Would-be thief a little "drained" after failed big-screen TV heist on Cape Cod

(CBS) BARNSTABLE, Mass. - A man who tried to steal a big-screen tv didn't get a very good reception...from the police, who say they caught him after he exited a storm drain where he crawled around for about four hours.

The alleged would-be thief, 20-year-old Justin Peckham, is also accused of leaving his 2-year-old son behind at the Sears at the Cape Cod Mall CBS reported.

Peckham was originally taken into custody by loss prevention officers at the store in Barnstable, Mass. just before 6 p.m. Saturday, after allegedly trying to load a 55-inch television into a vehicle just outside.

When Peckham learned local police were responding, he fled and jumped into another vehicle, and asked the driver to speed away. But the driver refused, so Peckham took off on foot, leaving his 2-year-old in the vehicle, according to CBS Boston.

Officers chased after Peckham, who jumped over a fence and was heard splashing into water. Their initial search for him failed.

Around 9:30 p.m., Peckham was seen exiting a storm drain near the Macy's at the same shopping center. He was arrested soon after.

He'd crawled more than a couple hundred yards over nearly four hours in the storm drain, and told police he slithered his way past about six dead rodents.

Police likened the attempted escape to movie characters such as John Rambo from "First Blood" and Andy Dufresne from "Shawshank Redemption."

For Peckham there ultimately was no escape, and officers also filed a report with the Department of Children and Family because he left his 2-year-old son back at the mall.