Born March 29, 1940, in the backwoods of Alabama to his 15-year old mother

 

Raised by his grandmother who often beat him severely for misbehavior

 

At 13, Dennis broke into a drug store and stole all of the comic books and marbles which landed him in Alabama Boys Industrial School for 4 months

 

Immediately on his release he left for Columbus, GA where he stole his first car

 

At 15 he robbed a bank with a 45 caliber Tommy gun (he would later get his first business loan from this same bank, Bank of America)

 

From that point, Dennis stole nearly 20 cars, robbed parking meters throughout the United States (he was convicted of theft in the amount of $30,000 although Dennis now admits it was at least $100,000), and conned his way through the court system and prisons.

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He spent time in Leavenworth. Terre Haute and other notorious prisons

 

He escaped at least 3 times; declared non cameos mentis five times; endured shock treatments for his Insanity; concocted various ways to receive favorable treatment including ingesting and then vomiting blood and smashing a finger in a compactor