Rap Sheet

With a record of more than 1,500 arrests, Henry Earl literally has a rap sheet as long as his arm. In this sense, he has not been blessed. The ancient lyricist suggests that the truly blessed are those who walk according to God’s law. 

When you think of famous criminals throughout history, some notorious names no doubt leap to mind:

Al Capone, John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde of an era gone by; and Whitey Bulger, Peter Gotti, “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and Dennis Rader more recently. History reveals a rogue’s gallery of people known for their audacious, heinous, headline-grabbing crimes against humanity.

But what if you measured a criminal history not so much by the nature of the crimes as by the volume of crimes committed? If that’s the measure, then perhaps the most famous criminal in U.S. history you’ve never heard of is a Lexington, Kentucky, resident named Henry Earl.

Earl’s “rap sheet” is not only longer than his arm, as the old cliché goes, but is long enough to wrap around the block several times. To wit, as of 2013, Earl had been arrested more than 1,500 times and spent more than 5,000 days...