The State : Caveman Held in Robberies

A man who lives in a cave and carries a toy gun faces charges in Oakland stemming from at least 16 robberies, police said. Joseph E. Steffani, 24, was lured from his cave by undercover officers who promised him cigarettes and a hot meal. A second suspect, Kenneth Hawtin, 37, of El Cerrito, who Steffani claims took him to the robberies, also was arrested. Sgt. Robert Chenault said Steffani “looked like Grizzly Adams without the long beard. He wore an old ragged jacket, dirty pants and sneakers and he smelled pretty bad.” Chenault said Hawtin drove Steffani to “convenience stores, florist shops, ice cream parlors and liquor stores, easy places to hit. Steffani would walk in, throw a bag on the counter, say ‘This is a stickup,’ show the (toy) gun in his belt and tell them to fill the bag.” No one was hurt in any of the holdups, which netted about $1,500 police said.