Virginia woman helps nab a suspected CIA panty raider

A midlevel CIA employee has allegedly robbed more than a dozen homes of cash, antiques -- and women's underwear.

Published February 8, 2006 1:05PM (EST)

Maybe you're worried that the government is listening in on your phone calls -- but what if someone's also peeking in your underwear drawer?

According to a report in today's Washington Post, George C. Dalmas III, 44, a midlevel CIA employee, has been charged with 17 burglaries in and around McLean, Va. And Dalmas seems to have had very specific tastes: The police, while searching Dalmas' home, "found a stunning trove of cash, jewelry, antiques, license plates" -- and more than 1,000 pairs of women's undergarments.

After months of other alleged burglaries, Dalmas was discovered when Lori Meyer, a lawyer who was home caring for her young son, encountered Dalmas in her house attempting to rob her. The Post reports that "when she arrived at home about 6:15 p.m. Jan. 24, with [her son] in tow, the house was dark and the man inside was not invited. He also was not masked ... He sprinted away from her, while she ran screaming out of the house."

Meyer caught the attention of a woman passing by in a minivan and persuaded the woman to take her on a chase of the fleeing suspect. Though police insist they don't encourage civilians to engage in car pursuits, after following Dalmas, Meyer was able to positively identify him, his license plate and his car. He was arrested on Jan. 31 and has been suspended indefinitely without pay.


By Sarah Karnasiewicz

Sarah Karnasiewicz is a freelance writer and photographer based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Until recently, she was senior editor at Saveur magazine; prior to that she was deputy Life editor at Salon. She has contributed to the New York Times, the New York Observer and Rolling Stone, among other publications. For more of her work, visit thefastertimes.com/streetfood and Signs and Wonders.

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