The Scarlet Pampernel

Lissa Harris has a serious point to make in this post about stupid cliche-brained reporters doing vapid faux sociology pieces on stuff like why women rob banks. But she makes the mistake of recounting an incident at the Lower Mills CVS last year in which she watched as some guy successfully stole a package of Pampers:

... Shoplifting an item the size of an ottoman is no mean feat, especially after you're caught doing it, but fat man was undeterred. Finding himself cornered, he began uttering vague threats and clawing suggestively at the waistband of his sweatpants. A gun, however imaginary, was clearly out of CVS guy's pay grade. He backed off, and the Scarlet Pampernel escaped into the night with his absorbent booty. ...

Why is that a mistake? Because now I can't get the phrase "Scarlet Pampernel" out of my brain.