"Moss Man" Attempts Rock Museum Break-In

FILE - In this Feb. 25, 2010, file photo, President Barack Obama, not pictured, acknowledges actress Sarah Jessica Parker, as first lady Michelle Obama smiles in the East Room of the White House in Washington, before he presented the 2009 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal. It will be Parker's house, but Obama's show. You could call it "Checks and the City." Needing to boost his donor base and campaign cash, Obama is banking on elite entertainers for help so often they have essentially become a cast of characters in his campaign. He is using his Hollywood access and raffling it off as a prize to others, tapping into a nation that revels in celebrity even in hard economic times. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File) / Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Deputies investigating a possible break-in at an Oregon rock museum were surprised when they stumbled upon a man concealed on the ground by a moss-like camouflage outfit.

The hidden suspect cried out when a search dog bit him before daylight hours Thursday in a wooded area outside the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, said Sgt. David Thompson, spokesman for the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Police identified the man, dubbed "Moss Man" on the Internet, as 36-year-old Gregory Liascos of Portland, and arrested him on burglary and criminal mischief charges.

Sheriff's officials say nothing was stolen from the museum, a popular tourist attraction just west of Portland that is home to gemstones, minerals, fossils and meteorites. But they allege Liascos had secretly cut a hole in one of the building's walls days earlier and was trying to get in.

A caretaker noticed the large hole in a bathroom wall earlier in the week. Detectives were notified and installed security devices at the museum, which went off early Thursday.

Deputies who responded searched the grounds, finding a bike and a backpack.

"The K9 tracked to a wooded area and was very interested in a particular piece of ground about a half a mile away from the building," Thompson said in a release. "The dog then bit the ground that in turn cried out in pain."

The officer then realized there was a man hiding at his feet, dressed in a "ghillie" suit, Thompson said. A ghillie suit is a head-to-toe camouflage outfit used by military snipers to blend in with vegetation.

Liascos was arrested and held at the county jail, Thompson said. Sheriff's officials didn't know if he had an attorney.

[cosmicquark]

Unfortunately we in Oregon have a lot of pond scum, some just covered in a little more moss than others.

[HollyW79]

Maybe this guy had reasons for his actions that might be crazy. According to the Daily Rash, Charlie Sheen is responsible for what the Moss Man did. I don't know if I believe it or not: http://www.thedailyrash.com/?p=4816

[smiling_all_day]

Sadly I know this guy, I was frinds with him for 5 years. He was always talking about doing something like this for the money. He was to damn lazy to get off his ass to get a job. He would rather rob the Rock Museum or grow and sell massive amounts of pot instead of getting a job.

[longtree-2009]

too bad he wasn't shot dead. isn't everyone tired of criminality of all kinds and types?

[slatep]

Buy that dog the biggest steak you can find.!! Just one more example of how much help one dog can be.