ROME (Reuters) - An Italian couple who were caught having sex in a church confessional box while morning Mass was being said have repented and made peace with the local bishop… more NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Frank Keys Jr. faces up to 40 years in prison after he was found cruising down the highway with more than 200 grams of heroin in the diaper he was wearing, federal officials said… more MICHIGAN CITY - Boaters along Trail Creek got a surprise Wednesday when a spider monkey made a break from Washington Park Zoo and ended up on a speedboat at neighboring B&E Marine… more PLAINVILLE, Conn. - They don’t climb tall buildings in a single bound, but the mysterious “Gas Men” are super heroes to some fed-up motorists. The unknown duo were dressed in sunglasses, baseball caps, khakis and matching green golf shirts when they gave Gayle Kilburn a $100 bill on Thursday as she filled up her car at a Citgo in Plainville… more
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – A New Zealand man has been fined $545 by the court for assault with a hedgehog, according to the Associated Press.
For unknown reasons, William Singalargh picked up a hedgehog and threw it at a 15-year-old boy in the town of Whakatane on February 9. The assault resulted in a red welt and several puncture marks on the teen’s leg but did not cause any injury requiring medical treatment. Singalargh did not provide any clear explanation of his motives for his hedgehog-hurling actions.
Singalargh, who pleaded innocent to the charges of common assault and offensive behavior, was found guilty and ordered to give $389 of his fine to the teen. The charge of assault with a weapon – the hedgehog – was dropped.
It remained undetermined whether or not the hedgehog was alive at the time of the incident, but it was deceased at the time it was collected for evidence. Police said that it was uncommon for a hedgehog to be used as a weapon. more
DURANGO, Colorado (AP) – Liquor store owner Gabe Fidanque fought back against shoplifters through unconventional means by giving potential thieves a choice – they could give him one of their shoes or face the police. Fidanque claims he faced potential losses of about $1000 a month from shoplifters and decided to retaliate. The store owner claimed that people he turned in to police would return hours after being arrested, so he found this strategy to work better.
“That’s the whole point of it. They’re too humiliated to come back and ask for their shoe, and that also means they won’t steal again,” Fidanque said.
However, Durango police warned Fidanque to stop taking shoes or he could face felony robbery charges. They also ordered the man to make an effort to return the shoes to their owners.
“I would suggest that he find a different option that doesn’t involve giving up property,” said police Capt. Micki Browning. “What’s the difference between him saying, ‘Give me $20 and I won’t call the police’ or ‘Give me your shoe?”‘
Fidanque has agreed to cease his shoe-taking strategy and try to return the shoes in his possession. more
TOKYO – According to the Associated Press, a 58-year-old homeless woman resided in a man’s closet for over a year before she was discovered by the resident. Noting that the owner had left his home unlocked, the woman snuck inside and hid in the closet. During the past year, the woman moved a mattress into the closet and would use the man’s home for showering and scavenging food while the owner was away.
The man noticed food disappearances over the past several months and decided to install security cameras to monitor his residence. The camera transmitted surveillance images to his mobile phone. On May 29, the man called police after viewing images of someone moving inside his home.
When the police arrived, no apparent evidence of a forced entry existed. The doors were locked and all windows were closed and intact. After an extensive search, police found the woman hidden in a top compartment of the closet.
The woman was removed from the residence and charged with trespassing. more
LONDON – According to ABC News, a British scrap metal dealer discovered a treasure amidst his childhood toys, a Persian mug expected to auction for nearly $1 million in auction.
John Webber’s grandfather gave him a metal cup to use as a toy sometime around 1945. The golden cup, decorated with the heads of two women and knotted snakes, was believed to be a decorative brass cup at the time. Webber used the cup for target practice with his air gun as a child.
Finding the cup in a shoebox under his bed when preparing to move, Webber decided to have its value appraised. To his surprise, Webber found out that the cup was actually a piece of ancient Persian treasure. The cup was fashioned out of a single sheet of gold, likely fashioned in the time of the Achaemenid empire, dating back to the third or fourth century B.C.
Webber noted that his grandfather had a good eye for antiques, but has no idea where he might have found the Persian artifact. The cup will be auctioned at Duke’s, in Dorchester, south-west England, on June 5 and is expected to sell for approximately $988,000. more
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A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a black garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of Britain’s first Jedi church has been given a suspended sentence…more
TUXTLA GUTIERREZ, Mexico – According to USA Today, Chiapas police jailed “Blackey” the donkey for biting and kicking two men at a local ranch. The victims claimed that Blackey had bit one man in the chest and then kicked the other in the ankle, resulting in a fracture. Victim Andres Hernandez commented, “All of a sudden, the animal was on top of us like it was rabid.”
Six officers subdued the enraged animal and confined Blackey to a jail cell normally used for holding people charged with public drunkenness and other disturbances.
Chiapas Officer Sinar Gomez explained, “Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed, no matter who they are.” Gomez continued to explain that Blackey would be retained until the owner agreed to compensate the victims for their related medical expenses.
Blackey was released three days after its “arrest” when the owner paid a fine of $36 and the $115 in medical expenses. The owner will also be required to compensate the victims for $480 each in lost wages for their missed work days.
USA Toda noted that Chiapas police are known to imprison animals that cause injury or destruction. Such incidents included a bull that ate corn crops and a dog that bit a passerby. more
BOULDER, Colo. – A security company supervisor and restaurateur shot each other with Tasers during a confrontation over the parking of a van, according to the Associated Press. Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, and Casey Dane, a supervisor for Colorado Security Services Inc., entered into a heated argument about a metal boot that one of the security personnel had secured to the wheel of a van parked behind Mamacitas. Dane claimed the van was parked on property his employer was hired to patrol.
Epstein confronted Dane while holding a pair of bolt cutters he claimed he intended to use to cut off the boot. Fearing that Epstein intended to hit him, Dane put his hand on his holstered pistol, Shortly after, both men shot each other with the Tasers. Police Sgt. Pat Wyton commented, “It was just kind of a bonehead deal.”
Epstein alleged that Dane threatened to shoot him and his mother and did not shoot at Dane until the man pointed the Taser at them. Dane stated that Epstein had threatened him with the bolt cutters. Both men deny the allegations made against them.
Neither men suffered any injuries requiring medical attention. Epstein was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun. more
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Austin, TX – According to the Associated Press, a volunteer DJ set fire to community radio station 91.7 FM KOOP over a playlist dispute. Volunteer Paul Webster Feinstein was upset that the station altered his playlist selections for an overnight Internet broadcast. Feinstein was a known jazz fan and had been arguing with another volunteer about what music should be included in the station’s digital library for Internet programs. He quit a week before the fire, telling station personnel that he was moving on to do other things.
Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Greg Nye commented that Feinstein was very unhappy about the changes. According to Nye, the man admitted making a copy of the station key and waited for station personnel to leave before committing the crime. Nye explained that Feinstein poured gasoline on control panels in two studios to start the fire. Investigators knew it was an act of arson when the fire department’s dog detected the scent of gasoline on the scene of the crime.
Feinstein faces charges of second-degree felony arson charges, with a possible penalty of two to 20 years in jail and a $10,000 fine. The radio station suffered $300,000 in damages and was off the air for 19 days. more
Sydney, Australia – MSNBC.com explained that retiree Werner Reinhold won the lottery, lost the prize, and then reclaimed it in the courts. Reinhold purchased his lottery ticket from a Sydney newsstand in 1995. Since the original ticket did not print properly, Reinhold asked for a replacement to be printed. The reprint turned out to be the winning ticket for a sum of $1.8 million.
When the man tried to claim his winnings, he found that the replacement ticket was canceled rather than the original ticket. As a result, Reinhold could not claim the prize money.
Reinhold sued NSW Lotteries, the entity responsible for both the lottery management and the operations of the newsstand. Supreme Court Judge Reginald Barrett found in favor of Reinhold, stating that NSW and the newsstand were both negligent and in breach of contract. Reinhold was awarded the full sum of $1.8 million in return. more
Alice, TX – Grace Saenz-Lopez, mayor of the small town of Alice, Texas, apologized to residents on Friday for her theft of a neighbor’s dog. Several months before, neighbors asked Saenz-Lopez to care for their dog Puddles while they were away on vacation. One day after they departed for their vacation, Saenz-Lopez contacted the neighbors and claimed that the dog had died.
Three months later, a relative of the owners saw Puddles at a pet groomer. When the neighbors requested that Saenz-Lopez return the dog to them, the mayor refused. According to the woman’s attorney, Saenz-Lopez believed that the dog would die if returned to its owners. Shortly afterward, Saenz-Lopez then filed a police report that Puddles was missing. The dog was later seen at the home of the mayor’s twin sister, approximately 10 miles away from the town of Alice.
Saenz-Lopez was indicted for two felony counts of tampering with evidence and concealing evidence as a result of her actions. City commissioners unanimously decided to ask for Saenz-Lopez’s resignation as mayor. The dog’s former owners have filed a criminal complaint and civil lawsuit against Saenz-Lopez, and will be engaged in a later custody hearing to determine if Puddles will be returned to them. more
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US military officials are now saying that they did have fighter jets on a routine training mission in the area of Stephenville, Texas on January 8th, the night dozens of residents report seeing weird lights in the sky that they thought was a UFO. The military had originally said that they did not have any jets in that area, that night, but are now changing their story…more
The way Leo Hill figures it, every roll of toilet paper he’s used since mid-2006 has shorted him at least one sitting…more
Elyria firefighters rolled into a Target store Friday afternoon and found a rack of blazing, hot lingerie.
The sleepwear wasn’t for sale, but literally on fire, police said…more
A Man was found staggering down a Swansea pavement late at night covered from head to toe in flour and tomato ketchup…more
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Melbourne, Australia Two Australian robbers were sentenced Tuesday for a crime so severely botched one would think it was a practical joke. According to The Associated Press, Australians Benjamin Jorgensen and Donna Hayes robbed the Cuckoo restaurant in Melbourne on April Fools Day of last year. The armed accomplices believed they were making off with a sack of cash when in fact the bag contained bread rolls. The robbers believed the bag contained the restaurants daily cash intake, approximately $27,000. To make matters worse, Jorgensen accidentally shot Hayes in the buttocks during the robbery.
Judge Roland Williams of the Victorian County Court proclaimed the defendants a pair of fools. He sentenced Jorgensen to a seven year term and Hayes to an eight year term in prison. According to Jorgensens defense lawyer, Jorgensen had been under the influence of drugs when committing the crime…more
Moscow, Russia A Russian military official explained to Reuters that two small rockets dispatched in a military exercise strayed off course last Wednesday. One of the rockets hit an unoccupied house in the Moscow area, causing 60,000 rubles ($2,466) in damage. Fortunately for the owner of the home and nearby residences, the rocket had already disconnected from its normal load of explosives. Which are normally used to clear minefields. No one was injured from the rockets impact.
Yevgeny Konashenkov, spokesman for Russian land troops, commented that the home owner would be compensated in two days for the damages. He commented, The owner of the house treats the incident with understanding. He has no legal claims.” more
China According to Reuters, more than 100 police couples married in China in a recent mass wedding. Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu shared his well wishes for the participants in the ceremony, a group comprised of police couples who met in the line of duty. China’s state news agency publicized the event, noting that the event was held to boost morale in the year of the Beijing Olympics.
Mr. Meng commented on the difficult responsibilities of Chinas police force. “In order to guarantee the peace and stability of our nation, we have to often work overtime, suffer injuries and even sacrifice our lives,” he stated.
More than 2,700 police were killed in the line of duty and approximately 29,000 suffered injuries in the past six years. China hopes the ceremony will create a positive message for its police force.more
Portage, WI The Associate Press noted that Mathew Kowald of Pardeeville, WI was cited for disorderly conduct for forcing his son to wear a Green Bay Packers jersey. When the seven-year-old boy refused to wear the jersey during the playoff game between the Green Bay Packer and the Seattle Seahawks, the father restrained the boy with tape and proceeded to tape the jersey onto the child. The father restrained the boy in this fashion for an hour.
Lt. Wayne Smith of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department said the incident sounded strange when the boys mother called authorities to report her husbands actions. However, the mother showed authorities cell phone pictures of the boy restrained by tape with the jersey taped to him. Police arrested the man and he was later released after paying a fine of $186.
Mathew Kowald told a local paper that the incident was a joke that got out of control. The father and son joked when the boy said he wouldnt root for the Packers, at which point Kowald tied up the boy. The father claims that his son was laughing as his wife took pictures of their antics.
The father commented, “Then he couldn’t get out and he got upset and that’s it. It lasted a minute. I didn’t mean no harm, and he knows that, but I haven’t been able to tell him that.”
Since the incident, the wife filed a restraining order to keep Mathew Kowald from any contact with his family. According to Lt. Smith, the family has experienced other domestic issues.more
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Oslo, Norway – According to Associated Press Writer Doug Mellgren, 33-year-old Barbora Skrlova succeeded in posing as a 13-year-old boy for several months in Norway. A woman enrolled Skrlova as “Adam” at the Marienlyst School, where Skrlova attended in disguise by binding her breasts and shaving her head to look like an adolescent male. The 5’2” woman was convincing enough that she deceived teachers and childcare workers and qualified to receive food and shelter in an Oslo children’s home.This was not Skrlova’s first time posing as a youth, according to Czech police. Skrlova previously disguised herself as a 13-year-old girl and was adopted by a Czech woman in Brono. When the adopting woman was under investigation in a high profile child abuse case, Skrlova was identified as a key witness. She fled to Norway when faced with investigation.
In December, “Adam” disappeared from the Oslo children’s home. Police launched a nationwide search for the missing “child” and discovered Skrlova’s location and identity. She was deported back to the Czech Republic where she is undergoing psychiatric evaluation. Czech police are deciding whether or not to charge the woman with identity theft and misleading authorities…more
Grand Rapids, MI – According to The Associated Press, a Michigan man foiled his own theft attempt when he stabbed himself while fleeing a Meijer Inc. superstore. According to police, the culprit tucked about $300 worth of hunting knives into the waistband of his pants and attempted to leave the store but was confronted by store employees. A scuffle ensued and the man fell, stabbing himself with the knives hidden in his clothing. The Grand Rapids Press commented that the wounds did not appear life threatening.
The man was hospitalized and is expected to face a misdemeanor shoplifting charge…more
ABC News noted that Serbian director Emir Kusturica symbolically buried a Bruce Willis film at the opening of the Kustendorf Film Festival on Monday. Kusturica, winner of two Golden Palm awards at the Cannes Film Festival, buried Live Free or Die Hard in a “Graveyard of Bad Films.” The acclaimed director sought to counter Hollywood’s influence on film students through the “burial ceremony.” Footage of Kusturica’s symbolic action was shown on RTS television.
The Kustendorf Film Festival was organized by Kusturica and is partially funded by the Serbian government. During the festival, film students from 12 countries will be competing with short films for acclaim. Kusturica also stated that no commercials would be shown during the festival so that “the auteur will be the one under the spotlights.”…more
According to Reuters, a FBI international wiretap was cut off after the agency failed to resolve a delinquent bill owed to the telephone company. The Justice Department’s inspector general blamed poor financial management of undercover investigative funding for the FBI issues of theft and mishandled invoices in a recent audit. The failure to manage monies effectively resulted in disruption of intelligence casework.
An audit demonstrated that, “Late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence, including an instance where delivery of intercept information required by a … FISA order was halted due to untimely payment.”
Inspector general spokeswoman Cynthia Schnedar declined to comment further on the issue, noting that much of the audit report contained sensitive law-enforcement information…more
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TOKYO (Reuters) - New-born babies in Japan who can’t make it round to visit all their relatives can now send them proxies instead - cuddly bags of rice… more
LONDON — From baggy briefs to the ultimate hotpants: A British woman’s underwear saved the day by doubling as an emergency fire blanket when her kitchen caught fire. John Marsey and his cousin Darren Lines were frying bread in Jenny Marsey’s kitchen in Hartlepool, northeast England, on Sunday when their meal caught fire…more
Two Austrian teenagers have been fined £75,000 for hacking down and burying a roadside speed camera…more
AUBURN, Calif. (AP) - A three-pound Chihuahua mix named Tink helped police put a fugitive in the clink…more
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Shelehov, Russia – According to Ananova.com, Rima Pivovarova gave birth to her baby by the light of dozens of cell phones during a recent power outage at a Russian hospital. A power cut created darkness across the town of Shelehov at the time that the woman was experiencing a complicated childbirth. While the hospital’s emergency generators returned power to incubators at the maternity ward, the delivery room remained in darkness. Clever nurses collected cell phones from hospital staff and patients to provide light in the delivery room while doctors continued to aid Pivovarova’s delivery. One of the nurses stated that the delivery was successful – both mother and son are doing well… more Johnson City, NY – As a joke among peers, retired Assistant Fire Chief Kenneth Rowe came to work wearing nothing but his fireman’s hat and a smile. According to story contributor Adrienne Phillips, Rowe pulled the prank to make his buddies laugh and to celebrate his retirement. Other firefighters took pictures of Rowe and sent them to friends and coworkers. Unfortunately, the pictures ended up in the hands of local police, who arrested Rowe and charged him with indecent exposure. However, Rowe’s career will not be jeopardized by the gag, as his retirement after 20 years of service is already in effect… moreSan Antonio, TX – USA Today explained that the town of Albert, Texas sold to someone in Italy on Friday for a tidy sum of $38 million. The current owner, Bobby Cave, is prepared to sign over the deed to the winning bidder if the eBay bid proves legitimate. The town of Albert, located approximately 60 miles north of San Antonio, contains no permanent residents. However, the town includes a pavilion, an 85-year-old dance hall, a three bedroom house, and peach and pecan orchards. One building, a tavern constructed from the old general store, is the only active business and opens on weekends.Cave explained that the deal might not go through because real estate sold on eBay is not bound by contractual obligation. Cave commented, “there is just no way to insist that a guy from Italy writes me a check for three million.”However, Cave isn’t worried if the deal fails. The owner claims that five other prospective buyers have lined up in case the town goes unsold… moreSydney, Australia – According to the Associated Press, Police reported on Monday that robbers made off with 17.6 tons of ham and bacon from a warehouse in suburban Sydney. Sometime between Saturday afternoon and early Sunday, the thieves made a hole in the Zammit Ham and Bacon warehouse wall and stole $88,000 of pork product. Before leaving, the thieves painted a few parting words on the warehouse wall. The message read, “Thanks. Merry Christmas”Owner Anthony Zammit is offering a reward of $4,420 to anyone who aids in the recovery of the stolen meat. Zammit ensured customers that the company would work overtime to ensure that all their Christmas orders would be satisfied. He stated, “We’re working 24 hours a day, seven days a week and put on extra staff. We won’t let anyone down.”… more
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Excuses for Sale, Mr. Toilet Builds Commode-Shaped House, Man Robs Ice Cream Shop with Stapler
According to Associated Press writer Angela K. Brown, excuses for playing hooky has become a lucrative internet business. The Excused Absence Network offers students and employees elaborate excuse notes that appear to come from doctors or hospitals for a small fee of $25. Many other options are available to the excuse-seeker, including a mock jury summons and fake funeral service programs complete with prose and a list of pallbearers. Customers purchasing the product receive a software package of templates that allows them to construct custom excuses by inputting names, addresses, and other information to make their excuse appear legitimate.
Though the website claims the products are intended for entertainment purposes only, the question remains whether or not such products are legal or ethical.
John Liddell, co-founder of the company which sells the Excused Absence Network products, dismissed the question of legality and ethics. He stated, Millions of Americans work in dead-end jobs, and sometimes they just need a day off. People are going to lie anyway. How many people go visit their doctors every day when they’re not sick because they just need a note? [] If employers treated people the way they need to be treated, people wouldn’t be using these notes.
Darl Waterhouse, the other co-founder of the company, explained that people who really use the excuses to trick their employers are unlikely to be caught because of federal restrictions on the release of medical information. Furthermore, Waterhouse commented that employees are fed up with having no flexibility if they needed to tend to a sick family member or attend a child’s school activities.
Using the products for more than entertainment is not without risks, however. One New Jersey woman was arrested this year after using one of the company’s fake chiropractor notes as an excuse from traffic court. Court officials discovered the ruse when they called the chiropractor, who stated he had never heard of the woman.
Liddell and Waterhouse launched the company four years ago when they witnessed fellow employees write and use fake doctor notes. With a $600 start-up cost, the founders operated the business from Liddells laptop at home. While the owners did not comment on the sales for The Excused Absence Network products, Liddell did share that the website receives approximately 15,000 hits per month.. more
Sim Jae-Duck of South Korea has become renown as Mr. Toilet for his political presence in beautifying public restrooms. Now, hes made headlines again for his latest endeavor, building a commode-shaped home with the latest in lavatory luxuries, according to USA Today.
Sims new two-story home, due to be completed this week, commemorates the inaugural meeting of the World Toilet Association. The WTA aims to improve worldwide hygiene through promoting proper sanitation and water supplies for human waste disposal. The WTA will hold a conference in Seoul with representation form 60 countries to launch the creation of national toilet associations.
The conference highlights a toilet expo, which includes a Hansel and Gretel bathroom made of candy that gives children presents when they flush. The expo also features a toilet gallery café where attendees can sit on elaborate commodes while drinking tea.
The commode-shaped home, named Haewoojae or a place to solve ones worries, is in the shape of a 24 ½ foot tall toilet bowl. The house cost $1.1 million to build. Visitors will be greeted with a plaque at the entrance that reads, Mr. Toilets House. A showpiece bathroom at the center of the house is displayed through a floor-to-ceiling window of glass. The glass turns opaque at the touch of a button, and when guests enter the bathroom, motion sensors activates classical music to play for their enjoyment.
Occupants gain access to the roof and balcony, which runs around the rim of the bowl, via stairs through what would be the toilet drain. The house exterior is encased in white-painted steel that simulates ceramics used to make toilets.
Sim commented, Toilets stand central to peoples lives. more An Ashland, Kentucky ice cream shop was robbed by a man wearing a ski mask, who briefly made off with $175, according to MSNBC.com. Authorities explained that Gerald A. Rocchi flashed a chrome-plated stapler at an employee of The Ice Cream Shop on Wednesday and demanded money. Employees promptly handed over the cash and Rocchi fled the scene.
Ashland Police Captain Don Petrella explained that several witnesses had seen Rocchi flee and told police where he was heading. Authorities arrested Rocchi in his home, where they found money, a ski mask and a stapler.
Petrella commented that the staplers chrome finish might have made it easy to mistake it as a gun if someone didnt get a close look at it.
Rocchi was charged with first degree robbery and made his first appearance in court on Wednesday morning. more
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