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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