Wayback Wednesday: Criminal Attempts to Buy Harley Mid-getaway

Escaped jailbird who tried to score a Harley faced a maximum of 40 years in prison following a string of bank robberies he committed in October 2019.

Cravings are hard to shake off. They jump up out of nowhere like a starving tiger eyeing a wild boar buffet. And once you get them, you just can’t shake them. No matter how hard you try. It’ll still be there. Unsatiated. It waits until the moment you finally succumb and give in to that inmost desire. At which point, you are finally released.

Cravings also come in many forms. Sometimes it’s a tasty burger and a tasty beverage to wash it down with. Other times it’s that film you last saw when you were thirteen, and you remember every scene, but can’t quite remember the name. Others still, it’s that classic hot rod you’ve been scanning the Facebook Marketplace for for over a month now. But most of us won’t ever crave anything badly enough to commit a felony for. Not like Oregon native William Etheridge, who Channel 3 Las Vegas reported wayback in October 2019 tried to buy a Harley with stolen bank funds.

Etheridge, a 56-year-old male, recently pleaded guilty to eleven counts of bank robbery, carjacking, and escape, per the Department of Justice. Etheridge began his odd escapade when he escaped a correctional facility in Oregon where he was then serving a sentence for… you guessed it: bank robbery.

Apparently, Etheridge was ready to free himself from the steel cage (pun intended) and feel the wind in his face once more. So he sprung himself loose and robbed nine more banks over the next several weeks in order to line his depleted pockets.

After making his way to Sin City, Etheridge decided he needed one more hit to pick up enough money to purchase what we assume to be the getaway vehicle of his dreams. Etheridge stole over $18,000 from a WestStar Credit Union near Harmon Avenue.

Shortly thereafter Etheridge forcibly enlisted an innocent bystander into his service as he would most definitely be needing a chauffeur. His grand prize was now on the horizon. Etheridge asked immediately to be taken to the nearest slice of heaven. The local Harley dealership.

Etheridge finally had his money. And what better to ride off into the sunset than on a Harley freaking Davidson. All of communist Russia could not have sopped William Etheridge from mounting his steel freedom horse this day.

So with cash in hand and heart full of dumb hope, William Etheridge bought a Harley. 

Just kidding. Etheridge was promptly seized upon by local law enforcement and taken into custody. Clearly, he’s never bought a vehicle before, because there was no way that was getting done in a timely manner. 

But hey, he tried. Yearning for a Harley will drive a man to do crazy things I suppose.

Photos: Channel 3 Las Vegas, Harley Davidson