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CNN Saturday Morning News

Elvis Impersonator Helps Capture Thief

Aired June 16, 2001 - 08:28   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: OK, here's the story of the morning, maybe. Elvis Saves the Day, that could be the headline of this next story.

Reporter Jack Shea with CNN Ohio affiliate WJW has the details about a die hard fan who's become something of a hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACK SHEA, WJW REPORTER (voice-over): Forty-two-year-old Marc Nicholson of Palmer (ph) grew up admiring the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley. His fascination with everything Elvis has led to a long time career as an Elvis imposter and has taken him all over the country.

MARK NICHOLSON, ELVIS IMPERSONATOR, WITNESS: A hunk of burning love. I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love.

SHEA: While back home in Cleveland on June 5, Mark saw something suspicious when he went to pick up a prescription at the Medic drug store in Middleburg Heights (ph). The would be "E" had just walked into the middle of the latest in a series of robberies committed by a Brunswick man addicted to the painkiller OxyContin. Mark Nicholson says he thought about unleashing one of Elvis' patented moves on the Oxy fiend, but then thought better of it, left the building and started to follow the robber's getaway car.

NICHOLSON: The way I could do it was to chase him down by the road, thinking that yes, you should try to call 911 and Middleburg is going to be coming up on the police department so I'm going to run into them.

I'm caught in a trap, woah...

Three more squads came up. That's when I turned into their lane. I'm hanging out the window, stop the red Ranger pickup. Just robbed Medic. So the cops turned around, went after him and I followed the cops and they arrested him down over the tracks over there by the Holly Hotel (ph).

With everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock.

SHEA (on camera): Middleburg Heights police say Elvis, Mark Nicholson, was instrumental in stopping the OxyContin robberies and there's now talk around town that the king will be nominated for a citizens award for heroism.

(voice-over): Just like his idol, Nicholson is modest about his accomplishments, but he now realizes that his life was in danger.

NICHOLSON: And it started dawning on me, you know, yeah, they said he had a gun and I'm thinking what am I doing chasing somebody with a gun? So my hands are shaking like this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NELSON: Thank you, thank you very much to Jack Shea. We appreciate it.

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