Tragedy of ’world’s most arrested man’ nicked 1,300 times as mugshots chart his downfall
Henry Earl, who died aged 74, gained internet fame for his frequent brushes with the law as he racked up 1,300 arrests and spent 6,000 days behind bars
A bloke who was said to have been arrested a ’world record 1,300 times’ has died at the age of 74, with his dozens of mugshots charting a life of tragedy.
Henry Earl, from Lexington, Kentucky, gained internet fame for his frequent brushes with the law. The one-man crimewave committed the majority of his offences while under the influence of alcohol.
However, records on the repeat offender only date back to 1992 when the Division of Community Corrections of Lexington Fayette Urban County Government began booking digitally. It was therefore speculated that his prolific criminal history dates back to the 70s, bringing his arrest tally up to 1,500.
It is also believed he spent a total of 6,000 hours behind bars, which makes the amount of offences he managed to cram in outside of prison all the more staggering.
Earl claimed he began drinking at 18 years old when his adoptive mother died. He told the Herald-Leader his last job was at the Smith Motel as a busboy and dishwasher in 1969.
Earl lost that job after showing up to work drunk and was homeless not long after.
He was first busted in July 1970 when he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon at 20 years old.
Despite his long criminal history, he didn’t start gaining fame until humour website Fark.com began posting his mug shots and tracking his arrests.
According to jail records, the 5ft 4in Earl would usually spend several days behind bars before being released back to the streets.
The attention Earl garnered online even earned him an invite to Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2004, although he was not able to attend in person as he was in prison.
Earl was a familiar face in Lexington as he frequented the college bars at the University of Kentucky to enjoy drinks with students. He often introduced himself as "James Brown."
Earl spent his last years at Owenton Healthcare and Rehabilitation Facility (Image: LEX18)
“He was a character, he had a wonderful sense of humour,” said Ginny Ramsey, founder of Lexington’s Catholic Action Center, who knew Henry Earl for decades, and confirmed his death.
His most recent arrest was for public intoxication in April of 2017. However, in that same year, an illness saw him admitted to Owenton Healthcare and Rehabilitation Facility.
He spent the last seven years of his life in the facility. Ramsey continued to visit him.
Earl was described as a character who just wanted to make people laugh (Image: LEX18)
"He was a joy to them too," she said. "He would come down and try to dance for them, told them all he was James Brown. He was just a character."
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