was going to visit a sister in Palmdale, 60 miles away, and that she often traveled with one or two children in the trunk and would make frequent stops to check on their condition.

Officers booked Dunlap on suspicion of cruelty to a child likely to cause great bodily injury or death. She is scheduled to appear in court in June.

Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors, a weekly feature of Courttv.com, is reported by Tinuola Awopetu.

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