Prodigal Pants

Many young thieves and hooligans are having a hard time running from their crimes these days, and as a result they’re literally getting caught with their pants down.

Heard over a police radio not long ago in Lynnwood, Washington: “White male, running, no pants, in handcuffs.”

Kinda makes you want to know the story behind that call, doesn’t it?

The suspect, a youth named Jason, had been arrested after allegedly trying to access a bank account that wasn’t his. He had been handcuffed and was being escorted by a police officer to a patrol car when he twisted free and made a break for it.

Unfortunately for Jason, he favored the low-slung baggy britches that have been an interesting fashion statement among certain teen and young adult groups for a few years now, and those pants led to more problems for him.

You’ve seen kids — boys and girls — at the mall and in other public places dressed in such trousers. They’re usually regular pants, though often they seem cut for someone of larger girth than the wearer.

But instead of pulling them all the way up, the youths wear them some four to six inches below their...