Objectively, the sketch is bad.
The thick lines look like an inverted triangle with hair, or a strawberry wearing a tiny cap. The two dot eyes are inexplicably paired with horizontal lines and no eyebrows. There is only one ear.
And yet, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, police say they have identified a suspect who they say pretended to be a farmers market worker before fleeing with cash Jan. 30, thanks to a witness who drew a picture from memory.
The sketch was "amateurish and cartoonish," local police said Wednesday in a Facebook post. But the sketch, along with a physical description of the thief, reminded at least one officer of an encounter with Hung Phuoc Nguyen, 44. Police then showed the witness photos of possible suspects, including Nguyen.
The witness identified Nguyen, and police issued a warrant for two counts of theft. Officer William Hickey of the Lancaster police told The Washington Post on Thursday that he did not know whether Nguyen was apprehended.