Gumby Burglary Suspects Plead Guilty

A young man who tried to rob a Rancho Peñasquitos convenience store while dressed in a Gumby costume pleaded guilty on Wednesday to misdemeanor burglary.

Jacob Kiss, 19, will be allowed to withdraw his plea and the charge will be dismissed in six months if he is successful on probation and can show proof that he is either enrolled in school or has a job, said Deputy District Attorney Ramin Tohidi. Kiss was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,030.

Co-defendant Jason Giramma, 20, also pleaded guilty to burglary and received the same sentence.

The Gumby impersonator entered a 7-Eleven store in the 9700 block of Carmel Mountain Road shortly after midnight Sept. 5 and announced the robbery, police said.

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