“A One-Man, Crime Wave on Canal Street Named ‘Rumpelstiltskin’”

He dresses bizarrely and uses the nickname “Rumpelstiltskin,” a shrewd imp in a classic children’s fairy tale that agreed to spin straw into gold only if he could have a young woman’s first born child.

He wears dozens of Mardi Gras beads around his neck and a distinctive red head wrap with “The Flash” logo on it. He lives by stealing from businesses along Canal Street in the CBD and sleeps in the bushes next to the streetcar tracks. He has been arrested numerous times in New Orleans for petty crimes but rumors abound that he has committed much more violent offenses amongst the homeless population downtown that went unreported.

One homeless woman in a wheelchair claims that he randomly choked her to the point of nearly blacking out. Sources in private security say that he has served time in a New Jersey state prison and has outstanding warrants in Colorado. So, who is this one-man, crime wave wreaking havoc on Canal Street?

His name is Larry Gardner, 36-years-old, and is certainly a complex character that is infamous for his street antics. Perhaps, Gardner is best known for getting down on the ground on all fours and crawling around or doing tumblesets in front of tourists passing by. Gardner also likes to give out hugs to unsuspecting men and women along Canal and Royal streets.

Some say that his clownish appearance and practical jokes match his childlike personality that is playful and free spirited. Others say that Gardner is a hardened criminal and uses this humorous façade to lure in victims.

On January 4th 2019, Gardner was arrested and charged with defacing a historic building, a felony, for allegedly writing graffiti with a marker on a wall in the French Quarter. After the court released Gardner to the Odyssey House for treatment, he was rearrested on January 26th 2019, for allegedly assaulting a RTA worker on Royal Street by giving him an unwanted hug.

Since his latest arrest, Gardner is back out and crawling along the sidewalks of Canal Street. He is due back in Magistrate Court on Thursday, January 31st 2019, for a status hearing.

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