I almost went to prison because of an extremely incompetent robber who I had the bad luck of knowing. I was driving through a neighboring small town when I saw him standing at the edge of the road outside the town bar/convenience store. Only because he knew my car, saw me, and had a reputation for being unpredictable, I pulled over to give him a ride.

It turns out that he decided, quite on the spur of the moment while drinking there, to rob the old-timer who was working by himself. He then proceeded to step outside to the street where he began hitchhiking for a ride. Yep, that was his getaway master plan.

I pulled up at that exact moment in plain view of the bar owner who was watching from the front window of his bar while calling the police. He wasn't so old that he couldn't see my license and give a full description of the "getaway car".

The town was so small that the cop was practically right behind us as I entered the highway a half-mile outside the city limit. He left no doubt that he was pumped by the break in his boredom we provided and I was actually relieved to see the Sheriff pull up as backup.

Only the fact that I could provide solid local witnesses to my activities just prior to the robbery and that my decision to leave was entirely unplanned and just moments before the robbery saved me from being charged as an accessory.

Even that involved availing myself of the county's room and board for a few days and taking a polygraph. In that time, the local and state law enforcement also got to know my "friend" a bit better, which made my story more believable.