Irishman Busted in Lighter Heists

(La Paloma, Uruguay  February 23, 2016)

Tommy Thompson didn’t need the lighters. He has ample funds to buy as many of the smoking accessories as he might ever need. It was just a game, one that went terribly wrong.

Now, under house arrest at 22 Patricia Way, in this seaside fishing village he remains unrepentant despite a threatened incarceration.

Here’s what happened: Thompson, from Ballyferriter (Baile an Fheirtearaigh) on the Dingle Peninsula, kept a drawer full of dysfunctional cigarette lighters in his kitchen/bar. He had red ones and blue ones, white ones and purple ones. When unsuspecting guests arrived to drink beer he watched them closely. More often than not they would place their lighters on the table in front of them. Then without warning, when they weren’t looking he’d switch their good lighters with one of the used up lighters from his evil drawer. Despicable!

Finally, as with all lives of crime, he got caught. Although details are sketchy it appears that the local police had wind of his plotting and sent an undercover agent with a case of beer. Thompson could not resist the gift and invited the agent in. That was when the trap was set and the cat got the mouse.

Thompson who is appealing the decision on the grounds that he is colorblind stands little chance of shedding the accusations. If convicted he will spend a weekend in jail in Chui, his favorite town.

– Senor. Panuelo