One thing that benefits police a great deal is the fact that many criminals are absolute idiots. Most bad guys aren’t exactly real-life versions of Ocean’s Eleven.

But every now and then, one does something so colossally stupid you almost have to applaud.

For example, we’ve got this guy in Waterloo, Iowa as a strong contender for stupid offender of the year.

A Waterloo man who was free while awaiting trial for gun and theft charges is back in jail after he allegedly brought a stolen pistol to an appointment with corrections officials.

According to police, Isaiah Anthony Anderson, 18, set off a metal detector when he showed up for his appointment at the Waterloo Residential Correctional Center on East Sixth Street around 12:25 p.m. on Wednesday.

The gun was a .22 Ruger SR, so something an 18-year-old didn’t lawfully buy.

Since the gun was stolen, though, it looks like Anderson has yet another charge to deal with. He was, obviously, arrested and eventually released on a $100,000 bond.

At least until the next pre-trail meeting with the Department of Corrections where he’ll probably try to smuggle in a tank.

Probably.

Seriously, if you want to try and establish your innocence, you may not want to try and bring a stolen gun into a correctional center that’s guaranteed to have metal detectors.

Again, this isn’t exactly Thomas Crown, is it?

Don’t get me wrong, stealing is wrong. I’m not going to make any apologies for any thief ever. However, I have a fondness for fictional thieves in caper movies. I’m a sucker for a good caper.

However, Mr. Anderson here is clearly not someone capable of a good caper. Frank Abengale, Jr, he ain’t.

If there’s an upside to this besides my personal amusement, it’s that a stolen gun has been recovered and will hopefully be returned to its lawful owner.

The thing some people need to understand is that Anderson is only ranking so high in stupidity because he tried to take his gun someplace like that, not in the fact that he had a stolen gun in the first place. That’s par for the course for how most criminals get their guns.

If they don’t steal them, they get them from someone who does.

Most are just smart enough to leave them behind when they have a pre-trial meeting at a correctional facility.

And this doesn’t require a rocket science-level intellect, either. Basic common sense should be sufficient to warn someone off from something like this. Yes, I know that many who become criminals aren’t exactly MENSA candidates in the first place and often lack some degree of common sense, but even criminals should understand not to take a gun–a stolen one, mind you–into a secure building.

But, Anderson allegedly did. That means additional charges and likely additional prison time. Maybe while he’s inside, he can study a bit and come out at least a little smarter than he was when he went in.

Then again, I don’t think that’s particularly likely.