Police list man in 'Wanted Wednesday' post -- and the most ridiculous exchange follows

Spoiler alert: Anthony Akers is now behind bars

Anthony Akers (photo from Richland Police Department's Facebook page)

In case you need a little Monday pick-me-up, we have just the ticket. An "in case you missed it"-type story, because well, this didn't happen in our local area and it slid under our radar, too.

Meet Anthony Akers, who was wanted in late November by the Richland Police Department, in Washington state. We learned about Akers in a Nov. 28 Facebook post from the department, which listed his name and photo on "Wanted Wednesday." See below.

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Richland Police Department/Facebook

 

And then, guess who commented on the post -- Akers himself. He wrote, "Calm down, im going to turn myself in." (We'll leave his original spelling and grammar as is). Akers' comment, at last check, had more than 8,000 "likes."

But then, you'll never believe what comes next. Akers didn't turn himself in as promised, so police reached out through the same Facebook post, writing, "Hey Anthony! We haven't seen you yet. Our business hours are 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. Of course if you need a ride, you can call non-emergency (509-628-0333) and we will pick you up."

This thread got more than 1,000 comments as other people started chiming in, with at least one follower even posting a "Free Anthony" meme.

Next, Akers left yet another comment, this time responding to the last message from police. He posted, "thank you, tying up a couple loose ends since i will probably be in there for a month. Should be in there in the next 48 hours."

(!!!!)

And well, did he show? See below.

Wanted Wednesday! Anthony Akers (38) is wanted by the Department of Corrections for Failure to Comply. If you have any information please call 509-628-0333.

Posted by Richland WA Police Department on Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Oh my gosh.

Akers, by the way, had a warrant out for his arrest for an alleged probation violation.

So, back to the story, at this point, it's the following Monday (meaning last Monday) and Akers still hasn't reported. What's a police department to do?

Morose Monday. Dear Anthony, is it us? Last Wednesday we reached out to you as “wanted”. You replied and even said you...

Posted by Richland WA Police Department on Monday, December 3, 2018

And ... wait for it ... it must have worked. Finally.

Morose Monday. Dear Anthony, is it us? Last Wednesday we reached out to you as “wanted”. You replied and even said you...

Posted by Richland WA Police Department on Monday, December 3, 2018

He did it!

To be fair, it seems unlikely that police would have been so nonchalant about the situation if Akers were, say, sought on a murder charge. But the good news is, according to published reports, Akers is indeed behind bars, right where he belongs. A Richland police sergeant told Buzzfeed News, "It is good to get engaged with the community, even those who are wanted."

And there you have it.