Ack!

When Craigslist attacks!

Various lawmakers say the free online advertising site is the root of all evil

'Cops finally busted the culprits behind yet another Craigslist-instigated ransacking of a Pacific Northwest domicile. And in some kind of completely unpredictable “Law & Order” plot twist, neither allegedly-guilty party turned out to be Craigslist itself. Who saw that coming?

Various and sundry lawmakers would have us believe that the free online advertising site is the root of all humanity’s ills. From pimping prostitutes to failing to police poor grammar, it seems there is no evil of which Craigslist isn’t capable … or at least won’t get blamed for.

And yet, as with this most recent offense, Craigslist totally didn’t do it! The perps are, in fact, Brandon and Amber Herbert, married masterminds who attempted to masquerade their recent home burglary by posting a bogus “come get all my crap — FREE!” invitation on the oft-demonized online community.

According to news reports, here’s how it went down: Last Saturday, while independent contractor Robert Salisbury was out of town on a job, he received a call from a woman about the “abandoned” horse mentioned in his Craigslist ad. The ad, featuring Salisbury’s address, stated that the homeowner had to leave his Jacksonville, Ore., home in a hurry and invited all comers to alleviate him of his worldly possessions, filly and all.

The equine-loving Samaritan deduced from the mare's good health that neither the horse, nor anything else on the property, were really up for grabs, and wanted to give Salisbury the heads up.

Salisbury, who didn’t place the ad, arrived home to find a horde of what one can only assume were willfully ignorant jackasses totally taking his stuff. He even stopped a truck filled to the brim with his work ladders, lawn equipment and whatnot. Citing the Craigslist ad, the truck-driving jerks refused to relinquish their plunder.

Same went for the 30-odd losers looting Salisbury’s home and garage. The trespassers, armed with printouts of the ad, tried to brush him off. "They honestly thought that because it appeared on the Internet it was true," Salisbury told The Associated Press. (Remember kids, nobody ever lies on the Internet!)

If this story sounds eerily familiar, it’s not because you saw something similar unfold on any “CSI” or “Law & Order” iteration — at least not yet. A little more than a year earlier and one state away, Laurie Raye found her Tacoma, Wash., home raided via Craigslist invite. Furniture, appliances, everything that wasn’t trashed was taken — even the kitchen sink.'