Gumby & Friend Charged with Burglary

Two young men, including one dressed in a Gumby costume, were charged Friday with three misdemeanors for allegedly trying to rob a Rancho Peñasquitos convenience store.

Jacob Kiss and Jason Giramma, both 19, were ordered to appear in court Nov. 8 to answer to burglary charges.

According to the San Diego Police Department, a Gumby impersonator entered a 7-Eleven store in the 9700 block of Carmel Mountain Road shortly after midnight Sept. 5 and announced the robbery.

An employee, thinking it was a joke, said he had cleaning to do and didn't have time. But the man in the costume claimed to have a gun and fumbled with the unwieldy suit as if trying to retrieve a weapon, Detective Gary Hassen said.

Gumby's companion, in street clothes, went into the store with him but then walked out, Hassen said. He later honked the horn of a minivan to get the costumed person to leave, he said.

Hassen said Kiss later surrendered to police and gave a statement. Investigators confiscated the Gumby suit.

Widely broadcast surveillance video soon made the crime a national "weird news'' punch line, featured on CNN, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and other network and cable TV shows.

-City News Service