Detroit Radio: WRIF Listeners Help Nab Foot Sniffer

Foot Sniffer Caught

Detroit morning radio duo “Dave & Chuck the Freak” apparently stepped into a police situation this morning when listeners called in to report a man with a fetish for smelling people’s feet,according to lansingstatejournal.com.

“When the same stories kept coming in about the guy — same guy … claiming to be part of the fraternity — that’s when we knew we were on to something,” WRIF101.1 FM producer James Campbell said. “He (claimed to be) pledging for a fraternity. He needed to smell feet and put feet on his face and (take) pictures.”

The situation began just after 7 a.m. On-air personalities Dave Hunter and Chuck (the Freak) Urquhart began discussing “creeps you’ve met but didn’t realize they were creeps until you brought them home,” Campbell said.

A couple of radio listeners called in, both describing a stranger who approached them asking to smell their feet. He asked for a picture of their feet on his face, claiming he needed proof as he pledged a fraternity.

Other listeners then started sending in their own pictures of the man, feet on his face, Campbell said.

“All while this is going on, we had somebody call in toward the end of the segment, and he (had) just encountered the guy minutes ago,” Campbell said. “He volunteered to check it out, so I gave him a number to reach us so I was going to try to talk to him on the air. By the time he reached the guy, police were frisking and searching him.”

Campbell said police had stopped the suspect near the Detroit Zoo.

“The officer told (thelistener) to get back in his car and get out of here,” Campbell said. “As he was leaving, (the officer) yelled out, ‘We have the foot sniffer in custody.’”

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