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Hear the "News That Didn't Make The News" every weekday morning at 8:20 with Bruce, John and Janine
December 2011
December 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CARJACKING FOILED BY MANUAL TRANSMISSION _ Here's more evidence that a manual transmission is a wonderful crime deterrent. On Tuesday night a Denver-area woman leaving a gas station was stopped at gunpoint by a would-be car thief. After taking the woman's purse and the keys to her 2004 Audi, the perpetrator got into the car and attempted to drive off...until it became clear that he did not know how to work the transmission. The now-humiliated hoodlum chose to flee the scene rather than ask for a quick driving lesson.
December 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVING TEENS POST HAUL ON FACEBOOK _ Pittsburgh police said four teenagers took cash, candy and cigarettes worth a total of more than $9,000 from a market while the store was closed December 12. They were easy to catch because, within an hour, the teens posted a picture of themselves posing with their haul on Facebook.
December 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLARS COOK UP CHICKEN GIZZARDS _ Police in Florida arrested a pair of 14-year-old boys they say broke into a Chinese restaurant. Police said the boys allegedly broke into the China House restaurant in Gainesville Saturday night and apparently were unable to find anything worth stealing. So they decided to cook up some chicken gizzards
December 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRIVER CAUGHT TALKING ON TWO CELL PHONES _ A driver in Italy was stopped by police in for using a cell phone while driving. Actually he was using two cellphones while driving -- holding one up to each year. The 43-year-old said he was talking to his wife when his mother called and he couldn't hang up on either of them. The man made matters worse when he admitted that he frequently spoke on two handsets while on work trips.
December 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TREE BURGLAR LEAVES TRAIL OF NEEDLES _ A bungling burglar who tried to steal Christmas trees from a nursery has been caught. Officers in West Yorkshire in England say they just had to follow the fallen needs for half a mile to get their man.
December 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES BUTT DIAL 911 _ Tuesday afternoon two men shoplifted DVDs and computer games from a Madison, Wisconsin, Target. When they got into their SUV after the heist, 911 got a call and the dispatcher listened in as they talked about what they had done. The 911 call was accidental -- a butt call from one of the two thieves. In the nearly one hour call, police said the men bragged about what they stole, described the vehicle they were in and where they were going next. Police officers followed the pair and, as the two men got out of the SUV at another parking lot, arrested them. During the arrest, police finally ended the call between the cellphone and the 911 dispatcher.
December 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ADMITS TO GOAT THEFT, AND THAT IT WAS TASTY _ A man in Lakeway, Texas, called police after he discovered someone had used bolt cutters to break into an animal pen in his back yard. A 7-month-old, 245-pound goat was missing. Someone told him they thought Javier Aguirre had taken the animal, so police went to Aquirre's house. Aquirre admitted he took the goat, but couldn't give it back: he fed it to guests at a neighborhood barbecue.
December 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TV AND RADIO STANDARDS CHIEF DROPS F-BOMB ON TV _ Stephen Conroy is the politician in charge of television and radio broadcast standards Australia. So it was no only ironic, but also a bit funny when the minister recently blurted out the F-word while addressing the National Press Club, which was being broadcast on live TV. Realizing his mistake, a red-faced Conroy said, "Excuse me."
December 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STOLEN CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS FOUND ON HOME A BLOCK AWAY _ Police in Florida have arrested two women accused of stealing hundreds of dollars' worth of their neighbor's Christmas ornaments. According to Sweetwater, Florida, police, a surveillance camera captured two thieves as they drove up to the home of Ingrid Alemendarez and stole about $500 worth of the Christmas lawn decorations outside her home last week. Alemendarez said she found her ornaments less than a block away from her home, in the suspects' front yard. That's when she called police.
December 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: A wedding party ended in tears, bruises and the drunk tank after the inebriated newlyweds started a fight outside a restaurant. A police spokesman said "The bride and the groom attacked each other. They were both drunk." The couple are facing a fine for the incident. No word on if divorce proceedings are underway.
December 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR NOT HAPPY WITH BEING TREATED LIKE A CRIMINAL _ When Joseph Bingham of Safety Harbor, Florida, went out to his pickup truck in the morning, he found a stranger asleep on the seat. He called the sheriff, and Arturo Hernandez Jr. was arrested for trespassing. Hernandez complained, "They dragged me out of the car, threw me on the ground, and treated me like a criminal!" He later told cops he didn't know how he ended up in someone else's vehicle.
December 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MUGGER PICKS WRONG TARGET _ A would-be mugger in Chicago picked on the wrong person. Police say Anthony Miranda walked up to a parked car around 11:30 Friday night and asked the driver for a lighter. When the driver said he didn't have one, police say Miranda pulled a handgun on the driver and demanded money. After getting some, he ordered the driver out of the car. The mugging victim was able to get control of the gun, and the two wrestled, with Miranda accidentally firing his gun and shooting himself in the ankle during the fight. The victim later told police he's a mixed-martial artist. He held Miranda down until police arrived and found Miranda with a face full of cuts and two black eyes.
December 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER IN GROCERY WAS ACTOR WITH GUN _ Several San Francisco police officers responding to a 911 call about an armed robbery ran into grocery store with guns drawn. An officer ordered the man to drop his gun. Instead of dropping the gun, the man in the mask turned to the officers and said, "It's a movie!" The police report said "the gunman refused to put down his pistol, and the officers overpowered and disarmed him." He was not arrested.
December 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES PAWN STOLEN CAMERA _ Police in Splendora, Texas, on the outskirts of Houston, are looking for a couple of thieves who got away with a laptop, a TV, a Wii game system and a digital camera. They have pretty good photos of the thieves because they snapped pictures of each other with the digital camera before taking it to a pawn shop.
December 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HOPS IN COP CAR TO TAKE IT ON PATROL _ Officers in Ohio (Amherst) arrested a man they say tried to steal an police car. The incident happened outside the police station just before 7pm while an officer was leaving to check on a car crash. The officer noticed a man sitting in the driver's seat of the police car with the doors locked. Officers tried to unlock the cruiser's doors, but were unable to remove the man from the car. The man used the computer inside the cruiser and the police radio to ask dispatch how to put the car in gear. The man later told officers he wanted to take the car out on "patrol" to protect the people of the city.
December 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ANGRY AT TAX OFFICIALS, FARMERS DELIVER SNAKES _ Two farmers, including a snake charmer, were so angry at tax officials in northern India that they dumped dozens of snakes, including four deadly cobras, on the floor of the tax office. The snake charmer says the farmers were protesting alleged demands for bribes by officials. A video shows office workers jumping on chairs as the 40 snakes slithered around the floor. There were no injuries, but forestry department personnel had to be called in to catch the reptiles.
December 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SANTA'S ARRIVAL BY ROPE HAS GLITCH _ Santa's arrival at a Florida mall was delayed Saturday when his beard got caught in rappelling equipment hanging from the mall's ceiling, making for a painfully slow descent. About halfway down, "Santa" tore off the beard and attached hat, revealing himself to be a simple helper and not the actual jolly old elf himself. The helper left quickly afterward.
November 2011
November 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHINESE MAN TRAINED A DOG TO DO SHOPPING _ Some dogs bring their owner a newspaper or their slippers -- but one dog goes much further. A man in China has trained his dog to do the grocery shopping by taking a shopping list money in a basket to the stores. The lazy owner says he started off by taking the dog shopping with him and getting it to carry they bags home. Then it progressed to going on its own.
November 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DURING LICENSE ROAD TEST, WOMAN ENDS UP IN OCEAN _ A woman in Chile (Antofagasta) probably won't be quickly reapplying for her driver's license after the road portion of her test went very wrong and she, the instructor, and the vehicle ended up in the Pacific Ocean. It's thought the woman hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal during her driving test and panicked, sending the silver pickup off the road and into the water. The woman, unharmed but in a state of complete shock, was rescued by a bystander as the instructor swam to shore ... and promptly left the scene.
November 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FARMER TEACHES PIG TO WALK ON FRONT LEGS _ A dedicated farmer has taught his prized pig, which was born without back legs, to walk upright on his front legs. The Chinese farmer says he thought the deformed piglet would die after he was born in July. However, after lots of time and devotion the pig has learned to walk on its front legs like an upside down gymnast.
November 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WORLD'S WORST BURGLAR? _ Police in Georgia allege Trevor Jones left his car running in the driveway of a home he burglarized, and the homeowner returned while he was still inside and took his keys and wallet from Jones' vehicle. The homeowner drove to the end of the street and saw Jones flee with items from her home. Investigators allege Jones broke into a second home in the neighborhood later in the day and this time left himself logged into Facebook on the victim's computer. Jones is currently being sought by cops.
November 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PANTS ON THE GROUND, DRUGS UP THERE _ Next time you think your job is bad, just know that it could be worse. Want proof? Ask the Burton, Michigan, cops who had to clear out a bar fight last weekend. Police apparently were getting grief from one patron when his pants fell down, revealing a piece of toilet paper sticking out of his rear. That led to the unfortunate discovery of small bags of cocaine and marijuana in the same area. Prosecutor David Leyton had the job of reviewing the photos. He said, "It was a nasty visual."
November 21th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MUSTACHE THE REASON FOR SEAGULL ATTACK _ Chris Wells says his mustache was the reason for a seagull attack. The 57-year-old UK man said his 'stache sent the large bird crazy, pecking a chunk out of his lip that needed three stitches. Wells says because his mustache is gray, it's possible the seagull thought it was dive-bombing a seal.
November 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SOURCE OF BUFFALO HEAD DISCOVERED _ Police in Boulder, Colorado, have solved the mystery of how a severed bison head ended up on a decorative rock in someone's front yard. It belongs to somebody who lives in the home but forgot to tell his roommates about it. The roommates called police about the head Sunday. A police spokeswoman said that the head came from a buffalo recently slaughtered from a ranch in Nebraska. The head's owner told police he was drying out his souvenir so he could display it on a wall.
November 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SEWER DROP _ A British woman was forced to call 911 (999) from her mobile phone after falling 20 feet into a sewer because metal thieves had stolen a drain cover. Firefighters hauled her back to the surface and treated her for cuts and bruises.
November 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF RUN OVER BY HER OWN RUNAWAY VEHICLE _ Police in Titusville, Florida, say a woman stole beer from a 7-Eleven store early Tuesday and her getaway vehicle, a truck driven by a male friend, began to drive away as she was climbing into the passenger seat. The woman fell from the vehicle and was run over by the right rear tire. The beer-thieving woman was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
November 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES MAKE OF WITH EVERYTHING, INCLUDING KITCHEN SINK _ You've heard the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink." Well, even that wasn't off limits in a theft at a Flint, Michigan, home. The sink was taken, along with light fixtures, the hot water tank, the water meter, air conditioning unit, numerous copper pipes and drywall sheets.
November 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER LEAVES FOOTPRINTS TO APARTMENT _ A man went into an Ogden, Utah, credit union over the lunch hour Saturday, handed a teller a note demanding money and left on foot after the bank employee complied. A witness followed the alleged robber to an apartment complex, later leading police officers there. The witness had no trouble following the robber since he left his footprints left in the snow to the apartment where he lived and where they found all the stolen money.
November 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JUST HERE FOR THE BEER _ Cops in southern California say a man walked into an unlocked home, past an elderly couple watching TV games hows, and into the kitchen. They say the man grabbed two bottles of beer from their fridge and "a food object of some type" wrapped in foil, then left.
November 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF TRIES TO RETURN STOLEN STUFF IN FRONT OF VICTIM _ Rachel thought she would never see her stuff again. Someone had stolen the Christmas gifts she left on the backseat of her car parked in front of her Massachusetts house overnight, along with her iPod. It was $460 out the window. But when she went back to Macy's to replace some of the gifts, her Spidey-sense started tingling. Walking into the store right in front of her was a guy wearing exactly the same kind of hoodie from her car, carrying several bags. She followed the guy and observed as he tried to return several items without a receipt. Each one was exactly the same as the ones that were taken from her car. Rachel called the police and the store security. She whipped out her original sales receipt and they slapped the cuffs on the suspect. When they searched his car, they found her iPod and other stolen items.
November 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COMBINE HELPS TO CAPTURE FUGITIVE _ When police pulled over Daniel Thomas in Kankakee, Illinois, he bolted and ran into a nearby cornfield. After unsuccessfully trying to locate him in the field using dogs and an airplane, they came up with a better strategy: Find out who the farmer is and see if he's ready to harvest his field. The farmer, Mark Tanner, was indeed ready and, clad in a bulletproof vest, started up his combine and began harvesting -- with two armed officers riding along. After about 90 minutes, Thomas finally ran out of the field, hands up, directly in front of the sheriff's office.
November 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: INMATE SUES OVER SOY-BASED MEALS _ A Florida inmate is suing the Department of Corrections, claiming soy-based meals being fed to inmates should be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Lake Correctional Institution inmate Eric Harris claims the processed and blended soy foods being served to inmates have caused him painful gastrointestinal cramping and threaten the health of his thyroid and immune systems, which he says constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Harris, who is serving a life sentence, contends inmates in Florida prisons are forced to eat a vegan diet, feed themselves with commissary foods, which they must buy with their own money, or eat up to 100 grams of soy protein a day, four times the amount recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
November 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN WANTS DEPUTIES TO ARREST HER MAILBOX _ Sheila Lederer, of Wellington, Florida, called 911 and reported that somebody was hiding in her bushes. The 32-year-old woman, who admitted taking Xanax, was screaming at a tree when deputies arrived. Lederer then told the deputy to arrest her mailbox.
November 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SUES PHOTOGRAPHER TO RE-CREATE WEDDING _ A Manhattan man is suing a 87-year old photographer for failing to record the last 15 minutes of his 2003 wedding. He wants the photographer to cover the cost of flying all the guests back to recreate the wedding, including the first dance and the bouquet toss. If he's successful, the only one missing will be his wife -- who flew back to Latvia years ago.
November 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS STEAL TEEN'S SANDWICH _ In Pennsylvania a 13-year-old was walking home from a deli with a sandwich Saturday evening when two men exited a black SUV, brandished a revolver and ordered the victim not to move. Police said the two men searched the boy and left with his sandwich when they found nothing of value. But they left the teenager's cellphone, which he used to call police and give descriptions of the suspects and their vehicle. Police located the vehicle, where the sandwich was found still in the wrapper.
November 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PHONE THIEF UPLOADS PHOTO TO FACEBOOK _ A young mother parked her car at a daycare in McDonough, Georgia, and went inside to get her daughter. She noticed a black SUV parked next to her and later, when she got home, the mother discovered that her purse had been stolen, apparently while it was left in her car at the daycare. A break in the case came quickly, though. About 12 hours later the victim pulled up her Facebook page and noticed a new picture had been added to her photos page. The mom recognized the person in the picture as the man sitting in the black SUV at the daycare. Her phone had been set up to automatically upload new photos to Facebook. The clear photo of the suspect has been released to help identify him.
November 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CALLS 911 FOR RIDE _ A guy in Bangor, Maine, was arrested early Tuesday for repeatedly calling 911 to get a ride. He got the ride, but not to his intended destination.
October 2011
October 31st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RAIN CANCELS MUD CELEBRATION _ Just how much rain fell in Florida over the weekend? Enough to cancel a mud celebration. The Swamp Buggy Races in Naples, Florida, are all about mud, water and more mud and water. But apparently there was too much mud and water — even by swamp buggy enthusiasts' standards. Friday night's downpours left the Florida Sports Park's parking lots under water and the water level in the track itself was deemed too deep for safe competition.
October 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN GETS STOLEN NFL TICKETS BACK AT NEARBY BAR _ Police said William "Drew" Webb found his Florida home had been burglarized, with missing items including two laptop computers, two credit cards, $100 in change, and some Jacksonville Jaguars tickets. Drew later decided to go to a nearby bar to meet up with a friend. Once Drew arrived he learned his friend had just been sold two Jaguars tickets by another man at the bar for $20 each. Drew and his buddy determined the man was the burglar and alerted police.
October 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THE PARKING LOT IS FULL OF ELVI _60 Elvis Presley impersonators were attending a charity function at the Holiday Inn in Rochester, England when a fire alarm sounded. Guests who evacuated the building say they were "confused" when they saw 60 Elvis's gathered in the hotel parking lot. One guest said "There were people in full Elvis jumpsuits and wigs standing around, looking a bit worse for wear." Hotel manager Kevin Coombes said: "A smoke machine used by one of the performers set off the fire alarm and at no point was anyone in any danger. But yes, Elvis did leave the building."
October 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TRAPPED IN CHILD'S SWING _ Emergency responders in California said a man spent about nine hours trapped in a child's swing at a public park after accepting a bet from friends. Police (in Vallejo) said they responded Saturday morning to a report of a man screaming in a park around 6am and they found a 21-year-old man with his legs stuck in the leg holes of a swing designed for a small child. The man told police he had used laundry detergent to lube up his legs and squeeze into the swing at 9pm the previous night after accepting a $100 bet from friends. Firefighters arrived at the scene and cut the chains of the swing, allowing the man to be taken to a hospital, where he was freed from the leg holsters with a cast cutter.
October 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STARBUCKS ROBBERS WAITS IN LINE _ One man in San Diego waited patiently in line at a Starbucks so he could make off with cash. He was wearing a bandana over his face but waited until he reached the register to demand money. Police say it's not clear whether he was armed. A customer followed him to the parking lot and saw him get into a truck and drive away.
October 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HEROIN FOR SALE POSTED ON SIGN _ You know there's a problem in your neighborhood when drug dealers are brazen enough to post signs saying "heroin for sale". That's just what happened in North Portland last week. Portland police served a warrant on an address on Tuesday. They got the address from the very sign that advertised "heroin for sale."
October 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHTBULB? _ In England, homeowner Jack Doran was amazed at the number of town employees who tried to fix a broken street light near his house. The 74-year-old reported the problem to authorities, who sent a repair team. But the workers could not get to the junction box, which was surrounded by a hedge, so parks department staff came to cut the foliage. A third team was sent with a cherry picker, only to be stopped by water leaking into the light. This was followed by a policeman who checked the darkened road because of fears it was a security risk. A worker then replaced the bulb -- but it blew out because of a fuse problem. The light finally worked on September 30, six weeks after the fault was reported. Doran said here were at least 12 visits total over those six weeks
October 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ATTACKS WITH AN ARMADILLO _ Dallas police said they are searching for a man accused of striking a woman twice ... with a frozen armadillo. Police said the man was attempting to sell the frozen armadillo to a 57-year-old woman in an apartment complex parking lot, but the pair argued about the price of the animal, which the woman planned to cook and eat. The man threw the armadillo at the woman twice, causing bruises to her leg and chest.
October 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COUPLE SAYS "NO" TO POLICE RAID _ Nancy Parker of Roswell, New Mexico, recalls a "huge bang" on her front door. When her husband opened it, he was faced with multiple Drug Enforcement Administration agents in raid gear with their guns drawn, demanding to enter the house. Parker's husband asked who they were looking for. They told him Gerald Sentell. The agents said they had a tip that he was in their house. Parker said she and her husband thought the officers were imposters, which is why they said "no, you're not coming in this house without a warrant." The officers left. As for possibly being impostors, DEA officials retorted later that the team all wore vests with the word "POLICE" on them, and that their guns were out of their holsters.
October 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ICE CREAM SANDWICH THIEF USES PANTS _ Police in Fort Pierce, Florida, said an assistant manager at a Family Dollar store saw a man take something from a cooler and leave the store without paying. She watched him as he walked across the street to another store, and as he walked he removed an ice cream sandwich from the front of his pants and began eating it.
October 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHINESE BOAT FAILS TO FLOAT _ Every product has a basic function to fulfill. An iPhone must make phone calls. A musical bottle opener must pry the cap off your beer. Any extra frills certainly provide added value, but its original purpose comes first. A boat's primary function is to float, right? One Chinese company is heading back to basics after failing this simple step. During its unveiling ceremony, the SS Jiugang was launched to sea amid much fanfare. But in a horrifying turn of events for the makers, the vessel immediately dropped like a block of concrete as it entered the water, becoming hopelessly submerged in the Yellow River. The ceremony was intended to cast the 104-foot houseboat downstream -- they just didn't anticipate which form of down the boat would go. Officials have pulled the boat out of the water and brought it in for repair.
October 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MOTORISTS BEING SHAMED BY MIMES _ In Venezuela's capital, motorcyclists have been known to drive down sidewalks, and cars frequently speed through red lights. So the mayor is dealing with the problem by deploying ... mimes. About 120 of them hit the streets last week in an attempt to shame drivers and pedestrians alike into behaving. The mimes wear brightly colored clown-like outfits and, of course, white gloves. The mayor came up with the idea after a similar plan in Bogota, Colombia, proved to be a success.
October 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MURDERER SUMMONED TO BE JUROR AT HIS OWN TRIAL _ Derrick Smith was charged with murder in Schenectady, New York. As the trial was ready to get going, Smith was summoned for jury duty -- for his own case. Smith told the judge he would be happy to serve, and promised that if selected, he would be "fair and impartial." The summons was withdrawn.
October 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TICKET FAX GOES TO NEWSPAPER BY MISTAKE _ An Illinois sheriff's department records clerk who sought to have a college student's speeding ticket dismissed accidentally faxed the request to a newspaper. The Belleville (Illinois) News-Democrat said it received a fax from St. Clair County Sheriff's Department records clerk Joann Reed asking for a speeding ticket to be dismissed for the son of a deputy. The newspaper said the fax was meant for Centreville village attorney Carmen Durso but was sent to the news paper by mistake. Reed described herself as "guilty" when questioned about the fax.
October 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OBAMA FRIED CHICKEN FORCED TO CHANGE NAME _ If you were hoping to get a bucket of Obama Fried Chicken on your next visit to Beijing, you're out of luck. The fast food restaurant has had to change its name after KFC threatened legal action, saying the logo infringed on its trademark rights. Obama Fried Chicken has changed its name to UFO.
October 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER ORDERS PIZZA AND BEER _ Robbing banks can sure make a bandit hungry and thirsty. Shortly after holding up a bank in Yuma, Arizona, Saturday, a man decided to treat himself to pizza and a beer on the same street. Shortly after the robber sat down a police officer walked in to the restaurant and spotted the guy.
October 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUNMAN LEAVES PHONE AT SCENE OF SHOOTING _ Police in Florida said they arrested an alleged gunman who left some pretty connected evidence at the scene of the crime. They say Johnny Lee Walker was arrested on an attempted murder charge after investigators found his phone at an apartment complex where a man was shot. A police spokesman said: "Sometimes it helps when the bad guys aren't very smart."
October 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 100-YEAR-OLD GETS STRIPPER BIRTHDAY REQUEST _ There's a 100-year-old woman in England who is awesome. When it came time for Clare Ormiston to go from the double-digit to the triple-digit age bracket, she wanted to do it in style. Sexy style. Forget the congratulatory letter from the Queen and the boring old string quartet, Clare wanted to experience something brand new. When her daughter informed her that she couldn't get her to the moon, Clare said her second choice then was to have a stripper perform. So a guy named 'Scorpion' was called up and he headed to the Glenfield Residential Home to give Clare and her old-timer buddies the show of their lives. When asked how she felt about seeing Scorpion pant-less in front of her, she said, "I enjoyed that. It definitely put a smile on my face."
October 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHINESE SPACE VIDEO USES "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL" _ China may have managed to launch its first space station module flawlessly, but it appeared to flub the soundtrack. State broadcaster CCTV and the Chinese space agency collaborated on a short video to mark the liftoff of China's unmanned Tiangong 1 space lab Thursday night. The 98-second video gives an animated look at the launch and Tiangong 1's mission — all set to an instrumental version of "America the Beautiful." It's unclear why the patriotic American tune was chosen.
October 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEAR AIR DISASTER BECAUSE OF BATHROOM BREAK _ An investigation has shown that Japanese airline All Nippon Airways narrowly escaped a catastrophe earlier this month when its plane almost flipped over after a co-pilot hit the wrong button while trying to open the cockpit door for the plane's captain, who was returning from the restroom. A senior executive vice president at ANA apologized and bowed deeply in front of TV cameras at a news conference to apologize for the trouble caused by the incident, which took place September 6.
September 2011
September 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BUT THE MANUAL IS IN ITALIAN AND FRENCH _ Australia's $582 million purchase of anti-submarine torpedoes from Europe took 12 years. Now that they've finally been delivered, military planners have found the user manuals are only available in Italian and French. Now defense officials are advertising for technical translators -- who will have to have appropriate security clearances -- to make them readable to the people who need to integrate the weapons into Aussie naval vessels. That's expected to cost tens of thousands more.
September 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TEEN GETS STUCK IN COKE MACHINE _ The recession continues to inspire people to do stupid stuff to avoid paying money. This week's example: the teen who got stuck in a Coke machine after he tried to get a free can of soda. The teen thought if he slid his hand up the machine the right way he might get a free soda, but he was wrong. The rescue process involved two fire trucks an an ambulance.
September 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CLOWNS ROB JEWELRY STORE OF FAKE GEMS _ When armed robbers burst into the Sonny's Rocks jewelry store in Denver, Colorado, store owner Mark Allen urged them to take whatever they wanted, just don't hurt anyone. That's because he knew something that the robbers apparently didn't: The stuff they were taking wasn't real. Allen says most jewelry stores no longer have real diamonds in the display cases, just good-looking fakes: cubic zirconia mounted in fake gold and fake platinum settings. The two robbers -- dressed as clowns -- scooped all the display pieces into garbage bags and fled.
September 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COPS GET HIGH ON POT BROWNIES _ A pair of Houston police officers are being investigated for eating from a tray of pot brownies they confiscated from a teenage stoner, then chatting about getting "so HIGH" on "good munchies" on their in-car computer.
September 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOES DWI TRUMP DWAL? _ Trying to justify one crime by not committing another probably isn't the best way to get out of a ticket. Michigan (Grand Blanc Township) cops were perplexed after they stopped a woman who was driving without a license while she had a licensed passenger right next to her. When asked why the passenger wasn't driving, the man told them he had been drinking and figured a ticket for driving without a license was better than a felony arrest for drunken driving.
September 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OPEN A NEW ACCOUNT, GET AN AK-47 _ A Sarasota, Florida-based credit card processing company is offering customers a free gift if they open a new account and meet certain minimums for card-charging volume. Merchant.Service.com is offering an AK-47 as part of a "No Victims" campaign. Customers who qualify for the rifle get a voucher that can be used at firearm retailers that go through the normal background checks and waiting periods that may be required by law.
September 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK ELK MAKES OFF WITH SWING SET _ A man arrived home on Wednesday night to find his garden littered with bits of apple and other signs that an elk had been partying in his back yard. The concerned homeowner also discovered that the children's swing set which normally sat in the yard was missing. The man immediately called police, who contacted a local hunter to track down the elk, which was drunk on fermented apples. After its drunken apple-eating binge the elk somehow drug the swing set about 500 yards into deep woods near the home.
September 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN KEEPS ARM RAISED FOR 38 YEARS _ A man in New Delhi, India, has kept his right arm raised above his head since 1973. The clerk (Mahant Amar Bharti Ji) has kept his arm up for 38+ years in honor of a Hindu deity (Shiva). Despite pain and arm deformation, he's managed to keep his arm raised for nearly 4 decades.
September 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CHANGES HIS NAME TO LED ZEPPELIN II _ Missouri resident George F. Blackburn had a moment of inspiration one day when he went to the local courthouse to finalize his divorce from his third wife. The 64-year-old gentleman seized the opportunity to file papers with the clerk's office to do something he'd been thinking about for years: changing his name to Led Zeppelin II, after his favorite album by the rock band. He said, "I reinvented myself. Since I became Led Zeppelin, my life has improved a thousand fold." Zeppelin said he had a childhood fascination with zeppelins, and has been a fan of the rock stars since seeing them live in concert in Chicago in the late 1960s.
September 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CREEPY HOT DOG SCARES IOWA TOWN _ Council Bluffs, Iowa, police say a concerned citizen called police last week to report a man in a hot dog costume near a bus stop where children gather. When officers arrived, they found the man was actually a 6-foot tall statue, with spindly legs and a pair of high-top sneakers. Its hands were missing and a U.S. flag was draped across its back. The statue had been spotted elsewhere in the city. On Wednesday police said a man called claiming the statue belongs to his son. Police plan to talk to the son before deciding what to do with the statue.
September 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ST. FRANCIS STATUE RETURNED WITH PAINT JOB _ Last month someone stole a 2-foot statue of St. Francis outside a Montana home. A few days ago it was returned to the same position -- but with a new look. St. Francis has a new paint job giving him glittering green robes, gold sandals and a purple rope belt. St. Francis also has new eyebrows, rouge on his cheeks, green sparkle eye shadow to match his robes and yellow finger and toenail polish. His bird friends are painted a brilliant blue and canary yellow.
September 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NAKED MOTORCYCLIST _ A naked German motorcyclist wearing just a scarf and sunglasses crashed his bike after he was stung on his big toe by a bee. The man, who had been driving to the swimming area at a nudist colony, lost control of the bike as he tried to kick the insect away. Luckily he escaped with just a shoulder injury and minor cuts and bruises.
September 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BREAKS INTO RESTAURANT, MAKES FOOD _ Police arrested a Mount Prospect, Illinois, man who allegedly broke into a restaurant and made himself a meal. Video surveillance of Mr. Beef and Pizza in Mount Prospect allegedly shows the 19-year-old man (Hachem Gomez) entering the restaurant early Saturday by breaking into the drive-through window. The video also shows Gomez damaging a cash register before stealing fries and chicken tenders from a freezer and cooking them in a microwave.
September 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FREE BEER _ A Russian man got himself locked up in a pizza place to have free access to beer overnight. When the restaurant's staff left, he broke into a cooler containing a keg, disconnected the pipes leading to the tap, put them in his mouth and drank as much as he could. The man, drunk and fast asleep, was found by an overnight cleaning crew.
September 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NUDITY OK, BARE-BOTTOMED SITTING NOT OK _ A San Francisco official has introduced a proposed ordinance that would ban bare bottoms from being planted on public seats. Supervisor Scott Wiener would modify the San Francisco Police Code to prevent those practicing public nudity, which is legal in city, from from utilizing public benches or other public seating "without clothing or some other separate material between the person's genitals, buttocks or anal region and the seating surface." The ordinance would also ban nudity in the city's restaurants.
September 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN BORROWS MOTORIZED CART FROM WALMART _ You know those electric shopping carts you can use while shopping at Walmart? Then you likely also know that you're supposed to return the cart when you are done shopping. You're certainly not supposed to keep it for 11 days until you get ticketed by police for driving it down a public road. But this was apparently all news to a woman in upstate New York, who was stopped by police after the cops spotted her cruising the streets of her town in a Walmart shopping cart she'd used 11 days earlier and never returned. The woman told police she'd left with the $1,000 cart because her back hurt but she intended to eventually return it to the store.
September 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BAD WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER _ A British couple said their wedding cruise was tainted when the ship's photographer turned out to be less professional than advertised. The bride and groom said the photographer aboard the cruise liner took photos that include blurry shots of guests, a photo of the bride with her head cut off, pictures of empty seats and even a snapshot of himself in the mirror. The bride said she later learned the photographer was really a cruise liner chef who had no idea what he was doing. They'd paid $958 for the photographer on their cruise.
September 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NAKED GUY SAYS HE'S HELPING PEOPLE _ Robert Johnson of Vero Beach, Florida, likes to give back to his community by strolling along the beach while completely naked. It's what he calls "helping." Unfortunately for Johnson, some Vero Beach folks don't classify such activities as "helping." During one of his recent public service missions, he was arrested by local police officers who found him standing in a public showering area in front of a small group of people and nude. When asked for his ID, Johnson told police, "You can't take me to jail for this, I'm just out here helping people."
September 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CITED FOR MOWING LAWN AT 4:30AM _ An Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, man said he was doing a good deed when he was arrested and cited for mowing his yard and a neighbor's yard Friday morning. Phil Ray Gage was arrested on a complaint of disturbing the peace after a neighbor called police to report him for mowing at 4:30am.
August 2011
August 31st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN BUYS FAKE iPAD IN McDONALD'S PARKING LOT _ A South Carolina woman was approached by two men in a McDonald's parking lot where they offered to sell her an iPad for $300. She only had $180, but they gave it to her anyway. When she got home, she found out it was really just a block of wood with an Apple logo painted on the back. Apparently the con men selling Ashley McDowell the goods claimed they bought them in bulk and were selling them at a discount.
August 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: EX-GIRLFRIEND PEANUT BUTTERS MAN'S CAR _ A Michigan man surely is asking himself why he ever dated this woman. He awoke one recent morning to find that his car was covered in peanut butter, dog food and maple syrup. The man's ex-girlfriend is suspected to be responsible.
August 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FUGITIVE TRIES TO HITCH RIDE WITH WRONG PERSON _ A fugitive prisoner was rearrested after he tried to hitch a ride with the wrong people. The man escaped from a prison in Brazil. He walked alone until he reached a road where he planned to hitch a ride. Once he got to the road he flagged down an unmarked car. He began talking to the driver and his friend and confessed to them he had fled from jail. Turns out they were police detectives in an unmarked car.
August 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STATUE OWNER GETS NOTE FROM THIEVES _ The owner of a missing 28-foot statue in Florida said he received a letter claiming to be from the thieves along with a piece of fiberglass. Elmer Tabor said he received a letter Wednesday, the seventh say since Big John's disappearance, claiming to be from the abductors of the statue, which had stood at Rotary Park in Cape Coral since 1966, the Fort Myers News-Press reported Thursday. The note read: "Ignore the pretenders. We have him; part of his shirt is attached. Hesitate and he will become a boat. Instructions to follow."
August 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PHONE THIEF UPLOADS PHOTOS OF HIMSELF TO WEB _ A photo sharing website called Photobucket has a mobile phone app that allows users to automatically upload mobile pictures to the company's photo-sharing website. It's an app that Korey Heess is unlikely to forget anytime soon, after allegedly snapping a picture of himself that was used by police to identify him as a smartphone thief. Police in California (Salinas) had been investigating a rash of purse snatchings at local stores when one of their victims uncovered some new evidence a few days ago. Not long after her phone was stolen, a picture of a young man with a goatee and earrings popped up in her Photobucket picture-sharing account. The man was staring intently at the camera -- her camera -- as he snapped a self-portrait on a wall-sized mirror. She recognized him instantly. With photo in hand, police linked the man to two other thefts. And when they broadcast the picture on a local TV station, the tips started pouring in
August 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MEN CALL 911 ON THEMSELVES _ The late-night 911 call was calm: Brian Austin told the dispatcher that there were about five men in his Bloomingdale, Georgia, yard, and one had broken into his car. The second call was a bit more frantic: the men were in his house now, and Austin and his friend were terrified. When the deputies arrived, the two came running to the door and pointed out to the deputies that the suspects were climbing into a boat and getting away. Wait, a boat? Deputies went in the and searched, but found no evidence of intruders. They did find a meth lab, however. Cops say the men were so high they called 911 on themselves
August 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK TRIES TO JAM WITH THE BAND _ A Michigan man might want to hit the brakes on his festival excitement next time. The man was attending a concert in a park (in Fenton) when police said he decided to get up on stage and join the evening's entertainment. He started playing air guitar then tried to take away the microphone before police stepped in and arrested him for disorderly conduct. The man was drunk as a skunk — he blew a .33, which is about four times the legal limit.
August 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THE WORLD'S HIGHEST SPEEDING TICKET _ In Taiwan a guy was shocked when he received a speeding ticket and a fine of $24,000 from police for driving at 1,008 miles per hour. When the guy called the Department of Motor Vehicles, a staffer said he had never seen anything like the speeding ticket. Turns out it was a typing error.
August 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUMB AND DUMBER GET LOCKED IN POLICE VAN _ Ryan Letchford and Jeffrey Olson were attending a party in Radnor, Pennsylvania. The two drunk men then wandered out to a parking lot where they found an unlocked constable's van and decided to have some fun. They took photos of themselves in the van, pretending to be arrested. But when they tried to leave, they found themselves locked in. A friend came looking for them, and couldn't figure out how to open the door either, so he called 911. Constable Mike Conor said, "I came down and unlocked the doors, and 'Dumb and Dumber' pranced out of the van." Letchford and Olson were charged with attempted theft of a motor vehicle, public drunkenness, and criminal mischief.
August 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CONSISTENT LITTERER _ For two years, Gary Bukaty of Bonner Springs, Kansas, found an empty tea bottle in his yard almost daily. Bukaty thought, "Who litters every day?" Eventually he'd had enough, set up a camera and finally caught Carole Green tossing a bottle out of her SUV. At her hearing Green told a judge: "It was nothing personal." She said Bukaty's house is the exact distance it takes for her to finish her morning bottle of tea on the way to work, and she was tossing them there out of habit. The judge ordered her to pay $1,160 in fines and court costs.
August 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCHOOL NOT OKAY, THEN OKAY WITH POO POO TALK _ A kindergarten student in Houston, Texas, was suspended for a day because he called another student a "poo poo head". His parents, Randy and Tammy Harris, agreed with the suspension, but then during his first grade year he came home with a book from the school library called "The Adventures of Super Duper Diaper Baby", in which a baby with super powers battles a giant mutated piece of poo poo. Tammy Harris thinks the book is gross. And furthermore, she was upset because the book used the very phrase her son was suspended for using.
August 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SELLS ROOMMATE'S CAR _ Anyone who has ever shared living space with someone else knows that roommates can be a bit challenging. Not chipping in for bills, eating your food, etc. Then there's the Michigan woman who told police she split town for a few days only to return and find her car gone. The woman told cops that her roomie had forged her signature and sold the car for $300.
August 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PURSE SNATCHER LEAVES DENTURES BEHIND _ Brazilian authorities seeking to take a bite out of crime caught a lucky break when a purse-snatcher unwittingly left behind key evidence that led to the thief's arrest. The robber grabbed a woman's handbag (in Severina) and managed to escape. The news quickly spread within the small community, and the thief would have remained at large had it not been for an alert farmer who found the thief's dentures and turned them in to police. Investigators promptly showed up at the home of the thief, who was missing most of his front teeth. He was told to put on the dentures and they fit perfectly.
August 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RESCUERS GET LOST _ Authorities in Massachusetts said three rescuers searching for a lost woman in the forest ended up lost themselves when they found the woman. Fall River police said two officers and an environmental officer began searching in the Freetown State Forest Monday night when a 25-year-old woman was reported lost in the preserve. The officers found the woman safe just before midnight but the group soon discovered they did not know the way out of the woods. The group was found by a Massachusetts State Police helicopter less than a half-hour later and they were guided to safety.
August 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CRASHES THROUGH WALL, WANTS HOT DOGS _ Sixty-eight year old Leonard Webb says his gas pedal got stuck, and that's why he plowed through the wall at the B&K Rootbeer Drive-In in Kokomo, Indiana. After punching through the brick wall, his truck ended up in the fryer area of the kitchen. He hit the fryer, which splattered an employee. B&K's owner said it "was like an explosion went off." But when the dust settled Webb got out and tried to order some hot dogs
August 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF PULLS DRUGS OUT OF UNDERWEAR DURING HEARING _ Swedish authorities said a theft suspect pulled stolen medicines from his underwear in the middle of his remand hearing. The man initially denied the charges against him but changed his mind and pleaded guilty to aggravated theft during his remand hearing. Police say the man reached into his underwear during the hearing and pulled out the medications he was accused of stealing from a residence.
August 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAB DRIVER NEARLY KILLED BY NOODLES _ Instant noodles almost claimed the life of a cab driver in China when a truck packed with the delicious snack rolled as it attempted to turn in an intersection. As the truck came around the corner toward him, the cab driver said he was powerless to do anything but sit and wait for the impact. A likely lawsuit is due to be filed by lawyers because the truck was said to be heavily loaded with an excessive quantity of two-minute noodles.
August 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER GIVES BACK SOME OF THE MONEY _ A robber hit a bank in South Bend, Indiana, demanding the teller hand over her "$100s, $50s and $10s." After she handed over the cash, the robber said, "You gave me too many tens. Here's some of the tens back." Then the man then ran.
August 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FISH ADDICTED TO KIT KATS _ A fish in the UK called Gary has had to be weaned off his favorite snack. Staff at the Sea Life London Aquarium were very confused when the 9.9 pound rescued fish refused to eat. They later realized he'd been brought up on nothing but chocolate Kit Kats. So the team stuffed chocolate inside grapes to fool Gary into eating fruit. He's now eating nothing but grapes and bananas.
August 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDMA GETS EVEN WITH BURGLAR _ A Kansas City woman said she was injured while fighting off an armed burglar who broke into her home, but she thinks she got a few licks in, too. Jessica Thomas said she was returning from a walk with her two grandchildren. She said when they returned, they noticed that the front door had been kicked in. She said an armed man grabbed her 10-year-old grandson and 5-year-old granddaughter and told her to come inside. Thomas said, "You don't mess with the grandkids. That's the mother lion instinct. I didn't think if he got us in the house with a gun that we would come out." She said the burglar pistol-whipped her, breaking her arm and cutting her forehead. But she said she didn't back down, attacking the man in a particularly sensitive spot. Thomas added: "I threw myself in front of the door and decided at that point I was going to make a field goal kick in his groin, and I did." The man fled.
August 3rd
August 2nd
August 1st
Bruce was on vacation
July 29th
July 28th
July 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLARS FILM DISCUSSION OF BREAK-IN _ A Florida trio who filmed themselves discussing breaking into a home noting that they hoped the owner "didn't have the alarm system" were each sentenced this week to spend 180 days in county jail after pleading no contest to felony burglary charges. Joshua VanSlyke, Anthony VanSlyke and Gregory Williams filmed themselves on a camera belonging to the VanSlykes' mother that police later found in one of their pockets.
July 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEW ZEALAND BANS THE NAME LUCIFER _ Naming your new bundle of joy Lucifer has been effectively banned by New Zealand's names registrar after three parents had the odd request turned down. The country's Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages has been cracking down on moms and dads getting too creative with their children's names, ruling out punctuation marks such as . (period), * (asterisk) and / (the forward slash). The list of 102 names rejected in the past two years includes Baron, Bishop, Duke, General, Judge, Justice, King, Knight and Mr.
... Messiah was also turned down, as was 89, and the single letters, C, D, I and T, although Q and J were accepted.
... It's a new hard line for the agency that made headlines around the world in 2008 when it approved a bunch of strange monikers, among them Benson and Hedges, twins named after the cigarette brand, and Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter, both for boys.
... One little girl was so traumatized by her name, Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, that she had it legally changed at age nine.
... Messiah was also turned down, as was 89, and the single letters, C, D, I and T, although Q and J were accepted.
... It's a new hard line for the agency that made headlines around the world in 2008 when it approved a bunch of strange monikers, among them Benson and Hedges, twins named after the cigarette brand, and Violence and Number 16 Bus Shelter, both for boys.
... One little girl was so traumatized by her name, Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, that she had it legally changed at age nine.
July 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE SHOOT DOWN NAKED MAN ON POLE _ Have you ever been stupid angry? Just so upset that you didn't know what to do with yourself? Well one man in southern China knew exactly what to do to satisfy his rage. Asked to move from his begging spot the 43-year-old man removed all his clothes and climbed a huge pole. After several hours of fruitless negotiations, authorities felt they had but one solution. They shot him with a tranquilizer dart and caught him in a sling, kind of like a bear in the wild. It was confirmed, as you would suspect of a naked man on a pole, that the man was drunk.
July 22nd
WACKY BUT TRUE: CROSSING LIGHTS GIVE COMMUTERS THE FINGER_Have you ever had one of those days where the world seems out to get you, your train's late, you get splashed by a passing car and even the traffic lights are give you the finger? Well that's what happened to people in Texas recently, when malfunctioning streetlights started flipping people the bird. Sets of lights in Amarillo suffered a fault whereby not all of the lights, which make up the hand on the stop light, were illuminated. This gave the effect that the normal red palm had become the hand gesture of sticking up one finger at pedestrians. City officials say they've already had to replace at least six of the offensive cross walk signs.
July 21st
WACKY BUT TRUE: TAKE ME IN, I'M SURE I'M WANTED FOR SOMETHING! In Bluefield, West Virginia, 32-year-old Arlis Dempsey Jr. was out with his three kids when he noticed a group of police officers investigating something. Certain it was him they were after, Arlis left the three kids on the street and made a run for it. When police caught up with him it turns out he was not the subject of their investigation and not wanted for anything. Unfortunately, now he will face charges of child endangerment for leaving the kids alone on the street!
July 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AIRLINE FINE FOR NOT SERVING IN FRENCH _ A Canadian Federal Court judge fined Air Canada $12,000 this week after an Ottawa man accused the airline of failing to serve him in French during several flights he took in 2009. The court ruled Air Canada didn't respect its linguistic obligations under the Official Languages Act. The man (Michel Thibodeau) filed a similar language complaint against Air Canada in 2002 and won.
July 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BROTHER AND SISTER FIGHT OVER SANDWICH _ Fights between brothers and sisters aren't anything new, but rarely do they land the siblings in jail. In Alabama Demarcus and Brittany Peoples were arrested on domestic violence charges after an argument... over a sandwich. Brittany says she left a sandwich in the refrigerator Sunday night and that Demarcus proceeded to eat it without her permission. When she questioned him about it, he became violent. Demarcus says Brittany came into his room Monday morning, yelling about the sandwich. She tried to pour shampoo on him and then struck him several times. Both were arrested. A sheriff's deputy said after the incident, "That must have been one good sandwich."
July 18th
WACKY BUT TRUE-WHAT TO NEVER SAY TO POLICE_In Boulder, Colorado, 23-year-old Landon Christopher Jensen uttered what may be the dumbest thing ever said to a police officer in recorded history. While being taken to the Boulder County Jail to serve a sentence for auto theft and driving under the influence, Jensen allegedly managed to briefly escape, despite being handcuffed in the back seat of a police car. The officer had left the window down because it was hot in the car and he wanted Jensen to have some air. But while at a stop light, the officer looked in his rear view mirror and realized Jensen had managed to get his hands in front of his body. The officer tried to roll up the window, but before he could do so, Jensen reached out the window and opened the door from the outside. He then jumped out of the vehicle and ran south. He was re-arrested after a brief chase But here's the best part. According to the police report, during the final ride to the jail, Jensen told officers, "I made you guys work for it today."
July 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SPIDER SHUT DOWN SUPERMARKET _ German officials crawled all over a supermarket (in Bexbach) trying to find a Brazilian wandering spider that forced an evacuation. But now they believe they've killed the highly venomous arachnid. The spider was first discovered when an employee spotted a large, grayish, hairy spider about five inches long scuttle under a shelf while unloading bananas. An employee checked the internet for images of spiders resembling the one he had just seen and was shocked to find the spidery suspect matched the description for the Brazilian Wandering Spider -- known as one of the world's most venomous and aggressive spiders. Employees spent a few days disposing of all fruits, vegetables and meats before exterminators fumigated the entire store. Although the spider wasn't found, a spokesman for the supermarket chain is confident it has been eliminated.
July 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN GETS OK TO WEAR PASTA STRAINER IN D.L. PHOTO _ An Austrian has won the right to be photographed wearing a pasta strainer for his driving license on grounds of religious freedom. Niko Alm announced the decision on his blog saying that after three years of struggle a psychologist had labeled him fit drive and should wear the kitchen implement for the official picture. Alm, who calls himself a "pastafarian", said he belongs to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which lampoons religion. On his blog Alm wrote: "Today I was able to get my new driving license, and in it you can clearly see that I'm wearing a colander on my head to demonstrate my allegiance to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster."
July 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ASLEEP AT THE TACO BELL _ A Taco Bell restaurant in Appleton, Wisconsin, called police at 2:30am, reporting a man was passed out in his car in the drive-through lane. Officers tapped on the window, but couldn't get his attention. When he finally woke up, he turned up the music on his stereo and started bobbing his head to the music. Once officers got the man out of his car, they asked him to perform field sobriety tests. The man told the cops, "C'mon, we're not all stupid here. Do you even need to do these on me? Serious. C'mon." He was arrested and charged with drunk driving, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and driving with a revoked license.
July 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF MAKES RECORD OF ARMED ROBBERY _ British thief Jonathan Ochola was convicted of taking part in an armed robbery after writing about it in his diary. The 21-year-old claimed he was at home watching soccer on TV while his partner in crime stole hundreds of dollars from a store (Southsea, Hants). In fact Ochola, was his partner's getaway driver and the pair split the money they stole. Ochola was arrested after police found an entry in his diary on the date of the robbery which said simply: "Go Portsmouth. Robbery Happens."
July 11th
APOLOGY AFTER EMAIL INCLUDES BRA SIZES _ An Indianapolis police commander issued a personal apology to 13 female officers after their bra size, height and weight were included in a departmental email this week. The email was sent Tuesday to 37 commanders and was intended to tell supervisors to inform their officers that their new protective vests were ready to be picked up. Attached to the email, however, was a spreadsheet listing the names and sizes of 91 officers, including the chest and waist sizes for 13 women whose vests needed special tailoring.
July 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FIREWORKS + COFFEE GRINDER + BOOM _ A do-it-yourself fireworks experiment resulted in an explosive Fourth for a Colorado man. It seems Sean Ogden was looking to combine his small fireworks into larger ones, so he decided that mixing them together in a coffee grinder would do the trick. He did get a bigger boom, when the resulting explosion shook houses up to a quarter-mile away and gave him severe burns.
July 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK LICKS COP'S COMPUTER _ California Highway Patrol officers stopped Olan Yahal Mitchell for speeding in Santa Rosa early Saturday morning. Mitchell, who the officers believed was driving under the influence, refused to submit to field sobriety tests and was put in the front seat of the police cruiser. A police report says that while seated, Mitchell began to lick the keyboard of the officer's computer. One of the cops ordered Mitchell to not interfere with any equipment. Mitchell repeated this behavior, and the officer reached in to move the computer out of his reach. That's when Mitchell kicked the officer, prompting both officers to restrain him and put him the back of a "caged" patrol cruiser.
July 6th
July 5th
July 4th
Vacation (you too, I'll bet)
July 1st
June 30th
June 29th
June 28th
June 27th
June 24th
June 23rd
June 22nd
June 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OF ALL THE DOORS IN THE WORLD YOU HAD TO KNOCK ON THIS ONE _ 39-year-old James Edward Russell managed to escape from the Washington state penitentiary -- and he might have made it -- had he not knocked on the wrong door. The day after his escape, and still wearing his prison uniform, he knocked on a cabin door hoping to use the phone. The only problem was the man renting the lodge just happened to be an off-duty guard at the prison he just fled. After a short scuffle, Russell ran off again. The guard reported the incident and Mr. Russell was caught a few hours later. He had been serving time for forgery and theft. Now he's also serving time for escaping from prison.
June 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NO HATS, NO HOODS, NO BRAINS _ When the man entered the bank in Columbus, Ohio, wearing a dark jacket with a hood and got in line for the teller, he had his hood up covering most of his face. When he got to the front of the line, the teller pointed out the bank has a "No hats, no hoods" policy. The man pulled the hood down to reveal his face -- and handed the teller a note saying he had a gun and to give him all the money or he'd shoot. The teller complied with the demand, and the bank's security camera got clear photos of the man's face.
June 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TRIES TO REMOVE WART WITH SHOTGUN _ Sean Murphy just couldn't accept his middle finger as-was. For five years a thumbnail-sized wart near its tip itched and maybe even hurt him. Nothing ever made it go away. So one day Murphy drank some beer, grabbed his shotgun, and took bold action. The Englishman stretched out his left hand, pointing the end of the barrel at an angle to the offending wart, and used his other hand to hold the stock steady and pull the trigger. But he was unable to hold the weapon firmly when it recoiled and pellets took off most of his finger. Sadly, Murphy's innovative home surgery procedure cost him more than his fingertip: The authorities charged him for failing to possess a valid certificate for the gun.
June 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PLEASE TEXT ABOUT TEXTERS _ Ontario County, New York, Sheriff Phil Povero says "The problem is so enormous locally and nationwide that we're trying to be proactive and innovative." The problem he's referring to: people talking and texting on cell phones while driving, which is illegal in New York. Povero says, "With the number of people using cell phones, the police officers are not going to witness all these events. We're asking people to join us in our mission to enhance the safety of the highways." And so Povero wants citizens to call the sheriff to report violators they see on the roads.
June 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MOTORCYCLIST BLAMES CRASH ON BOOGEYMAN _ Police in Florida said a man accused of crashing his motorcycle told officers it wasn't his fault. The Florida Highway Patrol said James Scarborough was taken to a hospital with minor injuries Sunday after he apparently crashed his motorcycle into some trees and became pinned under the vehicle. Scarborough was shouting profanities and attempting to leave his hospital bed when they arrived to interview him. They said he denied crashing his motorcycle and told them he had become pinned under the bike due to the actions of the "boogeyman." And, of course, officers said they smelled a strong odor of alcohol on Scarborough's breath.
June 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK DRIVER GOES IN REVERSE _ A 49-year-old Michigan (Independence Township) man didn't have to take a sobriety test to show he was drunk. A sheriff's deputy was checking on a possible drunken driver call when he pulled the man over. The man allegedly tried to drive off but hit reverse -- backing directly into the cruiser. The cruiser received minor damage.
June 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER WORE LIP GLOSS _ San Diego police say a teller at a bank would not give money to a man who gave her a demand note Saturday. The man left the bank and bank workers called police. Bank workers described the alleged attempted robber as a black man in his 20s, about 175 pounds, wearing a flowered white shirt, white hat, sunglasses and a lot of lip gloss.
June 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER FORGETS TO BRING BAG _ An Okeechobee, Florida, man had attempted to rob a bank but ended up with a change of plans. Joseph Alan Price allegedly gave the teller a note in which he had instructed her to put cash into a bag. She told Price, who didn't seem to be armed, that she didn't have a bag to put the cash in. Price again pointed to the note, and she insisted that she had no bag for the cash. So Price was forced to abandon the robbery and leave with no money at all. He grabbed the bicycle he had stashed in the nearby woods, and rode away. Price was arrested within minutes.
June 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WITH ZERO MORTGAGE BALANCE GETS FORECLOSURE NOTICE _ Bank of America left a Massachusetts homeowner scratching his head when he received a foreclosure notice warning him that his property would end up in foreclosure if he didn't immediately pay the amount of zero dollars and zero cents. The man says he tried contacting Bank of America to find out what was going on, but was unsuccessful. A local TV station made some calls for the man and, suddenly Bank of America, couldn't stop calling him. Bank of America says that a bank error was applying the homeowner's payments "to the wrong section of the account."
June 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SETS BRUSH FIRE TO GET BACK IN CAR _ A woman in Fresno, California, locked herself out of her car. So, naturally, to get help getting inside she did something illegal. Jena Liberty had locked her keys in the car at about 4am. She tried to use a freeway callbox, but said it was disconnected. So to get attention she decided to set a nearby hillside on fire. She definitely got the attention of police and fire officials. The fire burned about a half-acre of brush before it was quickly put out. Liberty was arrested.
June 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TITANIC SINKS AGAIN _ If you name a boat after the most famous sinking ship in history, you've got to expect trouble. Sure enough, Mark Wilkinson's boat, which he called the Titanic II, sank in the harbor at Dorset, England, over the weekend. Wilkinson was on vacation in the area and had headed out on a trip when the boat, like its doomed namesake, began to take on water.
June 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: UNCONSCIOUS HYPNOTIST LEAVES PEOPLE IN TRANCE _ In England, hypnotist David Days tripped over a participant's leg and fell unconscious during a performance on Friday. Three people were "asleep" onstage at the time; when Days couldn't be roused after a few minutes, the audience was asked to leave. Days came around a short time later and "woke up" the hypnotized volunteers. Days' team claims he really did trip; the theater manager insists it was all part of the show.
June 3rd
Bruce was live from Disneyland today and wasn't keeping track of NTDMTN.
June 2nd
Bruce was live from Disneyland today and wasn't keeping track of NTDMTN.
June 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TRASH CAN THIEF SHOWS ID TO RECYCLERS _ After a police investigation, the mystery of where fifty of the city of Pittsburgh's metal trash cans ran off to has been solved. And the culprit wasn't who most suspected. The cans were installed through a partnership with a company called Lamar Advertising, and the man arrested for trying to recycle them just happens to work for Lamar. The criminal mastermind sold the cans to a scrap yard using aliases, but handed over his actual driver's license when employees became suspicious and asked for ID. As of Saturday, twenty of the fifty vanished cans had been recovered from scrap yards.
May 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TO GET MONEY HUSBAND TELLS BOSSES HIS WIFE DIED _ Police in Hudson, New Hampshire, say Scott Wellington told his bosses at C&M Machine that his wife was seriously ill with cancer. C&M Machine donated $7,000 to help Wellington cover her medical expenses. Police said Wellington later told his employers that his wife had died. Officers said Wellington's wife didn't know about the plan until she received a sympathy card from the company about her death. Wellington's wife called the company and let them know that she was still alive. The company then called police.
May 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GIRLFRIEND GETS EVEN WITH PIPPA-LOVING MAN _ An unlucky guy in England seems to have paid the ultimate price for making the error of telling his partner she wasn't as attractive as Pippa Middleton. The man's car (a Peugeot) was caught on camera driving down the road (in Birmingham) with 'Is Pippa's Bum Still Better Than Mine???' spray-painted across the side of it in white paint. It appears the scorned woman took revenge on the unknown man, who apparently made the mistake of expressing his admiration for the royal maid of honor's most talked about feature.
May 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: UNDERCOVER COP ASKED TO PROM _ Florida police have launched "Operation D Minus," featuring new police recruits going undercover as high school students. Palm Beach County school police have announced about 30 arrests, mostly students suspected of drug dealing. One female officer told the newspaper she had to do homework and take the the Florida achievement test. She was invited to the prom but could not go. She did get into trouble for wearing an overly short skirt to school.
May 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMEN IN HATS ARE PICKPOCKETS _ If you're at the mall in Sterling Heights, Michigan, don't assume that sweet, old lady in a hat just returned from the royal wedding. She might be there to rob you. Police in the Detroit suburb say an all-female criminal ring, made up of middle-aged and elderly women, are running a sophisticated con in which they allegedly pick the pockets of unsuspecting shoppers and use the stolen credit cards elsewhere. Nicknamed the "Mad Hatters," the ring is made up of at least six women who frequently wear hats to disguise their identities and have allegedly swiped more than $500,000 in the past year and half.
May 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER RETURNS TO BUY SMOKES _ A Florida man suspected of robbing a convenience store at gunpoint (in Minneola) returned to the business the following day to buy cigarettes and was recognized by clerks. Though the gunman was wearing a mask during the alleged robbery, the victim told detectives he pulled it down and exposed his face.
May 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SO DRUNK SHE COULDN'T OPEN WINDOWS _ There are plenty of signs that a person may be driving drunk. But Breckenridge, Colorado's Cynthia Sammon may have invented a couple of new ones. Sammon was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after she was unable to successfully roll down her window or open her car doors. Finally a deputy asked Sammon to unlock her doors, which did the trick.
May 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF LEAVES NAME BEHIND _ Whoever burglarized an unlocked car at a Bradenton, Florida, apartment complex this week left behind a telltale clue. A man and woman told cops that sometime between Monday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon, someone took various items belonging to them from a car parked at their apartment complex. When an officer inspected the car's interior, he discovered that the thief had inadvertently dropped a pawn ticket with his name on it. The victims didn't recognize the name but police are following the lead.
May 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NAKED MAN STEALS TRUCK, GOES FOR RUN _ Is there anything that an empowered naked man can't do? According to Jefferson County, Ohio police, a naked man ran down a local highway before stealing a truck, speeding through a construction zone, then ultimately wrecking before fleeing on foot. Police say 49-year-old Terry Sine Jr. was the naked man in question, speeding through a construction zone at almost double the posted speed limit before crashing the stolen vehicle. A construction worker who was on duty during Sine's big naked adventure told a TV reporter, "We were standing here when he got out of the truck, running through there. He was, yep, butt naked."
May 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TYPO SENDS VOTER CALLS TO PHONE SEX LINE _ Indiana officials said a typo caused residents calling a voter information hotline number distributed in a news release to be connected with a phone sex line. The Indiana Secretary of State's office said the number given for the Hoosier Voter Hotline was the incorrect number and caused callers to be connected with a recording telling them to dial a second number for "fun, stimulating conversation."
May 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: KID GOES TO PROM IN WEINERMOBILE _ Dallas, Texas-area high schooler Ben Ross was seriously injured while riding his motorcycle last month. While at his hospital bedside, his mom remembered Ben joking about going to the prom in the Oscar Mayer "Weinermobile." So she launched an online campaign and convinced Oscar Mayer to send the distinctive hot dog-shaped vehicle to take Ben and girlfriend Molly to Saturday's prom. And sure enough, on Saturday night Ben made it to his prom in the vehicle of his dreams — a giant hot dog.
May 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GANG ROBS WRONG TRUCK _ In Russia a gang came up with a plan to rob an armored car. They cut down some trees, blocked off a remote country road, and waited for their victims to drive up. Not long after, the truck screeched to a halt at the log barricade. The gang jumped out of their hiding spots and pointed guns at the driver, screaming at him to open the door. The flustered driver did as he was told, but when the gang looked inside, they didn't see the bags of money they were expecting. Instead, the truck was full of cheese. It was the wrong truck. The gang ran away without taking anything.
May 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAT DOOR USED BY BURGLARS _ Florida police (Sanford) said burglars used a woman's cat door to burglarize her home, but they don't believe they crawled through it. Beatrice Zigo said she came home and realized the hard plastic cover for her pet door, which prevents the cat from going in and out, was missing. After that, she said she realized her cat was acting strangely. Police told her they believe someone pushed up the hard plastic cover, then reached through the plastic flap and unlocked the door. Police pulled prints from the cat door flap and are waiting to find out if they have a match to anyone.
April 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK INSISTS ON GOING THROUGH DRIVE-THRU _ Police near Cleveland got a call about a car weaving and going off a road at a little after 1am. A patrolman tracked the vehicle to the drive-thru of a Taco Bell restaurant and pulled up alongside. The police report says the driver had sunglasses on and her speech was slurred. She was ordered to get out of the line, but first she proceeded to the second window to grab her order. Police say the woman's blood-alcohol level tested at nearly twice the legal limit.
April 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HAS SEIZURE IN RESTAURANT, GETS HANDED BILL _ In Australia, onlookers at a dumpling restaurant (Shifu Dumpling Express) called paramedics when a man fell to the ground suffering an apparent seizure while enjoying a meal with a friend Tuesday. As the man was being loaded into the ambulance and his friend was climbing in to join him, a waiter came and handed the friend the bill. The friend said she was disgusted at the restaurant's actions.
April 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BAD MATH _ Police say a Connecticut man poured about $200 worth of gasoline onto a city street then went to a scrap metal yard and tried to sell the empty container worth $60. Emilio Valentine was charged with illegally dumping hazardous material.
April 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GROCERY STORE OPENS ITSELF _ A New Zealand grocery store's computer system opened the doors and turned on the lights from 1am on Good Friday until around 9am, possibly due to a "computer glitch". The early-morning free-for-all ended when police were contacted and told that people were taking "truckloads of groceries". Some people were honest, however; the owner reports that 12 people used the automated check-out lanes and paid for their items.
April 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: EYE-LESS WOMAN WANTED INTO POLICE STATION _ In Flint, Michigan, a woman was trying to get inside the police station. Irate about something and sitting right outside the locked door, the woman was screaming at the top of her lungs. As a local newspaper reporter approached, the woman started saying, "They closed. They won't let me in." Then she said, "I need to get my eye out my purse." Turns out she wasn't making it up -- she was actually missing her left eye. After the reporter was let inside the police station the woman kept screaming. The cops finally had enough when she began violently shaking at the doors. Three of them went out and arrested her for disorderly conduct.
April 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG GETS HELP CHASING POSTMAN _ In Poland, a blind boxer dog named Baks has got a new lease of life -- after being taken under the wing of a pet goose called Buttons. Buttons the four-year-old goose leads her pal around everywhere either by hanging onto him with her neck, or by honking to tell him which way to go. Baks' owner was heartbroken when he was left blind after an accident last year. 'But gradually Buttons got him up on his feet and starting walking him around. Baks' owner says they're inseparable now and even chase the postman together.
April 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TURNS HIMSELF IN FOR ONE PILL _ A 38-year-old Florida man brought a prescription pill to a police station (in DeFuniak Springs) and asked to be arrested for drug possession. Christopher Dennis Dollars went into the police station lobby and handed the pill -- the single pill -- to an officer. He told the officer that he needed to be arrested for possession of Xanax without a prescription. The officer found that Dollars was indeed in possession of the prescription drug and complied with his request to be arrested.
April 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BIRDS DIVING AT BANK CUSTOMERS _ Customers of a Florida bank (Hallandale Beach) are ducking for cover after several birds protecting their nests have been diving at people's heads. Just before the bank closes for the day, at a time when foot traffic is at its highest, they attack. Like a well-organized street gang, the flock of angry birds has claimed the bank's parking lot. Those who frequent the area have come to recognize one chatty mockingbird as the lookout and a grackle as the leader of the aggressive flock. When their call goes out, people who have seen them in action recommend that you duck.
April 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOOD BURNING EL CAMINO _ There are cars that run on gas, electric, natural gas, deep-fryer grease from restaurants and, now, wood. A Finnish politician has converted his American-built El Camino to run on woodgas. The 1987 El Camino, affectionately dubbed "El Kamina", or "The Stove", features a woodgas generator taking up about half of the truckbed. El Kamina's 400 Chevy engine can take the 4,400 pound truck around 800 total miles of travel.
April 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN STRIPS TO LOSE HER SCENT _ When police arrived to investigate a single-car crash in Port St. Lucie, Florida, witnesses told officers the occupants of the car had run off. The odd part: the driver was pulling off her clothing as she ran. Officers followed the trail of discarded garments to a wood area and sent a police dog in to find her. It did: by then Angela C. Ferranti was down to her bra and panties. Police figure she stripped "in an attempt to conceal her scent from the K-9." Ferranti was charged with drunk driving, possession of drug paraphernalia and leaving the scene of an accident.
April 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN DRIVES BUMPER CARS DOWN ROAD _ In China, a man was caught driving two amusement bumper cars down a busy road, one hand on each steering wheel. The man was given a warning.
April 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POORLY PLACED BILLBOARD _ A billboard company (Clear Channel) has been forced to apologize after placing a billboard for The Walking Dead right next to a funeral home in England. A spokesman for the funeral home called the whole thing "disappointing," and the billboard company said it regrets the "unfortunate juxtaposition" and removed the ad right away.
April 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WORST CHOICE OF WEAPON….EVER!_Police in Henry County, Georgia are looking for 44-year-old Anthony Craig Dobson who allegedly managed to rob two businesses using a simple garage door opener as his weapon of choice. Dobson reportedly "armed" himself with the garage door opener and a telephone cord wrapped around it -- claiming the device was a bomb that he would detonate if the two businesses didn't hand over their cash. Hey, it worked and he left both locations with an undisclosed amount of cash. Police also want to question Dobson in connection with two other armed robberies. They say they've got an open and shut case.
April 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OLD MUG TURNS OUT TO BE WORTH A LOT _ John Weber, a 70-year-old from England, was given a metal mug by his grandfather in 1945. Though his grandfather had a "good eye' for antiques, John never thought the metal mug was worth much. He played with it as a child, and even used it as a target for his air rifle. The mug, assumed to be brass, has sat in a shoe box under Weber's bed for decades. Well, it turns out Weber's old mug may be the world's most expensive target. The cup is actually made of solid gold, and is a rare, ancient artwork, crafted over 2300 years ago. The unusual mug, decorated with twin, opposite-facing female heads, was appraised with a value exceeding $250,000. Weber discovered its value when he decided to have the old mug appraised when he moved from his house. He was shocked to learn that the mug is a Persian gold treasure, beaten out from a single sheet of gold before the time of Alexander the Great.
April 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CLOTHES MAKE THE ROBBER _ In Charlotte, North Carolina, 25-year-old Jonathan Tyrone Huntley sure doesn't know how to dress for a home invasion. After allegedly committing a home invasion robbery, a T-shirt fell out of his car as he was making a quick getaway. Not just any T-shirt -- a T-shirt bearing his photo -- as a mug shot and the slogan: "Making money is my thang." The two victims, who were robbed of a wallet and jewelry, confirmed this was the man who robbed him. Two days later, after plenty of publicity, Huntley turned himself in.
April 4th thru April 8th Bruce was on vacation
April 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GIVE MONEY, I GUN _ A grammatically challenged ex-con has admitted that he robbed a Minnesota bank. Joe Nathan Michael pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court. According to the plea agreement: Michael gave the teller a note that read "Give money, I gun," leaving her confused about what he wanted. He then told her to give him all the money and don't push any buttons. She handed over some money, some bait bills used for tracking, and a concealed electronic tracking device. Michael was found standing at a nearby bus stop.
March 31st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERY FOILED BY OFF-THE-HOOK PHONE _ Police in Ohio say that someone called Topper's Pizza (in Clifton) early Monday morning and placed a large order. The customer apparently forgot to hang up the phone, and the employee who took the order stayed on the line heard a plan to rob the delivery driver for the order. The worker called 911, and an undercover police officer replaced the normal delivery driver. When the undercover officer delivered the pizzas, the suspects took the pizza and ran. The 19- and 14-year-old suspects were caught.
March 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUY MAKES QUILT OUT OF PANTIES _ Harley-loving, Vietnam vet Louis Garrett of Louisiana has become a bit of a local celebrity after he made a quilt out of 58 pairs of women's panties. Many of the undies were donated by his close lady friends, giving the quilt what he calls "weird sentimental value." Louis picked up some new panties in clothing stores nearby, but mostly he asked the ladies he knows and meets for donations from their lingerie drawers. It sounds creepy, but his friends say Louis doesn't act creepy about it. And now he's working on a second panty quilt.
March 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TEENS FORGOTTEN ABOUT IN POLICE VAN _ A group of teens who were attending a Fort Lee, New Jersey, house party over the weekend were put in a police van by officers busting the event and then just... forgotten about. The kids were only let out, after twelve hours, because a passerby heard them screaming and banging on the windows. The prosecutor's office says that an internal investigation is underway.
March 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RUBBER DUCKS GO MISSING _ A large supply of yellow rubber ducks intended for a fund-raising event has been stolen from a police academy in suburban Chicago. Some 2,500 ducks went missing. Police say several of the toy ducks have been found on a roadway and request that any more found be returned to the academy. Police plan to use the toy ducks in their annual "Duck Pluck" to raise funds for the academy.
March 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FAKE COP'S WEIRD WEAPON IS COOKING FORK _ In Florida (Pompano Beach) 69-year-old Howard Schultz has been charged with impersonation of a law enforcement officer. Schultz was allegedly able to convince a motorist to pull over by telling him, "You need to pull over. I'm a police officer!" -- while waving a 10-inch cooking fork. Cops arrived to find Schultz in the street, waving the fork around. The incident ended peacefully as Schultz surrendered his "weapon" and was handcuffed.
March 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAT CAUGHT IN CAN _ A stray 4-month-old kitten in Louisville, Kentucky, helped himself to the remnants of a discarded can of soup and got his head wedged tight inside the can. An initial attempt was made by veterinary assistants to remove the can, but the kitten started crying. He was sedated and a pair of bolt-cutters were used to cut the can off of his head. Staff named the kitten "Campbell."
March 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FACING FELONY DWI CHARGE, MAN SHOWS UP WITH BEER _ A New York man facing a felony driving while intoxicated charge did everything in his power to make the situation worse Monday. Keith Gruber showed up about an hour and a half late to his pretrial hearing. He was also drunk and carrying an open can of Busch beer -- as well as a plastic bag with four more cans of beer for later. Court officers confiscated the bag at the security check point, even though Gruber had attempted to throw away his open can. The judge then asked Guber if he enjoyed his "liquid lunch." Gruber replied he did, and apologized. In spite of the apology, the judge put Guber in jail with no bail.
March 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JURY CONVICTS FAKE TOW TRUCK DRIVER _ A Michigan jury has convicted a 46-year-old fake tow truck driver. Last fall the guy tried to jack a Lincoln Navigator using a tow truck with the fake moniker "Steve's Towing." The man proved inept at the whole towing business when he couldn't hook the vehicle on properly. He tried getting it on by repeatedly backing into a tree. Of course, by doing that he drew a little bit of attention to himself and he was arrested. He could spend up to five years in prison.
March 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PARKING IN A NO-PARKING ZONE TO PAY _ In Italy a man had to appear at the courthouse to pay a couple of parking tickets. He of course parked in a no parking zone in front of the courthouse when he went inside. Upon returning to his car he found a new parking ticket on his windshield so he went right back inside to pay it. And you know what was waiting for him when he came back... a third ticket. The guy should feel fortunate, however, as the officials took pity on him and said they wouldn't make him pay the third ticket.
March 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN RUNS FROM COPS, LEAVES SON AND DOPE BEHIND _ A man pulled over for speeding in Milton, Georgia, ran from police, leaving behind some pretty valuable things. The wild incident began Tuesday night when an officer clocked Monroe LeBeau driving 14 miles over the speed limit. After pulling LeBeau over the officer could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. LeBeau was asked step to the back of the car while it was searched. That's when LeBeau took off running. In the car, he left behind his 6-year-old son and seven pounds of marijuana. Officers used tracking dogs to catch LeBeau a short time later.
March 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OMG, YOU ARE SERIOUSLY THAT STUPID? _There's a new entry for "World's Dumbest Bank Robber!" That would be 49-year-old Nathan Wayne Pugh of who tried to hold up a Wells Fargo Bank branch in Dallas last July. The teller told Pugh that before she turned over the money, she would need to see two forms of I.D. Amazingly the idiot complied and showed her his Wells Fargo debit card and a state ID card. He was captured as he tried to flee with $800. Pugh was already on parole for two aggravated robberies at the time so after pleading guilty to bank robbery, he was sentenced to eight years in prison! (FOX News)
March 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOPE: THAT'S HOW I MAKE MONEY _ A Georgia man accused of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute it allegedly told police the drug was "how I make my money."
March 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN FALLS FROM CEILING ONTO SLEEPING WOMAN _ An unidentified woman in Oklahoma says she was sleeping in her bed when a man fell through her ceiling, landing on top of her. The man, wearing only underwear, was apparently a transient who had crawled into her attic to sleep. The man asked for some clothing, which she gave him, and he left. When police arrived, she realized she had been too flustered by him dropping in that she couldn't even describe him.
March 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HAS 82 JULIA ROBERTS TATTOOS _ Most film enthusiasts would be satisfied with a signed photograph to remind them of their favorite screen idol. But Julia Roberts devotee Miljenko Bukovic has opted for something a little more personal to prove his love for the Pretty Woman star. The newspaper vendor from Valparaiso in Chile has spent the last ten years -- and about $2,000 -- having 82 portraits of the actress tattooed on his torso and arms. The 56-year-old Bukovic started his collection after watching Roberts' Oscar-winning performance in the film Erin Brockovich. All of his 82 tattoos of the actress are inspired by scenes in the film. Bukovic said he plans to get more tattoos of Julia on his chest, back and arms -- as long as there is space and he has the money.
March 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BOASTS OF ALLIGATOR SHOOTING ON FACEBOOK _ We know the temptation all too well: you do something cool and you want to tell everyone all about it on your status update. But before you tell the world about your latest exploits, consider the legality of what you've done before you hit 'post'. That reality is staring a boastful hunter in the face: He told the world in his Facebook status update that he'd bagged an 11-and-a-half foot alligator in Texas. Apparently, it's illegal to shoot gators in that part of the state.
March 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF CALLS TO HAVE SURVEILLANCE PICS TAKEN OFF FACEBOOK _ Dominique Abelard was arrested after Connecticut police traced a call she made to the person who posted surveillance images to Facebook. The images appear to show Abelard and another woman stealing about six pocketbooks from a conference room at a Hilton Hotel (in Stamford). Investigators said Abelard asked the poster of the images to take them down. The poster contacted police who traced the call back to Abelard.
March 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BABY BUMP IS PILLS _ When border agents encountered Leann Corley at the Peace Bridge between Fort Erie, Ontario and Buffalo, New York, she appeared to be a young woman in the late stages of pregnancy. But after questioning and examining her, they found that what looked like a baby bump was actually a mound of Ecstasy pills. Corley was arrested and faces federal charges of trying to smuggle 34,000 Ecstasy pills into the U.S.
March 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GAS SIPHON JOB GOES BAD _ When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Orlando, Florida, street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.
March 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HONESTY. THE BEST POLICY?: In Elyria, Ohio, police pulled over 25-year-old Stephen Supers for speeding. When the officer approached his vehicle he got the impression perhaps Stephen had been drinking. Mostly due to the fact that he had an open can of beer in his hand. The officer asked him if he had been drinking at which point Steve allegedly took a swig of beer from the can and then said, "Yes." Stephen then proceeded to fail a series of field sobriety tests and in the end was arrested for speeding, driving under the influence, driving under suspension and possession of marijuana. (WJW-TV News)
March 4th
(no NTDMTN today - Make A Wish RadioThon)
March 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DARWIN IS ALWAYS AT WORK _ At a party in Sweden a couple of guys in their 20s were discussing a protective vest one had recently bought. That's when they decided to try out it. While one guy wore the vest the other took a knife and stabbed it. Turns it the knifeproof vest worked. Then he tried again and stabbed his friend in an unguarded spot. The victim was taken to a hospital and treated for a minor wound.
March 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TONGUE PIERCING CUSTOMER PASSES OUT _ A driver told Quincy, Illinois, police he passed out at the wheel of his truck before he hit a traffic sign, a bush and finally a house. Jared Drew Hill sustained only minor injuries. The person inside the house was not hurt, but the house has both exterior and interior damage. Hill told police he had just come from the Quincy Mall, where he had received a tongue piercing and was heading home. Hill said the last thing he remembered was approaching an intersection when he apparently passed out.
March 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: USING A CHILD FOR THEFT _ In Linden, Michigan, a 28-year-old man tried to steal 13 PlayStation 3 video games from a Kmart. The man brought a small child with him and tried to stuff the games into his pants and a diaper bag. Employees stopped the man and called police.
February 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PORTA-POTTY STOP AFTER BANK ROBBERY _ Police in Ocala, Florida, got a call about a bank robbery. Clerks gave the officers a description of the man who fled. A detective patrolling the area saw Charles F. Grier coming out of a portable toilet directly across the street from the bank and followed him to a restaurant. Grier was then observed by the officer leaving the restaurant's restroom. Outside the restaurant, Grier was detained. He then 'fessed up to the robbery. When officers checked out the portable toilet, they found jeans, shirts, the holdup note, sneakers, and a black BB pistol.
February 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: I'M HIGH ON COCAINE! _ In Columbus, Mississippi, when Tony Deloach crashed into a parked car he forgot about the cocaine-laced rolled bill in his Camaro until an officer found it. Deloach then screamed "I'm high on cocaine!" and tried fleeing on foot. He didn't get far.
February 24th
February 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF TRIES TO STUFF CHAINSAW DOWN HIS PANTS _ An Oklahoma man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly stealing a chainsaw from a hardware store. Police said Anthony Darren Black also stole a dog collar from the store, and appeared intoxicated. Black attempted to steal the chainsaw by stuffing it down his pants.
February 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BABY BORN IN ELEVATOR AT HOSPITAL _ Alyssa Lynn Leming may forever be known as "Ellee." That's short for elevator, a nickname family members already have given the infant. Alyssa came into the world a lot quicker than her parents expected. The couple from Lecompton, Kansas, spent almost four years trying to get pregnant, but their first baby wasted little time in making her debut. Less than an hour after mom's serious contractions started Friday night, Alyssa was born in an elevator at the hospital.
February 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AFTER 4 YEARS DOCS REMOVE KNIFE BLADE FROM MAN'S HEAD _ Doctors in China worked for four hours to remove a 4-inch knife blade that spent four years lodged in a man's head. Surgeons removed the blade Saturday after the 37-year-old man came into the hospital January 24 complaining of headaches. Doctors said the blade apparently entered through the man's right lower jaw and lodged itself with the tip nearly touching his brain. The man was stabbed during a robbery four years ago and police discovered a knife with no blade when they arrested the robber. The wound healed so he didn't he didn't accept further examinations.
February 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK WOMAN PUTS HERSELF IN COP CAR _ Usually the police officer puts the drunk in the patrol car, but on one recent occasion the drunk put herself in the car. Flint, Michigan, police responded to an accident when a car backing out of a driveway hit a car driving down the street. While investigating the accident, an officer noticed one of the cars was not running and he invited the woman inside his cruiser where it was warm. Not a good decision on the woman's part. After a while in the cruiser, it began to reek of alcohol. She got a free ride to jail.
February 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN DEFENDS HIS TRAINED GOLDFISH _ Chinese animal rights groups aren't happy with a man's magic trick of goldfish swimming in formation. They believe the performance could involve the use of magnets and therefore harm the fish. The animal rights groups want the act dropped from TV variety shows in China, claiming the goldfish are being manipulated. But Fu Yandong denies he harms the fish. He says, "If I used magnets, the fish would stick together. Some people say I use electricity or high technology. They can say what they want, but the fish are safe."
February 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG GETS OWNER IN TROUBLE OVER DRUGS IN SOCK _ In Sherman County Oregon the sheriff's deputy didn't need a drug dog to point out a stash during a recent traffic stop. The driver's dog did it for him. The deputy was pulling over a pickup truck when he saw a sock fly out the window. It turned out to be stuffed with marijuana and hashish. The driver told the deputy he was trying to hide the sock, but his pit bull mix grabbed it and wouldn't let go, enjoying a tug-of-war game. The dog won the tussle and tossed the sock out the window, and the driver was indicted on drug possession charges.
February 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN FLEES FROM MOVING CAR _ A North Dakota was being was being pursued early Saturday by a highway patrolman when she allegedly decided to run from her moving 1998 Pontiac Sunfire and make a run for it. Which likely came as a surprise to Stroh's two passengers, who were still in the car -- traveling at 30 mph -- when it crashed into a snowbank. According to an affidavit sworn by a trooper, Christine Stroh then fled on foot to some thick evergreen trees and refused to come out. When Stroh heard the approaching sound of police sirens, she attempted to flee again but lost her high heels and was running bare foot on the ice. She slipped and was taken into custody.
February 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TIRE THIEF HAS NAME AND NUMBER ON VAN _ A California man allegedly stole tires using a van showing his name and number. Rich Richardson found more than a dozen tires missing from his tire store January 17. But Jeffrey Yancey was arrested after surveillance cameras caught him and an accomplice putting the tires into a van labeled "Jeff Tires" with his cell phone number on it.
February 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CREDIT CARD THIEF GIVES PHONE NUMBER TO CLERK _ In Florida, even though Cassandra Holley used a stolen credit card to pay for her groceries, she couldn't resist getting her grocery rewards card discount. I know what you're thinking: wow, she actually used her discount card? That thing probably had all her personal info on it...right? Well, no. Holley didn't have her rewards card with her, so she gave a clerk at the store her phone number to get her discounts. That phone number -- plus surveillance video -- made the job easy for investigators to find and identify her.
February 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TESTS ON TOXIC-NAMED FOOD REVEAL TOXINS _ Tests on Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars, which were imported from Pakistan by an Indiana-based distributing company, showed extremely high levels of lead. Toxic levels, in fact. The FDA ordered a recall.
February 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN PROTESTS BEING FREED FROM JAIL _ A Tennessee nightclub owner held on drug charges has been freed -- against his will. Prosecutors dropped felony drug charges against Thorne Peters this week, citing inadequate proof. The judge said he'd been in jail long enough for his simple possession case and that it was time to go home. But Peters protested his departure attire. He shouted: "You're sending me into the snow with a tank top and pajama bottoms?"
February 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR STEALS DIET PILLS, LEAVES HIS PANTS _ A woman in Flint, Michigan, came home to her apartment to find a burglar inside. The man ran off with some clothing and diet pills but left behind his own pants and jacket. Police are using them as part of their investigation.
February 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BURIES THIEF'S CAR IN SNOW _ A Chicago man who says his security camera recorded a neighbor stealing his snow shovel got his revenge by using his snowblower to bury the woman's car. David Welles, who posted the video to YouTube, said it shows his neighbor, a woman he does not know, walking through a gate, climbing his front steps and taking the snow shovel from his porch Thursday following the 20.2-inch snowfall that buried the area Tuesday and Wednesday. The video next shows Welles using his snowblower to bury the woman's car in snow and concludes with footage of the woman spending 4 hours clearing her car Friday morning.
February 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLITICIAN ORDERED TO TAKE LANGUAGE CLASSES _ A Swedish politician has been ordered to take Swedish language classes because his colleagues can't understand him. Arvid Frandsen speaks in a difficult to understand dialect. One colleague said she has never once understood what Frandsen said when he takes the floor, and her council colleagues often use the restroom when he speaks.
February 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VACATIONERS RETURN TO CABIN TO FIND ADULT VIDEO SHOOT _ Some UK residents on vacation in Germany checked into a cabin near a wooded park then went out for a stroll in the countryside. About an hour later they returned to find an adult video shoot occurring in their cabin. The vacationers stumbled upon two cameramen, a director and an actor and actress. Oh, and another woman with a clipboard.
February 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CARJACKER PICKS WRONG VAN _ A man in California (Adelanto) allegedly tried to carjack a van. He walked up to the van, stopped at an intersection, and knocked on it. When the driver got out to investigate the noise the carjacker struggled with the driver. But not for long. You see, the carjacker picked a sheriff's inmate van to jack. He probably figured out he was struggling with a uniformed deputy sheriff right around the time he was tased.
February 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAR RUNS INTO INSURANCE OFFICE WHICH INSURES IT _ Rescue crews (in Tampa) responded to the Adrian Fernandez Insurance office Monday night and found the vehicle lodged in the wall of the building. The woman behind the wheel was treated for minor injuries at a hospital while a man and a 4-year-old boy riding in the car were not harmed. Insurance agent Fernandez arrived on the scene and told authorities he was the vehicle's insurance agent.
February 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHICKEN PROBLEM IN FLORIDA _ The city of Lakeland, Florida, is clucking mad over its feral chicken problem. Squeal Deal Animal Control has been called in to rescue the residents from the more than 600 free roaming chickens. The problem is chicken chasing is no easy task. The chickens are pretty smart and fast so they are hard to catch, according to some of the chasers. What happens to the chickens once they are caught? Some will be donated to schools for agriculture projects and others may be donated to charity organizations so they can be used for food.
October 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GROOM TAKES TEXT LITERALLY AND BREAKS LEG _ If you send a 'good luck' message to a friend on their wedding day, be careful what you wish for. Groom Nick Fortey broke his leg in a motorcycle crash on his way to the church, minutes after receiving a text saying "Break a leg!" Instead of walking down the aisle, the 42-year-old British man went to hospital for emergency surgery, leaving fiancee Emma Byrne to hold their reception on her own.
October 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PHONE THIEF HAS TATTOO ON FOREHEAD _ Joseph Eric Williams knows who he is, and he clearly wants everyone else to know who he is, too. Why else would he have the phrase "I'm Me" tattooed on his forehead? Unfortunately for him, though, that tattoo also helped police identify him as a suspected iPhone thief. According to police in Broward, Florida, Williams is believed to have stolen iPhones from as many as 15 AT&T stores in the past two months. And, although he also sports facial tattoos of a teardrop and a money bag, it was ultimately the "I'm Me" slogan that helped law enforcement officials identify him.
October 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JEAN THIEF LEAVES BEHIND OLD JEANS AND WALLET _ Police in Tennessee say it wasn't too difficult to find a man accused of walking out of a Walmart store wearing stolen jeans. Officer say Dustin Matthew Marshall tried on the jeans and left without paying for them, but employees found his old jeans and wallet in a dressing room.
October 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HAD TOOTH IN EAR FOR 33 YEARS _ For more than 30 years Stephen Hirst was in constant pain and partially deaf because of excruciating earache. But that's all in the past now after doctors found a tooth lodged in the former miner's ear. Medical staff remain mystified as to how the tooth came to be jammed in the 47-year-old's ear canal in the first place. Especially as he had all his teeth taken out some time ago. Hirst said he visited countless doctors over 33 years and decided to go once more. This time a nurse put a suction tube in his ear and cleaned it thoroughly, then used a microscope probe and some tweezers and got the tooth out. The first words out of the nurse's mouth: "Have you lost any teeth lately?" Hirst is baffled by how the tooth got in his ear but the most likely explanation was that he pushed it in when he was a kid.
October 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN FINDS HIS STOLEN MOTORCYCLE ON CRAIGSLIST _ A Michigan man recently found his own motorcycle -- which had been stolen in March -- for sale on Craigslist. After finding the listing for a bike that looked suspiciously like his own, he called the seller and set up a meeting. And, called police. Police (in Flushing Township) set up surveillance and officers swooped in to arrest the 28-year-old seller.
October 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POT WAS GIFT-WRAPPED _ The Nebraska State Patrol says 15-1/2 pounds of pot was found gift-wrapped following a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Lincoln. A trooper pulled over a car for speeding and a patrol dog taken to the scene alerted officers to drugs in the rear of the car. The patrol said troopers then found the marijuana and a half pound of hashish. The drugs had been wrapped in two gift-wrapped boxes.
October 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCHOOL KIDS WERE EATING LUNCH AT LOCAL TAVERN _ Elementary school students in La Pointe, Wisconsin, were eating lunch at an unconventional location each day. That's until their parents found out their kids were walking to the Bell Street Tavern for their meal. The school's superintendent said she solicited bids for the lunch program and the tavern was the low bidder at $5 per plate. Parents and teachers didn't learn their children would be eating lunch at a tavern until the day before school started. The school board finally considered the matter this week and decided that for the short term, the tavern will deliver lunch to the school.
October 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WRONG FLAG ON ABSENTEE BALLOTS IN TEXAS _ Election officials in Atascosa County, Texas, are correcting a mistake with the flag printed on absentee ballots. A voter noticed the mistake. Turns out the ballots, which were supposed to have the Texas flag printed on them, had the flag of Chile instead. The flags look similar.
October 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WORLD'S WORST TOW-TRUCK DRIVER _ If you're going to steal a car using a tow truck, you might want to make sure of a couple of things. First, make sure no one's watching. Next, hook the car on right. A Michigan wrecker operator failed on both accounts while trying to confiscate a car. The man was trying to take a 1998 Lincoln Navigator but ran into repeated problems when it kept falling off the truck. Making matters worse, the tow truck driver backed into a tree a few times as he tried to reposition the truck. Adding to the incompetence was the allegation that he didn't have any authority to take the car in the first place — a situation that prosecutors like to call auto theft.
October 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER PUTS MASK ON TOO SOON _ In England, a guy had big plans for robbing a bank. He was so excited he put on his stocking cap mask before ever getting out of the car. That was his first mistake. His second mistake was choosing a bank that has a security system requiring customers to press a buzzer to gain entrance. Most bank employees will not open the door for a guy standing outside in a ski mask. He rang the buzzer a couple more times before giving up and heading back to the car. But not before employees had time to get the make of the car and the license plate number. He's now under arrest.
October 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER STOPS TO COUNT THE MONEY _ In Australia an unidentified guy held up a bank. After getting his cash, he must have remembered an old banking rule: Count your money before leaving. And to get a better view of things, he pulled off his ski mask. Right there in full view of bank employees and security cameras.
October 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: REPUBLICANS ERRONEOUSLY REPORT LARGE DOUGHNUT PURCHASE _ The Williamson County Republican Party in Texas said clerical errors resulted in a finance report stating $5,272,010 was spent on doughnuts in a single day. Jon Jewett, the party's volunteer treasurer, said clerical errors on the latest finance report include the September 20 entry for $5,272,010 spent at Round Rock Donuts, which the doughnut shop said would amount to 813,058 dozen doughnuts. The treasurer said the real amount spent at the shop was $13.99 and he does not know where the erroneous figure came from.
October 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TRUCK SLEEPER HAD METH LAB IN VEHICLE _ Authorities said sleeping behind the wheel wasn't the only problem for a western Illinois man they caught napping at a gas station. Police said Adam Barcroft also had a meth lab in the bed of his truck.
October 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CURTAIN THIEF HANGS THEM AT HIS HOME _ In Britain, a burglar who stole his next-door neighbor's curtains was caught when he put them up in his own window.
October 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANNY OFFERS TO MAKE ARRESTING OFFICER A SANDWICH _ A police officer in Florida says a grandmother tried to avoid a drunken driving arrest by bribing him. Sixty-five year old Elsie Wright O'Conner was pulled over for erratic driving. After the officer smelled alcohol on Elsie's breath and found two vodka bottles in her SUV, she offered to make him a grilled cheese sandwich. At the county jail, her blood-alcohol level tested at more than three times the legal limit. She told the arresting officer, "Come on now, I'm a grandma, can't you do something for me since I'm not that bad? I could have brought you back to my house and made you a grilled cheese sandwich."
October 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WEARING DRINKING T-SHIRT ARRESTED FOR DRUNK DRIVING _ A Connecticut man wearing an "I Have A Drinking Problem" T-shirt was arrested Wednesday night for drunk driving after losing control of his car and crashing it into a house.
September 2010
September 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GPS SENDS MAN UP A MOUNTAIN _ Most people probably wouldn't drive their cars off a cliff just because their GPS system told them to do it. Driving off-road and up a mountain, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. That's exactly what Robert Ziegler recently did when his van's GPS system directed him up some ruggedly mountainous terrain in Switzerland. Although Ziegler had his suspicions about the route, his navigation system didn't tell him to turn back until his van was hopelessly stuck along a narrow path. Eventually, both Ziegler and his van were airlifted from the Swiss mountain by a helicopter.
September 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LITTLE DEBBIE SNACK CAKE TRAIL _ Police in Wichita, Kansas, say whoever stole a Little Debbie delivery truck left a trail of empty boxes and snack cake wrappers after abandoning the vehicle. The truck was taken around 4am Monday from outside a Walmart. The vehicle was driven into a shallow canal -- but not before the thieves apparently pulled out some of the thousands of dollars worth of snacks. Police are still looking for the thieves.
September 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TALKING NEWSPAPER ADS SCARE READERS _ Police in India are asking residents not to be afraid of talking Volkswagen ads appearing in two of the country's largest newspapers. The Volkswagen ad, which appeared last week, prompted numerous calls to police in New Delhi when a voice began reading the print ad aloud in a style similar to a radio commercial. Authorities released a statement asking people not to fear the ads after police in several cities received multiple calls related to the voice ads. Police said some people reported hearing ghosts and some set off bomb scares due to the ads playing in trash cans. The newspaper ads utilized a small device comprised of a chip, a speaker and batteries with enough power to read the ad aloud for a couple of hours.
September 27th
DUDE GET A REAL GUN: Police in Duncansville, Pennsylvania said two women who tried to rob an adult book store failed miserably when the clerk realized the gun they were holding was only a toy. The irritated clerk told the ladies, "First, if you're going to rob someone, get a real gun. Second off, you're not getting any money." She then chased the would-be robbers out of the store before calling police. Police later arrested 28-year-old Shannon Cheripka and 26-year-old Angela Crook and awarded them the "World's Worst Robbers" top prize. (Altoona Mirror)
September 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN SPOTS HUBBY'S OTHER WEDDING PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK _ A woman in Australia discovered her new husband was already married when she saw his wedding pictures on Facebook. The woman made the shocking discovery less than a month after marrying her husband. The woman, who sought an annulment, said her husband traveled to Hong Kong to marry his former girlfriend in December just weeks before his second wedding. She says he told her he was going to China to visit family.
September 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRILLING ALERTS COPS TO BANK ROBBERY ATTEMPT _ Two would-be Albanian bank robbers were arrested as they tried to drill a passageway into a bank vault from a shop they had rented above it. How were they caught? Well, when you're trying to drill through concrete you tend to attract attention. The noise from their drilling between the upper floor shop and the bank vault alerted the authorities.
September 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BILLBOARD'S SPELL-CHECK MISTAKE _ Writing pubic instead of public is one of the classic typos of all time. It's extra embarrassing, though, when it appears on a giant billboard celebrating your local public school system. That's what happened in South Bend, Indiana, this week. A communications firm called the Blue Waters Group issued an apology for the billboard, which promotes a local website called SouthBendOn.com. Blue Water's president said four people in his company looked at the ad and didn't see the mistake.
September 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN REQUESTS STRANGE NAME CHANGE _ Shelby Heggs has filed a court petition in Georgia that would allow him to change his name. The county D.A. where Shelby lives is opposing Heggs' request on the grounds he may be using it to try to hide his criminal record. Shelby has convictions for drunken driving and marijuana possession. Shelby's court petition for a name change states that he'd like to be called "Saint Jody Almighty Bedrock".
September 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CRAIGSLIST SELLERS PLANNED TO ROB SHERIFF _ Authorities in Garden City, Idaho, say two men attempted to rob a buyer interested in purchasing a laptop computer off Craigslist. Only problem? The buyer was the county sheriff. The sheriff says he was tipped off to a potential problem when he met the seller and noticed he was wearing a pullover hooded sweatshirt and other dark clothing. The sheriff called police and -- when they arrived -- the "seller" took off on foot. He was apprehended almost immediately. A second suspect also was later arrested.
September 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUMBEST CRIMINAL _ Ferndale, Michigan, police say they've arrested "one of the world's dumbest criminals," a man who donned a Darth Vader mask and robbed a convenience store clerk at knife-point. While he was able to make off with a handful of cash, the suspect failed to conceal his identity properly. Surveillance footage shows him entering the store without his mask on before attempting to apply the disguise -- backwards. He finally got the mask on the right way, but not before his face was caught on video. The store clerk later recognized the suspect as a regular customer.
September 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOULD-BE BANK ROBBER SAYS THANK YOU _ North Charleston, South Carolina, police say Melvin Jesse Blain walked into a bank the other day with a note saying he was robbing the place and wanted $30,000. Investigators said the teller told Blain she had no money and he walked out empty-handed, saying "thank you." Not long after, officers stopped Blain walking near the bank.
September 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BOY BIT BY SNAKE LEFT BEHIND BY PREVIOUS TENANT _ A 15-year-old boy was bit by a snake that poked its head from a wall heater in his California (Bell Gardens) apartment. The boy said that he was sleeping early Tuesday when he felt something on his hand that bit him. Firefighters examined the teen and found that he hadn't been bitten by a poisonous snake. The snake was two to three feet long and apparently had belonged to a previous tenant who had a pet snake that got loose. Animal control officials believe the snake had been living in the wall and inside the heater for about two months.
September 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WRONG GAS IN CAR MEANS EASY WORK FOR COPS _ A British car thief was arrested after he put gasoline into a stolen diesel-powered car. The 27-year-old thief and his accomplice were arrested after the Audi they stole broke down at the side of the road.
September 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN ON HOLD FOR 12 HOURS _ A British woman who phoned her Internet service provider (Virgin Media) for technical support after her Internet stopped working was kept on hold for 12 hours. Tanya Davis had already been cut off 20 times when trying to get through to the company, and agreed to be put on hold at 11pm to speak to a technical support manager. Davis says after she'd been on hold for an hour or so she laid down on a sofa and settled in for some really bad on-hold music. The worst, she said, was Britney Spears's Oops, I Did It Again. Davis and her partner decided to go to bed and left the phone off the hook, joking they would probably still be on hold in the morning. They were. The Internet service provider says it's "conducting an investigation" as to why Davis was on hold for so long.
September 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STUFFED PONY BLOWN UP _ Authorities in Florida said a stuffed toy pony outside of an elementary school was detonated by deputies after it was deemed suspicious. Cops say the FurReal pony, a lifelike high-end toy, was considered a possible explosive device after deputies were unable to determine who left it in the middle of a cul-de-sac near Waterbridge Elementary School in Orlando. A robot inspected the toy and deputies detonated it using a pack of explosives. The sheriff's office said the item was later deemed "non-threatening."
September 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SIMPLY WANTED TO GO TO JAIL _ London, Ontario, police say a man walked to a restaurant early Sunday morning and tossed a cigarette disposal unit through the glass front door. He then went to a nearby payphone, called police and turned himself in. Officers arrived, met with the male who pointed out the damage and arrested him. When asked why he did it, the man said he wanted to go to jail.
September 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHINESE NAMED SHAN MUST CHANGE THEIR NAME _ Villagers in eastern China has been forced by the country's unbending bureaucracy to change their family name as the character is so rare it cannot be typed. The problem affects about 200 people in a village in Shandong province who share the surname Shan. The residents had no problem when identity cards, driving licenses and other documents could be handwritten, but now they have to be printed using computers, and their name is so unusual it does not exist in standard word processing programs.
September 7th
HELENA, MONTANA: When looking to buy marijuana, don't text the sheriff. Police say a teen inadvertently sent a message to Sheriff Leo Dutton, saying "Hey Dawg, can I buy right now?" A detective pretending to be the dealer organized a meeting. Two boys showed up. When the detective showed the teens his badge, one of the boys fainted. No citations were issued, both boys received warnings.
September 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TEEN SHOOTS CELL PHONES TO PRISONERS _ Police say a 17-year-old teen was detained after he shot arrows with cell phones attached over the walls of a prison in southern Brazil to inmates waiting on the other side. The teen was caught after one of the arrows he launched struck a police officer on the back. The officer was not seriously injured because the cell phone was tied to the tip of the arrow and softened the impact.
September 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PURSE-SNATCHER TAKE WRONG TURN _ In Italy, a purse-snatcher's escape went wrong when he ducked into a building only to realize it was a police station. The alleged thief apparently thought he was running into a post office where he may have intended to blend into the crowd.
September 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BATHROOM SPIDER HUNTER SUFFERS BURNS _ A guy in Essex, England, suffered burns after he accidentally blew himself up trying to kill a spider. It all started when the man was summoned by his wife to deal with a spider she had seen scurry behind the toilet. Not being able to reach it, the man decided to kill it by spraying it with an aerosol can. But he was unable to see whether the spray killed the spider because the bulb in the bathroom light had blown. So the man turned to a cigarette lighter to illuminate the room, but in the process ignited the gas fumes and caused an explosion. The blast was so strong it blew the man off his feet.
August 2010
August 31th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JUDGE REMOVES FACEBOOKING JUROR _ A judge removed a juror from a trial in suburban Detroit after the young woman wrote on Facebook that the defendant was guilty. The problem? The trial wasn't over. Hadley Jons could be found in contempt when she returns to court Thursday. Jons' Facebook post was discovered by the son of lawyer for the defendant.
August 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LONG-TERM PARKED CAR HAS EXTRA MILES _ A couple who left their car parked in a long-term lot near New York City's Kennedy Airport during a trip to California are trying to figure out what their car has been doing without them. Mimi and Ulrich Gunthart said their car odometer reading jumped by 724 miles while they were out of town. Ulrich Gunthart said he was "flabbergasted" when he saw the number. Another surprise: when they returned to the car and started it up, a music CD came on at full volume. A manager for the company which manages the parking said the company investigated and looked over inventory logs but "found nothing out of the ordinary." He said there have been no similar claims by other customers, and the company will be reviewing its procedures.
August 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ASSAULTED BY A CARP _ Texan Brad Pennington was considered one of the favorites among men's solo racers in the Missouri River 340, a canoe and kayak race that began Tuesday morning in Kansas City, Kansas. But a 30 pound carp ended his attempt to win the race after it jumped out the water and hit him in the head. Brad says the Asian silver carp hit him "like a brick". The fish are known to panic and jump in response to passing vessels.
August 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN BLAMES BOOZY RAISINS FOR FAILED TEST _ Judy Russo is accused of violating her probation by drinking, but blames gin-soaked raisins she used to treat her arthritis. A Pennsylvania judge didn't by it and sentenced Russo to time behind bars after she failed a urine test. Her attorney filed papers Monday saying she turned to boozy berries because conventional medication doesn't work.
August 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN FLIPS OVER MELTED CHOCOLATE _ A woman in Scotland is demanding an apology from the Cadbury candy after a lump of chocolate pulled from a bag of something called Nibbles looked like a man's private part. Never mind that chocolate has a tendency to stick together or to melt into odd shapes when warmed. No, Elizabeth McClure thinks the shape of the Nibble was "vile". McClure says, "My two-and-a-half-year-old grandson eats these and I'd have been horrified if he'd found it." McClure contacted Cadbury's, which told her to send the chocolate back for a full refund.
August 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: I SAID 'BONG', NOT 'BOMB' _ Two men at the center of a bomb scare on a Washington state ferry said the incident was a misunderstanding stemming from a conversation about a "bong." Authorities say several passengers on the (Yakima) ferry reported overhearing the men identifying themselves as terrorists and saying there was a bomb in their belongings. The boat was searched when it arrived in the harbor and no explosives were found. The men claimed the reports were a misunderstanding -- that what they were talking about was taking 'bong' hits at a party later that night.
August 23th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PIG WRESTLING EVENT CANCELED _ A pig wrestling competition at a county fair in northern Montana had to be canceled after the porkers eluded fair officials trying to round them up for the event. Fair officials say the wild pigs spend the year on a 10-mile free-range property and about 30 are captured for the annual event. But this year, fair officials were only able to locate one boar. The event was postponed until Saturday, but neither the landowner nor fair officials could locate the absent pigs.
August 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMEN IN SHORTS CAUSE CRASHES _ It's been rumored that sometimes, in sports, home teams will position their cheerleaders in certain areas with the goal being to distract the visiting team. But can men really be distracted from an important task just because a good looking woman is nearby? Well, a seven car pile-up in Everett, Washington, says 'yes'. The other day four drivers crashed into each other. State troopers cleared the highway. The drivers and passengers were waiting by the side of the road, including several young women in summertime garb -- which caused more drivers to crash.
August 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER EMAILS COPS _ After police and the press in southern Germany had published reports of a robbery they received emails from the thief, mocking both the cops and reporters alike for inaccurately describing his height, age and accent. He also mentioned that he'd escaped in a car and not by foot. Police traced the bank robber's emails and, by the end of the day, had caught up with him.
August 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE TURNS OUT TO BE CARPENTERS 45 _ Police in Cypress, California, said a suspicious package delivered to their station house turned out to be rather harmless -- even mellow. When the suspicious package arrived Monday the bomb squad was called in to examine it. The package was taken to the police department parking lot for examination and was found to contain a 45 rpm single by The Carpenters. An attached note asked police to locate the record's original owner.
August 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER WAS ALSO CUSTOMER _ The FBI says a man arrested in an Ohio bank robbery looked familiar to bank employees. Turns out, he had an account there and was one of their customers. Alan Garrett turned himself in Friday, two days after the bank holdup (in Galloway). Even if he hadn't the FBI says bank workers got the license plate number of Garrett's car.
August 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 13-YEAR-OLD HIT BY LIGHTNING ON FRIDAY THE 13TH _ A 13-year-old boy was struck by lightning — at 13:13 hours on Friday the 13th. The teen was watching an air show in (Lowestoft) England when he was struck and was later treated for burns to his shoulder. He's expected to fully recover.
August 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 'DEAD' GIRL ON GOOGLE STREET VIEW _ An image on Google Street View of a girl's body lying face down on the pavement of a village in England (St. John's, Worcester) sparked panic among local residents that crime had gone undetected. Families in the village feared something terrible had happened to a young girl on their doorstep, when they saw the shocking image online. Turns out it was just a 9-year-old girl playing a prank on her friend by pretending to be dead and not realizing the Google image mapping car was passing at the same time.
August 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CALL TO SAY "HI" GETS MAN ARRESTED _ A Florida man (Port St. Lucie) man was arrested after he called 911 to say "hi." According to the arrest report, Roger Hollaway called 911 and told the dispatcher that he needed a ride, but then said he was joking and hung up the telephone.
August 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCARED CAT PROMPTS EMERGENCY SERVICES VISIT _ A cat home alone in Germany apparently turned on the vacuum cleaner, frightened itself half to death and wound up being attended to by emergency services. Police in (In Bayreuth) said a neighbor heard the cat's cries -- not to mention a vacuum left running for hours -- and feared there'd been a terrible accident. Authorities sped to the scene but found only the cat and the machine.
August 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR RETURNS TO ROB AGAIN _ The Sarasota, Florida, police department said officers responded to the home after an alarm was triggered and found Gerald Maxwell inside with a stack of jewelry he had apparently gathered. He told police he just got out of jail and was going back to the home to leave a thank you note because he was the guy who burglarized the place last year
August 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDMA SAYS SHE DIDN'T ORDER DIRTY MOVIES _ Cathi Frattini, a 60-year-old Florida (Ocoee) great-grandmother, says that she did not order "Naughty Girl Roommate" or any of the other adult movies that showed up on her cable bill. Frattini confesses that she's not the most tech-savvy person: She says she wouldn't even know how to order the movies on her cable box and doesn't even know her PIN, which she would have been required to enter in to order the fleshy flicks. Granny thinks there is a glitch. She says that most of the movies were ordered at the same exact time -- every Sunday morning exactly at 3am. A spokesman for Frattini's cable company says she's been fully reimbursed.
August 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BREAKS INTO HOME, HOLDS GARAGE SALE _ Police in Canada said they have arrested a man accused of breaking into a home and holding a garage sale in its front yard. Investigators said Kail Russell Stokes broke into the Sarnia, Ontario, rental home of Greg Kemmis while Kemmis was out of town. Police said Stokes sold thousands of dollars worth of tools and woodworking equipment in the front yard of the home. It's estimated the sold items were worth a total $40,000.
August 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CALLS COPS FOR RIDE TO GET BOOZE _ Apparently cabs and limos just aren't fancy enough for Florida resident George McMurrain. Rather than finding a logical transportation mode to help him procure some booze, McMurrian decided he needed his liquor fix ASAP. So naturally he called 911 to ask for a ride... twice. After the second call the police headed down to the motel where McMurrain was staying to give him a ride to jail. As a bonus, they found some pot in his room.
August 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOSPITAL CALLS COPS ON MAN WHO GAVE HIMSELF STITCHES _ A man in Sweden with a gash in his leg got sick of waiting in the emergency room so he sewed up his own leg. And for his trouble, the hospital reported him to the police. The man told cops hospital staff had set out a needle and thread, so he decided to take the matter into his own hands. But hospital workers were not as impressed by his initiative and reported the man on suspicion of arbitrary conduct for having used hospital equipment without authorization.
August 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MOM REFUSES TO BAIL OUT THIEVING TEEN _ A Chicago teenager accused of stealing a pizza delivery guy's car was chewed out by a judge -- and his mom -- Sunday morning in court. The 17-year-old (Ravontay Hutchins) stole the 1996 Acura Integra after the driver left the keys in the ignition and the engine running outside a restaurant Saturday night. Two cops on a break at the restaurant heard about the theft and quickly put out a description of the stolen car. The teen and his 14-year-old accomplice were soon arrested. At a hearing Sunday in criminal court, the teen's mother told the judge the kid's father was serving with the military in Iraq and that she'd done everything she could for the boy, who was "spoiled." When bail was set at $25,000, his mother told the judge "I've got [the money to bail him out], but he's staying here, locked up!" and stormed from the courtroom. The judge praised the mother, saying, "I want to know why there's not more parents like this. ... I applaud her for her truthfulness."
August 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WENDY'S ROBBER NOT HAPPY WITH HAUL _ A man who robbed an Atlanta (Georgia) Wendy's at gunpoint Saturday night apparently was so upset with his haul that he twice called the restaurant to complain. During one call the robber said, "Next time there better be more than $586." He made a similar threat in the second call.
July 16
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SHOT AT HIS PARTY, BUT HE DIDN'T NOTICE _ Tracy Durham had a party at his place in Peoria, Illinois. Tracy, who freely admits he was drunk, won't say who was over for the party, but he remembers telling a friend his girlfriend was ugly. As Tracy took another swig from his bottle, he remembers hearing a "pop", but he went back to his party, then slept off his drinks. The next day a neighbor noticed he was limping and came over to ask why. The neighbor observed, "It looks like you've been shot." Tracy was, through his thigh, and hadn't even noticed.
July 15
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SHOPLIFTS SOMETHING HE DIDN'T NEED _ A 48-year-old Gig Harbor, Washington, man is facing theft and assault charges because he stole something he didn't need. Troy Montgomery went into the store, picked up a pair of tweezers and put them in his pocket. A store employee confronted Montgomery and told him she was calling police. Montgomery took the tweezers from his pocket, threw them and headed for the door. The store's pharmacist stepped into Montgomery's path to stop him and was shoved aside. The pharmacist fell to the floor. Shoppers took Montgomery to the ground and detained him until sheriff's deputies arrived. A deputy asked Montgomery whether he wanted to answer questions about what happened. "Not really," Montgomery replied. "Besides being stupid, I don't even need the thing, about the dumbest thing I ever did."
July 14
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEVES STEAL JUST AFTER FILLING OUT APPLICATIONS _ A clerk at Pat's Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Valparaiso, Indiana, told police that two boys, ages 15 and 16, filled out applications Friday afternoon. She said she went to file the applications when heard change clattering, then saw one of the boys grab dollar bills from the tip jar and run out. Since the boys had filled out applications it was easy to figure out who the thieves were.
July 13
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TORTOISE FALLS IN LOVE WITH PLASTIC TOY _ A lonely shy tortoise who was regularly bullied by his own species has finally found love with a plastic toy. Timmy has become infatuated with Tanya, a replica plastic tortoise, since keepers put her in his enclosure. The 60-year-old dotes on Tanya and fetches her food and kisses her by nuzzling their heads together. Timmy has lived at the Tortoise Garden sanctuary in (St. Austell) Cornwall, England, for the last three years. Timmy came to the sanctuary 20 years ago when his owners moved to another country. He was introduced to the other tortoises but they didn't seem to like him and bullied him. That's when Tortoise Garden handlers put plastic Tanya in his pen -- and now they're inseparable. The handlers say Timmy nuzzles and kisses her, moves her around and pushes lettuce towards her.
July 12
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: UNDERWEAR THIEF CAUGHT _ Someone kept stealing underwear from clotheslines in Portswood, Southampton, England. On average the thief was committing 10 robberies a day. The perpetrator, the victims discovered, was a cat who took the panties and brought them back to his owner as presents.
July 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VICTIM THROWS TANTRUM OVER BRANDY _ Wisconsin police said a robbery victim threw a temper tantrum in the middle of a road (in Madison) when officers told him his brandy was being booked as evidence. Police say the 50-year-old man decided to buy a bottle of brandy to share with two white male teens he was talking to Friday in a park and the teens then robbed him of the booze and his wallet at gunpoint. The suspects fled but police dogs led officers to two backpacks believed to belong to the teenagers. The brandy was in one backpack and the victim became upset when informed it was evidence and he wouldn't be getting it back immediately. The spokesman said the man lay down in the road and demanded the return of his brandy.
July 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN STEALS HOT SMOKED SAUSAGES _ A Florida man accused of sticking "hot smoked sausages" down his pants at a gas station got a trip to lockup. The man with the meat in his trousers -- 62-year-old John Henry Brown -- faces a misdemeanor petty theft charge following the reported July 3 sausage swiping. Cops say Brown walked in, took a pack of hot smoked sausages and put them "down the back of his pants."
July 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUG STORE ROBBER GETS M&M's, NOT PILLS _ Officers in Edmond, Oklahoma, responded to an alarm going off at the Clinic Pharmacy at about 5:30 Sunday morning. When they arrived, they found the front glass doors of the pharmacy had been broken and four bottles of a narcotic were missing. But the pharmacist was smarter than the robber. He informed officers that due to recent burglaries he had filled the bottles with M&M's
July 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLARS TAKE OFF MASKS TO TALK _ Two burglars in the UK were jailed after they were caught on camera during their raid after they removed their masks. And why would they remove their masks during a heist? Because they couldn't hear each other talking. To make matters worse, one of them got what the prosecution described as a 'personal' part of his body caught on barbed wire as they fled the scene.
July 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDMOTHER COULDN'T BUY WINE _ A 37-year-old British grandmother said a grocery store refused to sell her a bottle of wine because she did not have ID to prove she was over 18. Melanie Allcott (of Worcester) said she went into the store to buy wine for her dinner with partner Andy Lee, but employees refused to sell her the bottle without ID. Allcott said she had the employees phone the store's manager, who sided with the workers. Allcott said she went to another branch of the store and was able to purchase wine without hassle.
July 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DETROIT CABBIE NOT SURE WHERE TIGERS PLAY _ When Detroit Tigers' pitcher Joel Zumaya went down, GM Dave Dombrowski called up minor-leaguer Casey Fien from AAA Toledo to replace him. Crunched for time, Fien hopped on a plane to Minnesota and arrived with a few hours to spare. That is until he encountered what can only be described as the dumbest cabbie in Minneapolis. Not only was he not familiar with where the Minnesota Twins played, he in fact had no idea who they were. Casey says he got into a cab at the airport and the driver didn't know who the Twins were or where the stadium was. At one point the driver got out of the cab and started asking random people for directions. At one point the cabbie tried to drop Casey off at a venue where a Justin Bieber concert was scheduled -- because he saw a bunch of limos there.
June 2010
June 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HIGH SCHOOL TEST HAD 100 ERRORS _ The school superintendent in Springfield, Massachusetts, has taken responsibility for tests given to the district's 11th- and 12th-graders that were filled with spelling, grammatical and factual errors. Two tests given in May to about 2,600 students contained about 100 errors combined. The mistakes included the phrases "truning around" and "For God's skae," as well as a note on one test that read "This is the end of the Test," when there were two more pages.
June 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR BREAKS INTO HOME OF WRESTLER _ In England, a blundering burglar soon saw the error of his ways -- after breaking into the home of a wrestler. Lee Christie cried out when confronted by 280-pound Adam Kalinowski -- then began sobbing as Adam held him in a headlock for 20 minutes until police arrived. Now the crook is grappling with a two-year jail sentence.
June 28th
57-year-old Jose Luis Avila of Annandale, Virginia used to be a priest and an anger management counselor. Apparently he failed miserably at both as he was just sentenced to a year in jail after pulling a gun in a traffic dispute! Mr. Avila just happened to drive by some U.S. Marshals near his home. He honked his horn because he believed they were standing in the road. When he thought one of the marshals made an obscene gesture at him, he made the incredibly unwise decision to pull out a loaded handgun. Along with his year in prison he'll also have to undergo... anger management classes.
57-year-old Jose Luis Avila of Annandale, Virginia used to be a priest and an anger management counselor. Apparently he failed miserably at both as he was just sentenced to a year in jail after pulling a gun in a traffic dispute! Mr. Avila just happened to drive by some U.S. Marshals near his home. He honked his horn because he believed they were standing in the road. When he thought one of the marshals made an obscene gesture at him, he made the incredibly unwise decision to pull out a loaded handgun. Along with his year in prison he'll also have to undergo... anger management classes.
June 25th
CROOKS ARE DUMB! - Police in York, Pennsylvania figure 28-year-old Allen Larry Dawes was just dying to be caught after breaking into First St. John's Church and stealing some petty cash. This conclusion was reached after Mr. Dawes made the inexplicable mistake of leaving his ACTUAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE behind at the crime scene. Dawes apparently spent the night sleeping in a hallway and ate cereal from a pantry that holds food for the needy. He's now sleeping at York County Prison. (myway.com)
June 24th
I'LL SHOOT YOURS IF YOU SHOOT MINE! - If anyone stops you today and asks what exactly is an ignoramus, just tell them about these two 34-year-old men down in Victoria, Australia. Both buddies had to have surgery to remove bullets from their buttocks after they agreed to shoot each other in the rear to "see if it would hurt!" They thought they were fine but were admitted to hospital two days later requiring surgery to remove slug pellets from their buttocks and legs. Police said both will have their firearms licenses revoked. Because we just can't have ignoramuses walking around with loaded pistols shooting each other in the butt
June 23rd
WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE! - We'll ask you kindly to refrain from any Toto jokes here but in a village in Hungary, a dog inside his dog house was blown 20 miles away in a storm! The dog was renamed "Lucky" by 57-year-old Agnes Tamas after it survived being swept away and the two were reunited. Tamas said, "I saw the roofs of the local houses being ripped off one by one, and I ran into my garden to try and get to the cellar. I couldn't believe it when the dog house flew up into the air--complete with my dog cowering inside. It was like something out of the Wizard of Oz." Kalman Csutor called the Red Cross after finding the dog following a local radio report and said, "He was pretty shaken." (Digital Spy)
June 22nd
STICK WITH THE DAY JOB? - 45-year-old Michael Kman is the coach of the Catholic Youth Organization for Our Lady of Lourdes church team in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania. Well he was. According to police, Kman sent multiple text messages to referees Jay and Jon Leader, offering them as much as $2,500 if certain games reached the "right outcome." The Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg has suspended Kman from coaching and police have charged him with various misdemeanors. However you'll be happy to know he still has his day job -- as a financial consultant! (Patriot-News
June 21st
MAYBE THE IRS ISN'T ALL BAD! - In Frankfort, Kentucky, Earl Phillips is one man who doesn't think the tax folks are so bad. He was having a conversation with a state tax employee about his tax bill when he suddenly began to have a heart attack. The employee, Natalie Brown, sent emergency crews to his address after she noticed he was breathing heavy and seem ill. He was later transferred to a Louisville hospital, where doctors put a stent in his heart. He had a 90 percent blockage in one of his arteries. Mr. Phillips is convinced Natalie saved his life -- because she pretty much did. She was recognized by Gov. Steve Beshear in a dedication ceremony last Friday. (Lexington Herald-Leader)
June 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BUFFALO PAYBACK _ Jim Harris was sitting in a recliner in his Florida (Tavernier) home when he leaned over to turn on the lamp Bubba fell on him. "Bubba" is what he calls the 200 pound stuffed head of a water buffalo, which was mounted on his wall. Harris estimates he was unconscious for two hours, and when he woke up he was trapped under the thing. He was able to reach his cell phone, though, and called for help. It took four rescuers to get Bubba off him. Harris says it was probably payback for the buffalo, even though he wasn't the one who shot it.
June 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN MOVES INTO EMPTY $3 MILLION HOME _ If you're going to live in a house that doesn't belong to you, why not make it a luxury home? After all, there are more than a few of them sitting empty these days. And that's exactly what a woman in Washington state had been doing, at least until she got caught. The 30-year-old was taken into custody by police in Kirkland, Washington, after a real estate agent had tipped off the authorities that people had moved into the 6-bedroom, 9-bathroom, 6-car garage home without actually buying or renting it. When confronted by police, the woman produced paperwork saying she was the rightful owner of the deluxe digs. The tax logs and utility companies disagreed, as did the bank who actually owns the home.
June 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POOP-SCOOPER FINDS MONEY IN DOG DOO _ This is why your mother says to wash your hands after handling money: A St. Louis worker found $58 -- packed in dog poop. Steve Wilson works for DoodyCalls Pet Waste Removal. On a recent call, he noticed money sticking out from doggie doo. Wilson wasn't sure what to do, but eventually pulled out the bills, sanitized them, placed them in a plastic zip-locked bag and returned them to the customer. It turned out to be $58
June 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WHEN ROBBING, SPEAK CLEARLY _ Be sure to always enunciate clearly when you're placing an order, so that you don't accidentally rob the cashier. That piece of advice comes from a man in Massachusetts who was charged for attempted armed robbery of a Dunkin' Donuts back in April. He now claims that the cashier misunderstood him. What he really said was that he wanted a honey bun, not "Give me the money, I have a gun."
June 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK TELLER CAN'T READ HOLD-UP NOTE _ A teller at a bank in Columbus, Ohio, was puzzled when a woman handed her a note. She couldn't read it, so the woman tried to explain it to her: it was a robbery, the teller says. About then, the woman noticed the man standing in line behind her: a police officer, in uniform. She grabbed the note and ran out, and the teller told the officer what was going on. The policeman ran out after the woman, just in time to see her try to eat the note. When he grabbed her, the woman coughed up the note on the sidewalk. She was arrested.
June 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUN-TOTING CITIZEN ROBBED AT GUNPOINT _ A Milwaukee man known for openly displaying his handgun on a hip holster says he is giving up open carry after he was robbed at gunpoint. The 34-year-old man, who asked not to be named, said he believes openly displaying his handgun as allowed by law made him a target for the robbery and he sees it as evidence of the need for a concealed carry law. One of the man's neighbors said, "It was kind of scary to just see him walking around all the time with that gun kind of just out in the open. I think he was trying to scare people off like, 'Yeah, don't mess with me,' but it didn't work."
June 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN FORCED TO HELP THIEVES MOVE HIS TV _ Indianapolis police say three armed men who broke into a man's apartment not only stole his flat-screen television, they forced him to help them move it down a flight of stairs. A police report said the man and his girlfriend were asleep when three masked men armed with handguns woke them about 1:30 Wednesday morning. The pair were forced to stay on the bed while the men ransacked the apartment, taking jewelry, electronics and car keys. At one point one of the men ordered the man to get up and help carry his 32-inch TV downstairs. One of the suspects then told the pair they were so helpful they wouldn't be tied up.
June 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG'S MOUTH GETS STUCK SHUT _ In the UK, the owner of Toby the Jack Russell returned home to find her mischievous pet could not open his mouth to eat. She found him drooling and saw that he had mashed paper all around his teeth. She tried to pry open his jaws and ended up taking Toby to the vet. Turns out Toby, who loves to tear open the mail, bit off more than he could chew and mashed up paper and glue, which sealed his jaw shut. The vet had to sedate Toby before picking away at the sticky mess.
June 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 127 MPH IN A 10 MPH ZONE _ Police in Canada (Delhi, Ontario) said a man who allegedly rode his motorcycle 127 mph in a 60 mph zone is facing 10 charges. After outrunning police the man decided to pull his motorcycle in an area where he could conceal it in trees, but a police plane was able to tell the guys on the road where he was hiding.
June 7th
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM PULLS BP-RELATED STUNT _ In a protest over the Gulf oil spill, a minor league baseball team in Florida is changing the name of batting practice so the players will no longer have to utter the letters "BP". The Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League say they will now take "hitting rehearsal". Players commonly refer to batting practice as "BP". The Manatees are a minor league affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They play near Florida's Atlantic coast, away from the Gulf.
June 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK PARROTS FALL FROM SKY _ Dozens of parrots fell from the sky near Darwin, Australia, after eating a mystery food which caused them to lose coordination and pass out. Bird experts say the red collar lorikeets are eating an unknown substance which quickly gets them drunk and causes them to lose control. Their stupor means the parrots then plunge to the ground after falling out of a tree, or even having simply dropped from the sky while flying.
June 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBERS ARE DUMB _ A bank robber in Bartow, Florida, was easy to catch and tie in to the crime. That's because Carlos Mitchell was seen on the bank's security camera recordings the day before, when he asked to open an account.
June 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BEES CLING TO RESTAURANT DOOR _ New York police said they do not know why a swarm of hundreds of bees clung to the entrance of a popular Italian restaurant. The bees descended on the metal and glass door Monday morning, leading police to cordon off the area just before lunchtime to keep passersby safe from stings. A beekeeper used a suction device to trap the bees for relocation. Police said no one was stung.
June 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GETTING ATTENTION WHEN LOST IN THE WILDERNESS _ Utility officials in Canada's Saskatchewan province said a man lost in the northern wilderness chopped down four power poles to attract investigators. A power company spokesman said the man was boating May 23 on a river and became stranded when he could not find a path through the ice on a connecting lake. So the man chopped down four power poles, causing hundreds of people to lose electricity. A helicopter sent to investigate the outage found the man the next morning.
May 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS BLOW UP BANK, LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED _ Would-be robbers in Germany had to flee empty handed after blowing up everything in a bank -- except where the money was. The bank was reduced to a pile of rubble. Cars and buildings in a radius of up to 100 yards were also damaged. Amid the wreckage, only the cash machine could be seen intact. A police spokesman said: "Something evidently didn't work the way the robbers wanted it to." Police are searching for the suspected robbers.
May 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: UNDERWEAR WAS KEY TO CATCHING BURGLAR _ Authorities in Washington state said they matched DNA from underwear left behind at a burglary scene to a man already in jail. Police said the thief took a digital camera, a laptop computer, an iPod, a DVD player and a change of clothes during the October burglary (in Shoreline) and left behind dirty shoes, pants and underwear. Police said the DNA sample matched a man who pleaded guilty earlier this month to residential burglary.
May 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON'T PLAY 'HOLD YOUR BREATH' WHILE DRIVING _ Four teenagers were transported to an upstate New York hospital with minor injuries after the driver apparently passed out at the wheel. The 19-year-old driver passed out while holding his breath as part of a game. After passing out the car ran off the road, hit a tree and then hit a large boulder. The teen and his passenger had to be freed by firefighters.
May 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OFFICERS ASSIST STRIP POKER LOSERS _ Police in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, responded to a call in the early morning hours of Monday about a naked woman running down the street. Officers responded and found a naked man and woman hiding behind a fence. They determined the couple lost in a game of strip poker and had to run around the block. Officers escorted the pair back to the apartment where the game of cards had been taking place so they could put on their clothes.
May 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SLOW-MO SMASH AND GRAB _ Thieves smashed through the front door of a nail salon in Atlanta, Georgia. Their target: a 42" flat-screen TV. But the burglars couldn't figure out how to get it out of its wall bracket, and left empty-handed. They must have thought about it, because they came back the next night, smashed through the newly repaired door, and tried again, but still couldn't get it. So they went a few doors down to the Comcast Cable office; surely they had a TV. They did, and as the burglars were carrying it toward the door, the burglar alarm went off. The startled thieves dropped it and ran.
May 21th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BLOW DART BANDIT _ Police in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, received several complaints of someone shooting blow darts out of a van at pedestrians as it drove by. After the fourth such report, they arrested Paula Wolf. After several denials, Wolf admitted the drive-by shootings because, investigators say, "she liked to hear people say 'ouch'."
May 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VANDALS LEAVE TRAIL OF PAINT _ Colorado authorities said they followed a trail to two men accused of splashing the white paint on several cars. The Boulder Police Department said seven cars were found with paint splashed on them early Tuesday and investigators followed the trail of paint to a home where two suspects allegedly were found with paint residue on their bodies.
May 19th
8-YEAR-OLD BEATS CRAP OUT OF ABDUCTOR _ When 8-year-old Nathan Kuhns saw a man trying to abduct his 4-year-old sister during a family vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he just did what came naturally. Nathan screamed and, in his words, "beat the crap" out of the guy. Police credit Nathan's heroics with rescuing his sister, Josie, who had run off while they were walking near a beach access. The suspect snatched the girl from behind and was trying to put her in his car when Nathan came running. The man fled and is still at large. Nathan said he scratched the suspect to get some forensic evidence. He said, "It's called DNA and I saw it on NCIS on TV." The family and police are hoping the DNA evidence will help catch the suspect.
May 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR BLOWS IT BY TURNING ON LIGHT _ Two people were awakened early Sunday morning in La Mesa, California, by a burglar after he turned on a bedroom light. One of them confronted the man while the other called 911. Officers caught the intruder as he was leaving and arrested him.
May 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CITY FIXES 'YEILD' SIGNS _ Residents no longer have to shake their heads over two "Yeild to bikes" signs along a busy Nevada street. Officials in Sparks, Nevada, say the misspelled signs -- the I and E in yield were swapped -- were replaced after they were featured on MSNBC's "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" show on Thursday night. The senior vice president of the construction company that is extending a boulevard in the city says a contractor didn't notice the misspelling of the word "yield."
May 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TWEETING FOR TOILET PAPER _ Imagine you're at large electronics store. You go to the bathroom but discover too late that your stall is out of paper. What do you do? This happened to a guy in Japan, who turned to the Internet and sent out this tweet: "Urgent request, toilet paper in 3rd floor men's restroom". The toilet paper arrived nearly twenty minutes later, and our man was able to go on with the rest of his day.
May 13th
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA: Peter Collard said a work crew mistakenly began digging a swimming pool in his yard and fled once they discovered their mistake. Collard returned home to find a huge hole in his yard. "These guys obviously knew there was something wrong and took off," He hopes a neighbor who ordered a new pool and didn't get it will come forward and give him information.
May 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN STEALS WARM BEER, WANTS TO EXCHANGE IT _ After reportedly stealing beer from a gas station in Clarksville, Tennessee, a man brought the drinks back minutes later and attempted to exchange the stolen beers because they weren't cold enough. A clerk told police that she went into the back of the store while re-stocking the beer, and when she returned a few cases were missing. At that point, the man -- who appeared drunk, the clerk said -- came in with the warm beer and asked to exchange it. When the clerk asked if he'd paid for the beer, he grew "anxious," asked for directions to a nearby street and left.
May 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE DOG FOLLOWS PIZZA SCENT _ In Boston, police said a driver from the South End Pizza & Grill showed up to an apartment building and discovered the apartment he had been told to deliver pizza to didn't exist. The driver was instead confronted by two teenagers who took his money and three pizzas. Police brought in a K-9 unit and a dog followed the scent of pizza from the driver's empty bag to another floor of the building.
May 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AFTER WEEKS IN TREE, CAT COMES DOWN _ If cats have nine lives, one Hartsville, South Carolina, cat named Lucky has most certainly gone through most of them. Lucky's owner, Richard Nall, said he noticed the cat didn't show up for its usual morning walk six weeks ago. Nall later discovered Lucky perched in a pine tree behind his home, nearly 90 feet above the ground. Nall tried in vain to get Lucky to come down from the tree and even sought out the help of several tree trimming services and the local fire department, all to no avail. It wasn't until late on Thursday afternoon that an arborist was able to make his way up the tree, place Lucky in a bucket and bring him down to the ground.
May 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ID THIEVES SPEND MONEY ON PIZZA _ Here's a question for ya: If you were going to risk jail time by using stolen credit card information, what would you choose to spend the ill-gotten money on? According to police in Louisiana, the answer for two men was to spend $10,000 dollars at Domino's Pizza. And before you go asking "How could they possibly spend $10,000 on Domino's Pizza?" you should know that they also ordered chicken wings and soda.
May 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JUST SIT RIGHT BACK AND YOU'LL HEAR A TALE _ A lifeboat crew rescued a sailor off the coast of England taking his very first voyage. The 45-year-old man had just bought the boat and was trying to navigate from one port to another -- using only a road map. He figured he could simply keep the coast of England on "his right" and get there fine, but forgot about an island about ten miles away from his starting point. He went around and around the 8-mile-wide island all day and all night, until he ran out of fuel and went aground. He had a marine radio that he could have used to call for help, but didn't know how to use it.
May 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THE WORLD'S WORST HIDING SPOT _ Let's say you've just committed a crime. Where's the last place you'd hide? If you said the hold of a porta-potty, congratulations -- but you've just come to the exact opposite conclusion as one Snohomish County, Washington, stabbing suspect. After a man stabbed his friend he decided to hide where no one would ever think to look: a port-a-john next to a school playground. Unfortunately for the man, a witness saw him enter the commode but never come out. When police arrived, finding him took nothing more than a lift of the lid. The local fire department helped clean the man up with a necessary public hose-down.
May 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POLICE LOOK FOR ROBIN HOOD ROBBER _ Police in Columbus, Ohio, are looking for a man they say robbed a bank near downtown, then handed two $100 bills to passers-by as he ran away. The robber encountered a mother and daughter window shopping, stopped and gave them each a $100 bill, then kept running. They took the money to the nearest bank which turned out to be the bank that was just robbed, and there told police what happened.
May 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PARK IN YOUR OWN SPOT:In New Jersey, Anthony Giovannini had just parked his car and was walking into his home when he felt a thud on his back. He later told police it felt like he'd been hit with a rock. It was actually much worse. He had been shot with a bow and arrow and the arrow was about four inches in his back. As Anthony turned around he saw his neighbor, Robert A. Wood, Jr. going into his home. The two have apparently been arguing for some time over whose parking space is whose. Anthony's girlfriend called 911 to get him to hospital. Police later arrested Mr. Wood and confiscated two bows. He's been charged with aggravated assault and a weapons offense. (NBC News)
April 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCHOOL TAKES AWAY CHEESE SANDWICH _ A British mom said she pulled her 2-year-old from his nursery school after workers took away his cheese sandwich due to healthy eating rules. Dorothy Gallear said she pulled her son Jack from the school (in Wigan, England) after employees took away the cheese sandwich he brought from home because it was not on the facility's list of healthy foods. Gallear said workers told her the sandwich would have been acceptable if it had contained lettuce or tomato.
April 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WRONG NUMBER NETS FREE SPEAKER _ While teaching history at West Orange, New Jersey, High School last fall, Robbin Sweeney was upset when a student's cell phone rang. The student answered, but couldn't understand the caller and hung up. Sweeney got more and more upset as the student's phone kept ringing and receiving text messages. Sweeney grabbed the phone and called the person back. It turned out that the caller was the Zambian ambassador to the United Nations, who had reached a wrong number when trying to call another diplomat. The teacher said to him: "Since you've taken up so much of my class time, why don't you come speak to my school?" The ambassador agreed and he recently made good on his promise.
April 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BULLDOZER OPERATOR TAKES DOWN WRONG HOUSE _ A 69-year-old woman in Frisco, Texas, now has a pile of rubble to call home after a bulldozer operator screwed up and leveled her house instead of the one across the street that was supposed to be demolished. The house across the street had been slated for demo after repeated violations including high grass and weeds, outside storage, junked vehicles and failure to secure the structure. That homeowner had been notified in January of the need to repair or face demolition. Last week, the demo company got the permit to raze that house and notified the utilities to cut service. And then they flattened the wrong home.
April 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SUES OVER TICKET HE DIDN'T BUY _ An Indianapolis man is suing a convenience store chain for the $11.5 million lottery jackpot he says he would have won if a clerk had sold him a ticket. Seventy-year-old Charles Andrews says he had picked the winning numbers for the February 2008 drawing, but workers at the Speedway store refused to sell him a ticket with a few minutes left before the sales cutoff. Andrews says there wasn't enough time to go to another store. Andrews says he even signed his play slip and left it with the store so he would have proof in case they were the winning numbers. He found that they matched when he returned the next day.
April 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BOY FOUND LIVING IN BED BATH & BEYOND _ A Michigan teen could face trespassing charges after he was found living in a Bed Bath & Beyond store for four days. The boy's mother reported him missing to police Sunday, April 18, in the town of Rosewell, in east Michigan. On Thursday morning, workers at the household retail store called police after they discovered the boy living at the store. Employees found him near the bedding section and said he had some snacks with him. The boy would hide in the store before it closed and would leave in the morning at its opening.
April 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBER NEEDS JUMP _ In Hilton Head, South Carolina, a man matching the description of a bank robbery suspect approached someone in the parking lot of a hotel less than a block from the bank -- to ask for a jump for his 1995 BMW. Police say that person became aware of police presence in the area and called to report a suspicious man in the parking lot. The man was arrested about an hour after the robbery.
April 22nd
STUDENT DIDN'T REALIZE HE WAS CARJACKING HIS TEACHER _ A Washington, D.C. high school student accused of carjacking his own teacher didn't realize it was her until he had forced his way into her sport-utility vehicle. The student and his 25-year-old uncle have been arrested in connection with the Saturday incident. Police say it was a complete coincidence and the student didn't know it was his teacher he was carjacking until the crime started. A police account said that the student greeted his teacher and that they spoke during the abduction. After the teen climbed into the back seat, his uncle got behind the wheel, the teacher slid over to the passenger seat and the trio headed to an ATM where they forced her to withdraw money.
April 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RUNAWAY BLADE _ A home security camera in (Lorain) Ohio has captured a construction mishap that could have been a lot worse. Video from the camera shows a large blade spinning off a saw being used to cut through a street. The blade then rolled through a yard and ended up leaving a 3-foot gash in the side of an empty house. The blade missed a gas meter on the side of a neighboring house by only two feet. The video, taken by the homeowners, shows a construction worker retrieving the runaway blade and putting it back on the saw.
April 20th
WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LOCUST PLAGUES, TURN THEM INTO LOCUST PIZZAS! Eastern Australia has been experiencing one of the worst locust infestations in years causing widespread destruction of crops among other problems. But one local cafe in Mildura is capitalizing on the problem by offering up locust pizza to patrons! The idea for the pizza actually came from town Mayor Glenn Milne, who trapped the insects in a garbage bag. In the meantime, a Mildura car wash operator said his business had "quadrupled."
April 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: LIMOS REPOSSESSED DURING PROM _ Some Oklahoma students attending their prom got a scare Friday when their limos disappeared. According to Jenks, Oklahoma, police, the limos belonged to Galaxy Limousine and Executive Charter. Initially, the limos were reported stolen. Further investigation proved the vehicles were being repossessed. Galaxy Limo owner Jim Nicolotti said that the whole incident stems from miscommunication between his lender and the repossession company. He said that he and his bank had worked out their issues, but the bank did not tell the repo company to cancel the repo job.
April 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLARY SUSPECT SAYS HE WAS PLAYING HIDE-AND-SEEK _ A burglary suspect came up with a creative explanation after he was found dangling from the ventilation system of a Maryland convenience store. The owner of the convenience store was opening up Wednesday morning when he spotted a pair of feet dangling from a duct. Deputies responded and freed a 20-year-old man. The man told deputies he was playing hide-and-seek on the roof with other adults and decided to hide in the ventilation system. He said the other players couldn't figure out where he was and stopped looking for him.
April 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUCK IN DRYER VENT _ Firefighters in Florida said they were called to a home to free a duck that had plunged down a dryer vent and become stuck. Paul Smith, of St. Petersburg, said he woke up Tuesday morning to the sound of quacking and he discovered a duck bill protruding from the dryer vent. The duck apparently flew up to his roof and became trapped after crawling into the vent.
April 14th
April 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WANTED FELONY SO HE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL _ A Florida man said he wanted a felony on his record so he wouldn't be allowed to attend law school. A manager at a Staples in told police Joseph M. Velardo swiped about $300 in merchandise and then asked that police be called. But Velardo's plan failed. The items were valued at $276.88. Because the amount was less than $300, the incident is a misdemeanor, not a felony.
April 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RABBITS AT SHOW GET LOOSE, MULTIPLY _ When snow caved in the roof on a rabbit show in Sweden in February, the cages flew open and rabbits went forth and multiplied. When the roof caved many of the 1,648 rabbits at the exhibition roamed freely amid debris and did what rabbits are known to do. Now at least 50 rabbit breeders say they got surprise litters. One rabbit breeder said, "They made new friends and they became a bit aroused by the incident. ... it was a veritable circus in there."
April 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER MAILED HIMSELF INTO BUSINESSES _ A robber in Poland who allegedly raided several offices by mailing himself to the businesses has reportedly been detained. Stanislaw Muchy would wait until staff had gone home before freeing himself from the box to carry out the crime. Muchy would then package himself and his loot back into the box after changing the address label to his home in Poland. Police were alerted to the scheme by an accomplice, whose job was to deliver Muchy to the delivery counter.
April 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BUT WHAT IF THE TEACHER'S NOT KIDDING? _ Students at Enochs High School in Modesto, California, worried about budget cuts, asked an English teacher what she would do if she were laid off. The unnamed teacher replied that she'd become a stripper and sell the eggs from her body. A rep for the teacher's union said the sarcasm "was her way of defusing a tense situation. ... Now that she has thought about it, she probably wishes she said she'd probably be working at McDonald's."
April 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PASSENGER WAKES UP 90 MINS. AFTER LANDING _ Just about anyone who has taken a long flight has fallen asleep in their seat for at least a few minutes. But most of us wake up when the plane lands. And in only the rarest situation do we wake up in an otherwise empty jet... inside the airplane hangar. But that's exactly what a passenger on an Air Canada flight says happened to him. According to the passenger, a 31-year-old professor from the UK, he'd nodded off during his flight from Calgary to Vancouver and didn't wake up until 90 minutes after the plane had landed. The passenger, who had begun the day in London before connecting to the Vancouver-bound flight in Calgary, says he'd been up for 24 hours when he finally fell asleep. A mechanic who had boarded the plane after it had been towed into a hangar woke him.
April 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMEN TRY TO RE-ENACT WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S _ Police arrested two women after they tried to take the body of a dead relative on to a plane at a Liverpool, England, airport. Staff became suspicious when they tried to check in 91-year-old Curt Willi Jarant, who was wearing sunglasses, for a flight to Berlin on Saturday. The women -- his widow and step-daughter -- said they thought he was asleep. Apparently Jarant was alive during the taxi ride to the airport.
April 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUG DEALERS TEXT WRONG PHONE _ Authorities in New York state said three accused heroin dealers were arrested after they texted the wrong person. An agent with the Dutchess County Drug Task Force received an apparent wrong-number text Wednesday night and replied with a text implying interest in purchasing the heroin offered by the message. The agent met with two of the suspects about 90 minutes later and a short time later three men were in custody.
April 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RABBIT HELPS EDUCATE MOTORISTS _ The large furry rabbit walking between two busy Glendale, California, avenues on Wednesday was no hallucination, especially for drivers who failed to yield. For an hour and a half, Glendale Police Officer Tom Broadway donned the costume during an enforcement sting aimed at educating motorists to yield for pedestrians walking along unmarked crosswalks. Police cited 24 motorists on suspicion of failing to yield to the bunny as he walked across the road. Police said the sting was about more than just enforcement, with officers also taking time to educate motorists.
March 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER BEGS, "DON'T TELL MY MOM" _ Police in Utah said a kitchen knife-wielding teenager attempted to rob a store but failed -- and then asked a favor. Salt Lake City police said the teen brought items from the store to the counter and maneuvered to behind the counter while the clerk was ringing up the goods. Police said the suspect attempted to hold a kitchen knife to the clerk's neck, but the worker turned around and knocked the teen to the floor. The clerk told police the teen pleaded with him before fleeing without the knife. The teen suspect told the clerk, "Don't call the cops, I will pay. Don't tell my mom." The teenager fled the scene on foot.
March 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BANK ROBBERS PHONE AHEAD _ Police in Connecticut said a pair of would-be bank robbers did them a favor by phoning ahead and announcing their intentions. Police (in Fairfield) said Albert Bailey and a 16-year-old who was not named due to his age called People's United Bank Tuesday and told employees to be ready with money because they were coming to rob the facility and were prepared to create a "blood bath." The pair showed up unarmed at the bank about 10 minutes after placing the call, but police were waiting.
March 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BURGLAR ONLY WANTED TO EAT _ Police in New Jersey said a burglar who broke into a restaurant to cook and eat dinner was apparently not hungry for cash. They say someone entered the Matsu Sushi Grill by breaking an exhaust fan in the back of the eatery early Saturday morning and made a meal. The intruder pulled out a plate, got some chicken out of the freezer, got a box of rice, then fried up the chicken and rice in the frying pan. After he ate, he left. The burglar didn't touch $200 left in the cash register overnight.
March 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BILLBOARD FOR COLLEGE IS MISSPELLED _ Residents of a Florida town reacted with amusement to a glaring typo in an unexpected place -- a billboard for South Florida Career College. Residents said the billboard reads "It's never too late to start you career," with the "you" an apparent typo filling in for the grammatically correct "your." The college declined to comment on the error and would not reveal whether the typo was the fault of school officials, the designers of the billboard or those charged with putting up the advertisement.
March 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN BLOWS $230,000 IN ACCIDENTAL MONEY _ If you checked your bank account balance to see a mysterious $230,000 deposit, what would you do? If your answer is "contact the bank and make sure the money goes back to its rightful owner," you are correct. If you said "buy a Camaro and a new wardrobe, check into a hotel, and brag about your windfall to a police officer," you are incorrect. Unfortunately, an Alaska fisherman chose that second option, and now he's in jail. A seafood company wired the $230,000 into the account of the owner of a boat on which the man, Timothy Andrew Boles, had been a crew member. His bank account number was one digit off that of his employer. The Alaska State Troopers say that he noticed the deposit, promptly withdrew the money, went shopping, and checked into a hotel in Soldotna. That's where his girlfriend got drunk and made enough noise to attract the attention of the police while he was out bar-hopping.
March 19th
Didn't Count On A Vegetable Attack!
Some 16-year-old kid in Eastern Heights, Australia thought he'd try his hand at robbing a grocery store. So he threatened two employees with a knife and demanded cash. When they refused he jumped behind the counter and tried to force open the cash register. That's when what he didn't plan on happened. Other shoppers began to pelt him with a stream of fresh fruits and vegetables from the produce section. The attack was so intense he was forced to flee with only a few packs of cigarettes in stolen loot. Then, as he ran from the store, two young people chased him down and took him back to the store where he was met by waiting police officers.
Some 16-year-old kid in Eastern Heights, Australia thought he'd try his hand at robbing a grocery store. So he threatened two employees with a knife and demanded cash. When they refused he jumped behind the counter and tried to force open the cash register. That's when what he didn't plan on happened. Other shoppers began to pelt him with a stream of fresh fruits and vegetables from the produce section. The attack was so intense he was forced to flee with only a few packs of cigarettes in stolen loot. Then, as he ran from the store, two young people chased him down and took him back to the store where he was met by waiting police officers.
March 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER TRIES TO GET GETAWAY CAR BACK FROM COPS _ In Glasgow, Scotland, an armed robber was caught after he tried to claim a getaway car from police. Kenneth Johnstone and an accomplice held up a worker at a store at knifepoint before making off with over $1,000. A brave witness followed the pair and gave police details about Johnstone's car. It was was found outside Johnstone's mom's home and seized the following day. Johnstone later called police to get it back, leading to him being identified from surveillance footage of the robbery.
March 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON'T BURGLE A BLACKBELT'S HOMES _ Florida police said a martial arts instructor with a second-degree black belt used his fighting skills to foil a burglar who attempted to enter his home. Mark-Jason White told Gainesville police he heard sounds coming from the downstairs of the house he shares with his two sisters while he was home alone early Sunday. White, who teaches martial arts, said he armed himself with a karambit, a curved knife with a brass knuckle handle, and a tambo stick, a basic martial arts weapon, and rushed downstairs to confront a man attempting to climb through a broken window. The martial artist said the intruder disobeyed his order to get down on the ground. White said he quickly moved behind the intruder and struck him once in the middle of the back. White said, "At that point, he was more pliable."
March 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MULLET PLACE STREET SIGN KEEPS VANISHING _ The most frequently stolen street sign in Green Bay, Wisconsin, isn't Lombardi Avenue, Reggie White Way or Brett Favre Pass. The distinction goes to a short street on the city's southwest side called Mullet Place. The sign for Mullet Place has disappeared so many times city crews have moved it higher on the street pole and out of reach. It costs about $50 to $60, including labor, for the city to replace signs. The street was named in the 1820s after John Mullett, a surveyor working on land claims.
March 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG MAKES IT HOME AFTER BIRD FLIGHT _ Some kind of large bird picked up Poppy, a 3-pound chihuahua in Columbia, South Carolina. Poppy's family spent hours searching the nearby streets and neighborhoods, but they couldn't find him. That made it hard to get to sleep. After a night of tossing and turning, relief showed up right at the family's front door -- little Poppy was back.
March 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AIRPORT HAS SMELLY FEET PROBLEM _ Officials at a Florida airport said security workers want to replace two carpets at checkpoints they say have been ruined by passengers' smelly feet. Palm Beach County Airports Director Bruce Pelly said at an advisory board meeting Wednesday that security officials at Palm Beach International Airport "are complaining of odor" left behind on the floors from the smelly feet of those who remove their shoes for the two security checkpoints. A spokeswoman with the Transportation Security Administration, which operates the security checkpoints, said officials would support changing the carpets.
March 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: OLD WOMAN BANNED FROM WEDDINGS _ A court in Turkey imposed an unusual penalty on a 77-year-old woman for not paying her electric bill. He was banned from attending weddings. The woman was ordered to pay her outstanding bill and, for reasons the court didn't give, forbidden from attending weddings for five months.
March 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CLERK TO ROBBER: LET ME CALL MY WIFE _ A Vermont convenience store clerk foiled a robbery after the would-be robber demanded $200 cash. Clerk Michael Patel told the robber: "Let me call my wife." That's when the robber ran. He was later caught. Patel said he and his wife, who've owned the store for four years, work hard for their money and don't want to give it away.
March 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON'T PAY FOR DRUGS WITH MONOPOLY MONEY _ Police in Wichita, Kansas, are investigating an odd crime that involves drugs, assault and Monopoly money. It started as a routine traffic stop Thursday evening. When police pulled over the car they found a 33-year-old man bleeding from the head and telling an unusual story. The victim said a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back. The man said that the guy from whom he had bought the drugs was upset and invited him over to his house and upon arrival struck him in the head several times. The victim was able to get away and escape serious injury.
March 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GORILLA HELPS NAB CROOK _ British police said a kick from a man in a gorilla suit helped police catch a suspect fleeing from a fight at a supermarket. Police (in Canterbury) said a 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault and resisting arrest with the help of Andy Ingham, who was dressed in a gorilla suit on a street corner to promote his gym. When the suspect was being arrested he slammed a police woman out of his way. As the man ran past Andy the gorilla, he kicked the suspect in the legs, which slowed him down enough for police to catch up and arrest him.
March 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PUPPY MAY LEAD COPS TO CRIMINAL _ A California woman said her 10-month-old puppy spooked a robber emerging from a heist and caused the suspect to drop his cell phone. Kyla Rowe said she was sitting outside a Santa Cruz restaurant with her 10-month-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy, Butch Cassidy, Tuesday evening when the robber ran out of a nearby music shop. Police said the robber, who brandished a semiautomatic handgun during the crime, had taken a $5,000 electric guitar from the store. Butch Cassidy "freaked out" and jumped into the sidewalk barking and growling. The robber panicked at the sound of the bark and dropped his cell phone before fleeing on foot. Rowe says Butch Cassidy "has a pretty scary bark but the guy must have not actually looked at him. He's 25 pounds. His bark is definitely worse than his bite." Police are hoping the cell phone will lead to an arrest.
March 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NUDE SNOW SCULPTURE _ A New Jersey family said a police officer asked them to cover up portions of their snow sculpture -- a nude tribute to the Venus de Milo. An officer visited the home of Elisa Gonzalez, who built the snow sculpture with her daughter and son last week, on an anonymous complaint "of a naked snow woman." Gonzalez said the officer told the family he appreciated the armless replica of the ancient Greek statue. However, she said the officer asked the family to put clothes on the sculpture. Gonzalez said they put a green bikini top and a blue sarong on Venus.
March 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: USING A COP CAR TO SNORT DRUGS _ A nightclub partier was detained by German police after they caught trying to snort drugs off the top of their unmarked patrol car. The 26-year-old was lining up the powdered drugs on the roof of the car in a nightclub parking lot when the two police officers surprised him. The man had no idea the vehicle belonged to the police, and it was coincidence that the officers -- who were walking by their parked car -- discovered him just as he was about to take the drugs.
March 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FIREMAN PARKS FIRETRUCK ON TRACKS _ A top fire department official minced no words in criticizing a Detroit firefighter who parked a truck on a set of train tracks while responding to an accident. The fire truck was subsequently hit by a train. The fire commissioner told reporters: "I'm very upset. I'm going to make it known that this is not acceptable and we'll do some training." The fire truck was crushed by a passenger train but eventually resumed its trip. The replacement cost of the truck will run about $600,000.
March 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MEN CAUGHT WEARING SPEEDOS, DRESSES, ETC. _ A sheriff's deputy in Panama City Beach, Florida, rounded up a group of men wearing "Speedos, dresses and other costumes" — including panty hose — Saturday after a manager at Kmart complained the troupe was disrupting business. The deputy wrote in his report: "Upon my arrival I found a male attempting to leave the store. He was wearing a Speedo and sneakers." The deputy wrote that he instructed that man to wait at the front entrance "while I rounded up the other individuals." He eventually got them all in one place. One of them, an 18-year-old man, "was wearing a white dress with red panty hose along with red lipstick."
February 2010
February 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WORST BREAKING-AND-ENTERING ATTEMPT EVER _ Stephan Crane will probably never be a professional burglar. The 19-year-old Hamilton, Montana, man was arrested Tuesday morning following an early morning break-in at a local newspaper. Crane allegedly broke into the newsroom through a window and then watched some pornography on computers inside. He also logged onto his MySpace and Facebook pages using his own name. Following a short investigation, Hamilton police officers found Crane at his sister's apartment just across the hallway from the paper's newsroom. Did they use his MySpace and Facebook login info to track him down? Nope. The officers followed a trail of stolen trail mix and M&Ms to her door.
February 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF TRACKED USING COMPUTERS HE STOLE _ Police in Utah said a man who stole two laptops from a rental business used the Internet, which was tracked on the Internet. A worker at the rental place used software installed on the computers to monitor Internet use on the stolen machines and noticed the machine had been used to visit the Salt Lake County, Utah, jail's website. Apparently the laptop thief was looking at his own mugshot on the site.
February 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ACCIDENTALLY USED FAKE BILL HE CREATED _ A 30-year-old Sheboygan, Wisconsin, man who used a computer to create a counterfeit bill claims that he passed the bill by accident. Joshua G. Isaacs told police he is interested in graphic design and created the bill using Photoshop to see if he could do it. Isaacs claimed he inadvertently moved the bill from his car to his wallet and ended up using it.
February 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCAMMER ASKS TO DONATE FOR FIREMEN, CALLS CHIEF _ Police in northwestern Pennsylvania suspect a scam in which people are asked to donate money to disabled firefighters was nipped in the bud when the con artist called a wrong number: that of the local fire chief. Fire Chief Dave Meehl said the caller said he was "collecting money for disabled firefighters." When Meehl told the man he was the fire chief, the caller hung up.
February 15th
HEART ATTACK GRILL SUES HEART STOPPERS SPORTS GRILL _ A restaurant owner in Arizona alleges the owners of an eatery in Delray Beach, Florida, stole the theme behind his Heart Attack Grill. Heart Attack Grill owner Jon Basso alleges in a federal lawsuit the owners of the Heart Stoppers Sports Grill in Delray Beach copied his theme of having a restaurant with a medical theme and unhealthy foods. Basso's attorney said, "Heart Attack Grill is the originator of the medically themed hamburger grill and restaurant. It sells high-calorie food products and we have had very extensive media coverage, including numerous shows on the Travel Channel and the Food Network." An attorney for Heart Stoppers insists the theme behind the eatery is not identical to that of the Heart Attack Grill.
Febuary 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TEXTING WHILE SKATEBOARDING _ A 12-year-old boy riding his skateboard was hit by a car in West Covina, California. He was hospitalized and should be OK. The driver of the vehicle that hit him was not cited because investigation shows the boy skated into the street at an intersection against a red light, which he apparently didn't notice because he was texting at the time.
February 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: IF HE'S THE FATHER, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 7 _ A Florida man says the state is trying to force him to pay child support for a child who was born when he was 7 years old. Rusty Cole, a National Guardsman from Port Orange, Florida, said his tax return was delayed by the state because officials told him he owes support payments for a child born in 1995 -- despite the fact that Cole was born in late 1987. Cole said weeks of phone calls and office visits failed to yield any results. He said an email message to Florida's governor finally got him an apology from the department of revenue and the promise that his return would be processed.
February 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PICKLE SURPASSES 500,000 FANS _ A pickle on Facebook has surpassed 500,000 fans. The creator of the pickle's fan page says his goal is to have more fans than the group Nickelback. The band has 1.4 million fans, so the pickle has a ways to go.
February 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN CALLS COPS AFTER CAR HE STOLE IS STOLEN _ In Flint, Michigan, a man reported Thursday night that a Chevy Malibu had been stolen. Police reports indicated the vehicle was previously stolen out of a town about 50 miles away. When cops arrived to talk to the man about the car he stole that had been stolen from him, he told them he was robbed at gunpoint while trying to buy crack cocaine with a credit card.
February 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN TRIES TO STEAL LOTS OF LOTION _ A Massachusetts man allegedly stuffed 75 bottles of lotion in his pants at a Bath & Body Works store. The 30-year-old (Chamil Guadarrama) was quickly apprehended by security guards. Police noted that Guadarrama "had a hard time running and was extremely bowlegged" during his attempted escape. To keep the lotion from sliding out the bottom of his pant legs, Guadarrama had tied string around his ankles. While the items each contained eight ounces of lotion, they likely weighed about a pound each due to their glass bottles. Police reported that the lotion was worth $787.50.
February 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS NEEDED A BETTER CAR _ In Hickory, North Carolina, police a couple of guys went into a convenience store; one went to the clerk at the counter while the other went over to the beer cooler. The man at the counter demanded money from the clerk and acted like he had a gun. The clerk handed over some money and both men left in a tan-colored, four-door Chevrolet. A few hours later officers were called to a Hardees restaurant in reference to a stranded motorist. When officers arrived, they started helping a motorist with a flat tire. The cops recognized the vehicle as the one in which the robbery suspects reportedly drove away in. Within a short time, police were able to confirm that the men in the stalled car were the two men involved in the convenience story robbery.
February 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SLEDDER BLOWS HIMSELF UP _ A 62-year-old Michigan man has been hospitalized with burns after the rocket backpack he built to power himself on a sled exploded. The unidentified man, who had been drinking before the accident, suffered second-degree burns and possible eye damage. Authorities say the man has this sledding party every year, and he always does outrageous things at it, but he's never blown himself up before. The would-be rocket was powered by a used auto muffler filled with gasoline and gunpowder. He asked another person to light a wick and then began to sled down a hill. At some point during the ride, the device exploded. The good news? He was wearing a motorcycle helmet.
February 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ORDERED TO APOLOGIZE TO PARROT _ A 19-year-old Scottish man who admitted to threatening his grandmother's parrot for interrupting his sleep was ordered to apologize with chocolates. The man pleaded guilty Monday to a breach of the peace after his grandmother called police Friday morning and said the 19-year-old was intoxicated and hitting the parrot's cage. The man spent the weekend in jail and was sentenced by the court to buy his grandmother a box of chocolates as an apology
February 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUGS IN HUMAN WASTE _ In a messy drug bust, Arizona investigators uncovered more than 700 pounds of marijuana stuffed in a septic tank truck full of human waste. And, yes, the search of the truck was as awful as it sounds. Hidden in the holding tank of the truck were 743 pounds of pot, worth about $409,000 on the street. An officer pulled over the septic tank truck Wednesday after a check of the license showed it was invalid.
March 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TOWN RAINED ON BY FISH _ Residents in a remote desert town in Australia, 326 miles from the nearest river, are recovering after witnessing two days of fish raining from the sky. The town of Lajamanu, population 669, has seen hundreds of small white fish fall from rain clouds with many still alive. Weather experts in Australia believe the fish, called spangled perch, were sucked up in a thunderstorm before being dumped over the tiny town. One resident of the town was optimistic: "It could be crocodiles... that would be real scary
March 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MEN CAUGHT WEARING SPEEDOS, DRESSES, ETC. _ A sheriff's deputy in Panama City Beach, Florida, rounded up a group of men wearing "Speedos, dresses and other costumes" — including panty hose — Saturday after a manager at Kmart complained the troupe was disrupting business. The deputy wrote in his report: "Upon my arrival I found a male attempting to leave the store. He was wearing a Speedo and sneakers." The deputy wrote that he instructed that man to wait at the front entrance "while I rounded up the other individuals." He eventually got them all in one place. One of them, an 18-year-old man, "was wearing a white dress with red panty hose along with red lipstick."
January 2010
January 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: STICK-UP WITH A FORK _ Police reported a bizarre gas station robbery in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Tuesday night. They say Gino Conti walked into a gas station and asked for a box of cigarettes. When the clerk turned around, police said Conti pulled out a fork and demanded money. There was no money in the cash register, so Conti grabbed the cigarettes and left. Police caught up with Conti a short time later. His fork is being held as evidence.
January 28th
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: 26 year old Agandus Osborn was arrested after he left his wallet on the stairwell of a home he burglarized. Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Shular said "It's not often that an alleged criminal leaves a calling card. This one had a name and address, and picture I.D."
January 27th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: RIGHT LETTER, WRONG DRUGS _ A burglar who broke into a Medford, Oregon, pharmacy had the right letter, but not the right drugs. Police said someone broke out a window Saturday night at the pharmacy and grabbed the prescriptions in the "O'' section. Investigators think the burglar was after the narcotic oxycodone -- but the drugs in that section were filed alphabetically by customers' last names. No arrests have been made.
January 26th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THIEF COUGHS UP STOLEN RING _ Pictures of a two-carat diamond ring worth about $20,000 were sent to jewelers in the Joplin, Missouri, area after it was reported stolen when someone took the owner's purse from her car. The owner of a jewelry store recognized the ring when a man and woman came to his store a few hours after the theft and said they wanted to sell it. Police said the man swallowed the ring when officers arrived. But while being questioned, he began to cough uncontrollably and eventually coughed up the ring.
January 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ANTLERED GUEST IN THE KITCHEN _ A man in Belleville, Illinois, says it didn't take him long to decide not to mess with the uninvited, antlered guest he found in his kitchen. Mark Page and his wife were sleeping Saturday when the sound of breaking glass woke them up. Page went downstairs to find a 10-to-12 point buck in the kitchen with its head in the sink. He says he looked at the animal for "not even a fraction of a second" before turning tail and heading back upstairs. He says he doesn't mess with deer, especially big ones. The animal also was spooked and barreled through a closed window to escape.
January 22nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PARKED CAR ISSUED SPEEDING FINES _ British police apologized to a man whose parked car was twice photographed by a camera near his home and issued speeding fines. Jeff Buck said he recently received two speeding fines alleging he was violating the speed limit while his car was actually parked in front of his home. Police say the camera must have been triggered by speeding vehicles passing near his parked car.
January 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NO ONE AROUND TO ROB _ If you arm yourself, put on a ski mask and walk up to the counter demanding money but nobody is around to hear it, is it still a robbery? Police in Joliet, Illinois, say it's an attempt. Two men and one juvenile, age 16, face charges after reportedly trying to pull a stickup that lacked victims. Police say the three decided to rob a grocery store and put on ski masks and bandannas. The 16-year-old went inside with an air pistol while the other two acted as lookouts. The two men said they saw the teen walk up to the register, look around and come back outside. He told them there was no one in the store. The men laughed when informed of the lack of visible customers and employees, but decided to remain in the area. But a neighbor already had called police about the masked men. A short time later police arrived.
January 20th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WORST CROOKS OF 2010 (SO FAR) _ A guy trying to steal a cop car filled with all kinds of cop stuff needs a lesson in crime. Shane Thomas Williams-Allen of Orlando, Florida, is in custody and might be linked to as many as nine car burglaries. One of them was an unmarked cop car. Stolen from that car were a Taser, an expandable baton, handcuffs, a Glock handgun magazine, a digital camera and a digital recorder. Police say Williams-Allen discharged the Taser and shocked himself. Cops caught up with him when he locked himself up with the handcuffs and had to call the police to set him free. Many of the other stolen items were recovered following his arrest.
January 19th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: YOU CAN'T HAVE A CAR -- YOU'RE DEAD _ A Florida man said he has been financially crippled by a credit reporting error. Glenroy Allen (of Port St. John) said he first discovered the mistake when he attempted to buy a pickup truck. Since then he's been unable to open a bank account, obtain a credit card or receive other financial services without a signature from his wife. The credit reporting error claims that Allen is dead. In fact, when car dealers and credit card companies request a credit report it simply reads: "Consumer deceased."
January 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WAKES UP DURING HIS AUTOPSY _ A man in India declared dead surprised hospital staff by waking up during his autopsy. Doctors were performing a post-mortem examination on Manas Deo after he had been hit by a car. Deo was critically injured Christmas day by a vehicle. Police transported the man to a local hospital where the doctor pronounced him dead. It was a surprise for the hospital staff and family members after Manas woke up when the doctors began his autopsy. After waking up, Deos was taken to a hospital. He's recovering and will reportedly be released in a week or two.
January 15th
In Portland, a 46-year-old man walked into a FedEx/Kinkos and handed a hold up note to an employee. Weird thing was the note said, "This is a robbery, I'll wait outside for police, sorry." And he did -- wait outside for police that is. They came by and took him into custody but ultimately no charges will be filed as the guy didn't have a weapon and didn't really rob anything. Police think the guy just wanted to go to jail -- because that's such a fun place to be.
January 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBER ASKS FIRST IF EMPLOYEE WANTS ANYTHING _ A man on his way in to a drugstore in Indianapolis saw an employee outside taking a smoke break. He stopped to tell the employee he was going in to rob the store, and did he want anything? The employee declined, and called police. The 27-year-old man was arrested as he came out, and police recovered his weapon: a nozzle from a garden hose.
January 13th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DAD USES POLICE TO TEACH 9-YEAR-OLD TWINS A LESSON _ Police in a Chicago suburb say a father whose twin 9-year-old daughters were disrupting his driving pulled into a police station for teachable moment. The Buffalo Grove Police Department said the man stopped at the station January 5 and asked an officer to help explain the dangers of hitting someone and pulling their hair while they are driving a car. The girls told the officer they "shoved" their dad because they wanted him to stop singing. The officer wrote in a police report that the 9-year-olds "understood" the lesson.
January 12th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BUSTED FOR HAT THEFT _ Derek Kidd and his girlfriend were released from jail in Middleton, Ohio, after being arrested for disorderly conduct. As Kidd was leaving, officers noticed that he was concealing a hat. They could see it peeking out from underneath his hat. They took a look and sure enough, it had a Middletown police logo on it. Kidd, they say, stole it and several other items from the station on his way out, and arrested him again for theft.
January 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAYOR DAMAGES NEW FIRE TRUCK _ Grand Ridge, Florida, mayor and volunteer firefighter Chris Wright may have cost the city up to $1,000 Thursday, after he struck a pine tree while driving the town's newest fire truck on a non-dispatched call. According to a Floridan High Patrol report of the accident, Wright was attempting to turn around in a private driveway when one of the fire truck's rear tires slid off a plastic culvert and into a ditch. The vehicle then began to lean to the left and struck a pine tree, causing an estimated $2,000 worth of damage to the left side of the vehicle. The vehicle is insured by the city, but there is a $1,000 deductible. The highway patrol report states the contributing cause to the accident was careless driving on Wright's behalf.
January 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUMB SCHOOL PRINCIPAL _ After students at Red Pine Elementary in Eagan, Minnesota, graduated from an anti-drug program, they were given certificates, cake, and helium balloons. After the party, several of the balloons had floated into the gym's ceiling, so Principal Gary Anger allowed a parent to bring in a BB gun to shoot them down. There's a zero tolerance weapons policy in the district, and students have been expelled for bringing lesser "weapons" than that to school. When parents complained about the double standard, Anger told a reporter that "in retrospect, it was probably a dumb thing to do.
January 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PEEPING TOM SNAPS HIS OWN PHOTO _ British police said a man who set up a spy camera in a supermarket changing room inadvertently snapped two photographs of his own face.
January 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ESCAPED CONVICT CAUGHT TRYING TO BUY BOLT CUTTERS _ A Yellowknife, Canada, man who briefly escaped from police custody outside a courthouse has been arrested again after he was spotted at a hardware store -- wearing handcuffs, and shopping for a good bolt-cutter. Authorities found the 27-year-old man last Wednesday still wearing the cuffs he had on when he fled from the courthouse sometime after 9pm the night before.
January 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WRONG MAN, STUPID MAN _ Police in Redding, California, chased a pair of prowlers through a residential neighborhood. They quickly caught one, but despite deploying six officers, a helicopter, and a police dog, they were unable to find the other man. Russell Spade, a resident of the neighborhood, was listening to it all on his radio scanner and heard the description of the fleeing felon: he was wearing khaki pants and a San Francisco 49ers logo sweatshirt. Spade, police say, realized he had a pair of khaki pants and a San Francisco 49ers logo sweatshirt, so he put them on and went outside to see if officers "noticed" him. "Well, we noticed him," said a police sergeant. They quickly determined Spade wasn't the prowler, but arrested him anyway -- for obstructing and delaying a police officer.
January 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUESTS "STUCK" AT PUB FOR THREE NIGHTS _ Guests celebrating the new year at the highest pub in England had a longer than expected stay, after heavy snow left them stranded for three days. About 30 people arrived at the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire on New Year's Eve to welcome in 2010. But the wintry weather conditions meant the residents were snowed in for two extra nights. The pub's DJ said, "We've kept our spirits up."
December 2009
December 11th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN LOSES BET, ALLOWS TV TO BE SHOT _ A Louisiana man who bet against the New Orleans Saints has lost his 60-inch high-definition, flat-screen TV to a backyard firing squad, but he also became an Internet star. Wayne A. Spring told his friends that if New Orleans beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday, anyone who wanted could come to his house and shoot his television. Spring says: "I was a Saints fan, but used to be they never could win and I admit I was a fair-weather fan." Spring, a nurse who owns a medical staffing company, said as soon as the undefeated Saints kicked the winning field goal, his phone started ringing. About a dozen Saints fans, toting firearms and a case of beer, showed up at his home some 50 miles northwest of New Orleans, and shot up his TV in the back yard.
December 10th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN ROLLS OVER DETONATOR THREE TIMES _ A man in the Northern Territory of Australia called police to ask if they could come by to pick something up: an explosive detonator he had brought home from work months before. When officers arrived at his home, they noted the device, which was sitting in his driveway, was severely damaged. The man admitted he had run over the detonator three times with his car to see what would happen. A bomb technician was called in to remove the device, since in its damaged condition it could explode with little provocation.
December 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN PRETENDED TO BE MOM AT BANK _ Police said a Franklin, New Jersey, man dressed up as his mother in an attempt to withdraw money from her bank account. Twenty-five year old Tita Nyambi was still at the bank when police arrived Monday afternoon. Tellers called to report that a man wearing women's clothes and speaking in a high pitched voice was trying to withdraw money through the bank's drive-through window.
December 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COP GETS EYEFUL DURING TRAFFIC STOP _ A Fort Pierce, Florida, police officer got more than he asked for during a Friday morning traffic stop. About 3am, the officer stopped Ellena Lucia Barron for an unnamed traffic violation The officer asked Barron for her license and registration and she said, "I just dropped my friend off and some weed eaters." Barron looked dazed, the officer said, and wouldn't look him in the eye. She said she needed to go to her vehicle's trunk. At the trunk Barron lifted her blouse, revealing her breasts. When the officer asked why, she said, "It thought that's what you wanted to see." Barron was charged with indecent exposure.
December 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PRISONER TELLS OFFICIALS: I'M NOT DUE FOR RELEASE _ A British prison mistakenly released a drug dealer even though he warned them they were making an error. Staffers at Durham Jail insisted that Robert Winthrop leave the facility even though Winthrop -- who had been convicted of possessing drugs with intent to distribute -- told them they were making a mistake and that he belonged in custody.
December 4th
WHAT'S THAT SMELL?: In Bendigo, Australia, somebody thought they smelled a dangerous gas leak while walking by a residence in the dead of night. Before you knew it, two fire trucks and 15 fire-fighters turned out in the darkness to search for the source of the leak. There was no gas leak. The smells were soon discovered to be a large pet pig owned by the family who was having some substantial flatulence problems. Fire chief Peter Harkins said, "She got very excited when two trucks and 15 fire-fighters turned up and she squealed and farted and squealed and farted." He added, "I haven't heard too many pigs fart but I would describe it as very full-on." The pig was lying low yesterday and her embarrassed owners refused media requests for a photograph of their gassy porker. She was described as a friendly and docile animal, a much loved children's pet, and possibly in need of a change of diet.
December 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: VIDEO PEEPING TOM VIDEOS HIMSELF _ An (Elgin) Illinois man who hid a spy camera in women's bathroom at his workplace is facing up to three years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to a felony charge. Miguel Bribiescas admitted to a charge of unauthorized video recording stemming from the July 31 discovery of the pen-size camera in a restroom. The camera recorded one female co-worker using the restroom before it was discovered by an employee and turned over to police. When police began viewing what else was on the camera, the first thing they saw was video of Bribiescas looking into the lens and learning how to operate the device.
December 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN WHO WANTED TO PUMP MILK FROM BREASTS GIVES UP _ A Swedish man who spent months attempting to pump milk from his breasts has given up on the failed attempt. "Milkman" Ragnar Bengtsson's daily three-hour breast pumping failed to produce any milk. Someone monitoring Bengtsson's progress said, "All he got was sore breasts." Bengtsson does have a perk coming from his project -- he is flying to the United States this week to film an appearance on The Tyra Banks Show.
December 1
Not Our Brightest Idea: Officials at the HMP Kirkham prison in Lancashire, England admit it wasn't the best thought out plan. Prisoners who were willing to volunteer to help make Christmas lunch for elderly people at a local day center were given the opportunity to purchase a raffle ticket for $2 bucks. And the grand prize of the raffle -- getting out of jail for one day! The head warden of the prison claims he was unaware of the prize. Prison officials say the promotion was designed to encourage good behavior. But the get-out-of-jail-free card has since been withdrawn as a prize.
November 2009
November 30
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: READ THE LABEL _ In Texas, a man put an insect fogger under his kitchen sink to fumigate the cockroaches that had infested the cabinets. Unfortunately, he didn't read the label on the can that warned not to put the fogger in small places, and to be sure to turn off the pilot light on the stove so the fumes wouldn't be ignited. The resulting explosion shattered windows in three rooms, knocked the cabinets off the kitchen wall, pulled the sink out of the wall, caved in the roof, and blasted doors off their hinges. The man and his wife were in their driveway when the explosion occurred and were OK.
November 25
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ONE DRIVER, TWO CELL PHONES _ An unidentified 30-year-old man driving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was pulled over by police after they observed his car swerving. The arresting officer noted that the driver had a mobile phone in each hand, and explained he was moving information from one phone to the other. But, the man told the officer, there was no problem because he always had one finger on the wheel.
November 24
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: COPS BLOW UP ILLEGALLY PARKED CAR _ A British man said police told him they blew up his car because it was parked illegally near the prime minister's office and raised terrorism fears. The man (from Oxford) said he was visiting London to celebrate a friend's birthday and parked his car November 7 in an area that police later informed him was less than a quarter mile from Prime Minister Gordon Brown's residence and office, and was along the route of parade due to take place the following day.
November 23
MAN LISTENS TO SAME ALBUM EVERY DAY FOR 524 DAYS _ A man in Maple Heights, Ohio, listened to the Judas Priest double album "Nostradamus" every day for 524 straight days. Jim Bartek completed his 524-day streak on Saturday by rocking out to "Nostradamus" with nearly 35 people at a local bar. During his streak of listening to the album daily, Bartek earned notoriety by being featured in a variety of publications ranging from newspapers to magazines like Rolling Stone. Bartek was even contacted by Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, who taped a special testimonial for the fan.
November 21
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FALSE DISABILITY CLAIM UNCOVERED THANKS TO TV SHOW _ California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show. Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Hunt was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay more than $180,000 in restitution, unpaid taxes and fines. The state says Hunt falsely claimed he was disabled for three years and collected almost $150,000 in benefits, while earning about $400,000 in income as an interior designer. An employee of the insurance company that was paying Hunt's benefits saw Hunt on a HGTV program and reported him to the state.
November 20
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CHICKEN JOINS CITY COUNCIL MEETING _ Entering the third hour of a dry Durango, Colorado, city council meeting, a person in a chicken costume surprised five councilors with an unscheduled visit Tuesday. The human-sized chicken made its appearance at council chambers just after 8:30 Tuesday night, as Mayor Leigh Meigs was discussing the language of a recently-passed backyard hen ordinance. Making a few chicken noises, the animal entered the room carrying a sign featuring a misspelling of "chicken" and a check mark, took a few turns, and then a seat in the otherwise-empty gallery. The pseudo-chicken sat patiently and rocked its head while confused councilors chuckled and looked on and attempted to continue. Several minutes later, the council went into a scheduled closed session and the chicken appropriately rose from its seat to leave. On its way out, the bird approached the council table, crouched and left an egg on the floor.
November 19
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOOR TO DOOR MARIJUANA SALE _ A teenager who had been going door to door trying to sell marijuana last week was arrested after he went to the residence of a Brownsville, Texas, police officer. Anthony Carrazco was arrested at the officer's apartment at approximately 3:30am when he tried to sell the officer three ounces of marijuana.
November 18
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WRONG LOTTERY TICKET TURNS OUT A WINNER _ No one is complaining about a mistake made by a store clerk in southern New Jersey. Indian Fields Market owner Domenic Galle said a man walked into the store and asked for a Deuces Wild scratch-off lottery ticket Monday night. Galle said the clerk gave him an Aces High ticket instead. The clerk chased after the man when she realized she made a mistake. But he was gone. Galle said the customer walked back into his store an hour later with a $100,000 winner.
November 17
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN DRIVES 1,680 MILES FOR CLASS _ An Oklahoma man said he commutes 1,680 miles a week to take an improv comedy class at the famous Chicago school that trained his hero. Thomas Crane said he drives 840 miles each Thursday to attend a Friday class (at iO Chicago) and leaves immediately after class for the 840 mile drive home -- a commute he said takes about 15 hours in each direction. Crane said he decided to take a class after learning from a TV special that his favorite comedian, Chris Farley, trained at the school. He said he spends about $150 on gas each week and shells out more cash for hotel rooms.
November 16
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN DROPS ENGAGEMENT RING IN FOREST _ An Ohio man says it took seven days of searching a forest to find the 1-carat diamond engagement ring he dropped from a hot air balloon just before proposing. James Ng, a pastor at New Mercies Community Church in Burton, Ohio, said he was planning to pop the question to his girlfriend during the October 29 hot air balloon ride but his heart sank when his camera case, which contained the ring and its box, slipped from his hands about 500 feet above the ground and plummeted into the woods. Ng said he went ahead with the proposal anyway and his gal said yes. Ng and a friend used Google Maps to recreate the path of the balloon and searched the area in grids for a week until he found the camera bag, which had lost all of its contents except for the ring and its box.
November 13
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN HAMMERS NAIL INTO HIS OWN HEAD _ A 66-year-old man in China hammered a nail into his own skull after a fight with his wife over his boozing. The man pounded the eight inch nail into his head when his wife read him the riot act over a drinking binge. Amazingly, he survived.
November 12
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MISSING FLAGS BLAMED ON SQUIRRELS _ When flags starting going missing from graves at a cemetery in Hampton, New Hampshire, locals -- especially veterans' groups -- expressed outrage. But people need to chill, a cemetery official said. Several years back the cemetery had the same situation. Cemetery Trustee Richard Bateman said the thieves back then were squirrels. The rodents were snatching the flags to line their nests, he said, and that's probably what's going on now, too. The Commander of the local American Legion Post joked, "... if it's squirrels, we are going to prosecute them and I'm going to make an example out of them."
November 11
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FIGHT WITH A LAMPPOST _ In Scotland, David Robinson was drunk and looking to pick a fight with the first person on the street who crossed his path. But when passers-by ignored Robinson he decided to have it out with a lamppost. As police officers watched, Robinson directed his drunken anger at the lamppost and shouted at it to "come and have a go." The bizarre incident was recounted the other day in court, where Robinson admitted breaching the peace and was ordered to perform 80 hours community service.
November 10
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CAR THIEF STEALS CAR TO GET TO COURT _ The California Highway Patrol got a report of a stolen car on November 3 and were able to track it down quickly because it was equipped with LoJack. They found it parked near a courthouse (in Vallejo) and arrested the driver when he returned to the car. He turned out to be Samuel Botchvaroff, who had been at the courthouse for an arraignment. Specifically, his arraignment on charges of auto theft. Police said that Botchvaroff's own car had been impounded after a prior arrest so he stole another one to make sure he didn't miss his arraignment.
November 9
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SHE CALLS 911 OVER LACK OF BOYFRIEND'S COMMITMENT _ Commitment-phobic? Don't tell that to Clarksville, Tennessee, resident Hee Orama, who decided she'd had enough of her boyfriend's indecisiveness on the way to the altar. Orama made repeated calls to police complaining that her significant other would not make an honest woman of her. Even after being told that her single status did not qualify as an emergency, she kept calling, until police arrested her. Orama had also been taken into custody the week prior for calling 911 because she couldn't find her car.
November 6
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JESUS IS ALONG FOR THE RIDE _ In Tennessee, Jim Stevens says he's not particularly religious and is clueless about why an image resembling Jesus Christ keeps appearing on his pickup. Stevens says nearly every morning, an image that looks to him like the face of Jesus Christ has appeared in the condensation on the driver's side window of his Isuzu truck. When he first saw the image, he figured it would evaporate and not return. But it's kept reappearing for two weeks now. He says he isn't going to wash the truck for a while.
November 5
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DEAD MAN SHOWS UP AT HIS OWN FUNERAL _ A Brazilian bricklayer reportedly killed in a car crash shocked his mourning family by turning up alive at his funeral. Relatives of the 59-year-old man (Ademir Jorge Goncalves) had identified him as the victim of a car crash on Sunday. As is customary in Brazil, the funeral was held the following day, which happened to be the holiday of Finados, when Brazilians visit cemeteries to honor the dead. What family members didn't know was that the man had spent the night at a truck stop talking with friends over drinks. He didn't hear about his own funeral until it was already taking place on Monday morning.
November 4
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DRUNK KNEW WHAT COP NEEDED _ In Bay County, Florida, a woman pulled up to a police car and told the cop she knew what he needed -- and produced an Outback Steakhouse menu. When the cop asked for her license, she handed him her wallet. But no license could be found. She also offered the officer her health insurance card. On the woman's passenger's seat was a pint vodka bottle, an overturned can of mixed nuts. A wine glass was on the floor. When told to do a roadside sobriety test, the woman began to dance and then grabbed the officer and twirled herself several times and attempted to rub on his legs using her butt.
November 3
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PEEPING TOM RECORDS HIMSELF _ Police in California allege a Family Christian Book Store employee accidentally recorded himself setting up a peeping camera in the store's bathroom. Police (Simi Valley Police Department) said Joseph David Ramon Moreaux accidentally taped himself hiding the camera between boxes in the corner of a store restroom used by both men and women. The camera was discovered Sunday by a female patron who alerted police to its presence. Officers said they found the video of Moreaux hiding the camera on the device.
November 2
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CIVILIAN ACCIDENTALLY EJECTS HIMSELF _ In South Africa a civilian passenger in an air force display plane accidentally activated the ejector seat while reaching for something to steady himself during a mid-air maneuver. The novice flier instantly shot through the jet's canopy and was blasted 100 yards into the sky by the rocket-powered emergency chair. Experts said the man was lucky to escape unharmed following the bizarre incident. It's thought he activated the ejector seat after lurching forward during an aerobatic maneuver and accidentally pulling on a black and yellow emergency handle between his legs. The man floated back down to Earth on a parachute which opened automatically.
October 2009
October 29
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: A STRANGE MEDICAL CASE _ A Dutch medical magazine asked its readers to send in their stories of strange medical cases. One respondent told the tale of Margaret Daalman, who came in to the hospital 30 years ago complaining of a stomach ache. An X-ray found 78 forks and spoons inside her. When she went in for her surgery, Daalman, a secretary, told doctors: "I don't know why but I felt an urge to eat the silverware. I could not help myself." Medics also revealed it was not the first time that she had been treated for eating the cutlery. They said she had been diagnosed as suffering from a borderline personality disorder that left her with an urge to eat forks and spoons. She never ate knives, however -- and could not explain why not
October 28
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CLOWN DRIVES INTO COP CAR _ Near Vancouver, British Columbia, the other night a police officer was searching for suspects involved in a reported fight when he spotted a man driving at him on the wrong side of the road. The officer stopped his own car and turned on its emergency lights to warn the other driver, who nonetheless crashed head-on into the cruiser at about 15 miles per hour. There were no injuries. The driver of the car was found to be wearing a brightly colored clown costume and faces charges of impaired driving.
October 27
Handcuffed and Pantsless _ I remember what my father always said: "Running down the freeway pantsless and in handcuffs is no way to go through life my boy." Apparently not everyone got the same sage advice. In Wisconsin, a man, who was shackled and being taken to the hospital by a police officer, managed to escape by ditching his shackled pants and fleeing the scene. While driving to the hospital, the officer pulled over to the side of the freeway and the suspect got out of the car. A struggle ensued between the officer and the guy before the prisoner ran across the freeway and fled the scene sans pants. He was found a few hours later -- because he wasn't all that hard to spot-- and finally made it to the hospital. By the way -- it's cold in Wisconsin this time of year and the idiot had to be treated for frostbite injuries. (WCCO News)
October 26
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ROBBERS LEAVES KEYS BEHIND _ Authorities in New Jersey (Patterson) said some gun-toting men entered an apartment early Friday, expecting to find loads of money. They woke one man and demanded cash as they tried unsuccessfully to bind his arms. But the man began screaming and fought with one bandit, stabbing him with scissors before another suspect hit him with a shotgun. Realizing they targeted the wrong residence, the men then fled with just a three-foot, beer bottle-shaped piggy bank containing $2 in change. Police soon arrived and, after a quick search, found keys to the robbers' getaway car, which was found in a nearby parking lot. The car's registration led police to the alleged robbers, who were sitting in a taxi outside one suspect's home.
October 23
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ZONKEY? _ What do you get when you cross a zebra with a donkey? James Oleson says you'll get knocked to the ground and bitten. Deputies in Florida (Rooksville) say Oleson was attacked by the half-zebra, half-donkey on Monday. Oleson told deputies he was painting a perimeter fence near the donkey's enclosure at an exotic animals enclosure when the donkey put his head underneath the fence and began to bite his feet. With someone's help, Oleson was able to get away from the "zonkey". He suffered numerous bite marks on his lower legs.
October 22
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DUI SUSPECT FINISHES OFF THE BOTTLE _ When police caught James Robinson near Cincinnati early Monday driving with an open bottle of vodka he decided that before they hauled him off to jail, he'd have one more drink. So as he sat in the front seat during the arrest process, Robinson finished off the bottle. That last drink resulted in an additional charge of tampering with evidence.
October 21
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: Talk About a Pot Head! Police in Lebanon, Pennsylvania arrested 29-year-old Cesar Lopez at a convenience store after noticing a bag of marijuana stuck to his forehead! Our friend was spotted walking out of the bathroom and looking nervously at the inside of his baseball cap. When Lopez approached the arresting officer, he looked up, and the officer noticed a small plastic bag stuck to his forehead that appeared to contain marijuana. The officer retrieved the bag from Lopez's forehead and asked, "Is this what you're looking for?" Actually a police spokesperson said it is not uncommon for people to store drugs inside the sweatband of baseball caps. (Ananova)
October 19
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BODY MISTAKEN FOR HALLOWEEN DECORATION _ The body of a man slumped over patio furniture on his balcony in Marina del Rey, California, was mistaken for a Halloween decoration last week and remained undisturbed for five days. Sheriff's deputies were called to the complex Thursday evening and found the 75-year-old man dead. A neighbor said the man "looked fake. It looked like somebody had thrown a dummy over the back of a chair." The man had been shot and deputies believe he committed suicide.
October 16
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DON'T MESS WITH A MAN IN A DRESS _ Dean Gardner and Jason Fender had been drinking heavily in (Swansea) England when they spotted two men dressed as women. Gardner decided to take a swing at the one who was dressed in a pink wig, miniskirt, and tube top. So that's when other one, dressed in a wig and a sparkling black dress, took Gardner and Fender out with two quick punches. Turns out Gardner and Fender picked on the wrong guys; they are professional cage fighters who were headed to a costume party.
October 15
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: JOHN WAYNE KNOCKIN' AT THE DOOR _ Police in Wyoming said an armed man reported outside of a woman's home turned out to be John Wayne. Investigators received a call Sunday from a woman (in Worland) who reported a tall man with a gun was pounding on her front door. They responded to the area and did observe a tall man with a Winchester in his hand all dressed in John Wayne attire. It was a cardboard cutout of John Wayne. Shortly after authorities arrived the daughter stepped out and stated she was pranking her mother.
October 14
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MOONING MAN DRAGGED BY TRAIN _ In Germany a man who had no ticket became upset when he was forced off a train, so he tried to get revenge by mooning the train staff. However, his pants got caught in the door and he was dragged down the tracks about 600 feet before someone stopped the train.
October 13
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: MAN SLEEPS THROUGH HOME FIRE _ A suburban Pittsburgh man slept soundly as his home caught on fire and partially collapsed. It wasn't until firefighters did a walk-through of the home more than two hours later that he woke up. The fire marshal said he was "flabbergasted" that anyone survived the blaze.
October 12
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GUY IN 70s ROBS BANK _ A man in his 70s has robbed a bank branch inside a San Diego supermarket. Police investigators say the man handed a teller a note demanding cash Friday at the bank inside the supermarket. He said had a gun, but no weapon was seen. He escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. [Eyewitnesses saw the suspect making his getaway on the interstate at 15 mph in an oversized Cadillac with the left turn signal on.]
October 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: TOILET RESCUE _ Ukrainian emergency responders said it took three hours to free a man whose arm became lodged in the toilet while he was trying to retrieve dropped cash. Emergency workers removed floor tiles and uprooted the toilet, but the man remained stuck until they used heavy equipment and a plumber's torch to completely destroy the throne. The man was trying to retrieve $24.
October 8th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DEFIBRILLATOR STOPS BULLET _ In Florida, a defibrillator was credited with stopping a bullet in the chest of a gunshot victim. Doctors say the 61-year-old unidentified man had an Medtronic implantable cardiac defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. The man suffered a gunshot wound to the chest, but had no damage to his lungs or circulatory system because the bullet became lodged in the stopwatch-sized device. Surgeons removed metal fragments and the device from the man's chest and he was discharged from the hospital the next day.
October 7th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PARENTS HAVING TO BUY T.P. FOR STUDENTS _ Parents in Ireland struggling to buy school supplies, books and uniforms during a deep recession may now have to worry about sending their children to school with the most basic necessity of all: a roll of toilet paper. Students at a primary school (county of Cork) are being asked to bring their own toilet paper to help save money. The principal at St John's Girls National School says parents are responding well to the request.
October 6th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: I'LL SHOW YOU MINE IF YOU ME YOURS _ One thing we'll say about the clerk at the White Hen Pantry convenient store in Haverhill, Massachusetts -- he's got some backbone! Police say 22-year-old Adam Alsarabi entered the store and demanded all the money from the cash register. He also told the clerk he had a gun. The clerk basically replied, "Really, let me see it." Well, Adam didn't really have a gun and now that his bluff was called, he ran from the store into the woods. That's where the police found him and arrested him.
October 5th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: AMERICA'S DUMBEST CRIMINAL _ Police in Elmwood, Ohio, said they arrested "America's dumbest criminal" for breaking into the chief's office inside of a police station. Police say John Prentis, an informant who has worked with police, was caught on surveillance video kicking chief William Peskin's office door open and taking $1,000 from an evidence room inside the office. The video then shows Prentis shutting the door and wiping his fingerprints from the knob.
October 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDMA FOR SALE ON EBAY _ A British girl who put her grandmother up for auction on eBay said the 61-year-old fetched bids of $3,200 before the website pulled the listing. Zoe Pemberton (of Clacton) said she listed her grandmother for auction on the site because she was "annoying." Pemberton described her grandmother in the listing as "rare and annoying and moaning a lot" as well as "very cuddly and loves word searches." The girl said her grandmother quickly became involved in writing her own listing. Zoe said, "She was moaning at me when I wrote down that her favorite food was curry -- she said could I change it to Chinese." eBay pulled the listing because it violated company policy.
October 1st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: THE WORST LOVERS IN THE WORLD _ Congratulations German friends -- you've been voted the worst lovers in the world! A web site called OnePoll.com asked 15,000 women from 20 countries to rate nations on their bedroom skills and to give reasons for their answers. Germans were the worst in bed because they were considered "too smelly". English lovers came second because they were too lazy, while men from Sweden were branded "too quick" and came in third. Spanish men were voted the world's very best lovers followed by Brazilians and Italians. Other findings included tidbits like Dutch men were "too rough", Americans were "too dominating" and Greek men were too sloppy. Other countries who didn't fare well were Scotland (too loud), Russia (too hairy), Turkey (too sweaty) and Wales (too selfish).
September 2009
September 30th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: 49-YEAR MARRIAGE NEVER MADE OFFICIAL _ A Pennsylvania couple who married nearly 49 years ago said they discovered their wedding was never made official under the law. Frank and Betty Skrout, who married October 6, 1960, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wilmore, Pennsylvania, said they discovered recently while hunting down documents needed for Betty Skrout's pension plan that Rev. James Feehley failed to file the "return of marriage" document. A county official in charge of the records said she would file the document and backdate it to the couple's wedding date if it can be located.
September 29th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEIGHBOR ROBS NEIGHBOR _ The owner of a party store in Cleveland, Ohio, was terrified when a robber came in and demanded money. Then he recognized the robber: it was the barber from two doors down. When he told the robber he knew who he was, the robber allegedly grabbed the store's cash register and ran. The victim didn't have to give a description to the investigating police officer: the same barber cuts the officer's hair. The officer went to the barber's home -- next door to the police station -- to get the story. And the alleged robber's story was a unique one. He said he's purchased a beef stick, and it got him and his dog sick and that's why he robbed the party store.
September 28th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOW NOT TO SHOPLIFT _ If you're going to shoplift DVDs, run from a loss-prevention officer and punch him in the mouth, it's wise to commit your crime far from home. 'Cause you might know the cop. The store's loss prevention officer at the Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Walmart told a cop he saw a man take two DVDs, then wander into the men's clothing department, cut open the cases with a knife and hide the DVDs in his back pocket. When the loss prevention officer approached the man he punched the officer and ran outside. Another cop viewed the crime tape and discovered he knew the guy. It was his neighbor.
September 25th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEIGHBOR OBJECTS TO SMOKING _ In Florida, a woman called police because a neighbor objected to her smoking, and demonstrated that by spraying the back of her head with air freshener for almost a full minute. The assailant allegedly said, "I will do it again, and take it to the Supreme Court because I have the right to breathe fresh air." Officers arrested her for battery. The town in Florida? Niceville.
September 24th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: PANTS THIEF _ A policeman in Sweden noticed two men tussling on the sidewalk. One of the men said, "We've just swapped trousers." The other man told a different story. He said he was walking down the street when the first man jumped him, yanked off his pants, and tossed a pair of sweatpants at him in exchange. The officer determined that the assailant had been refused entry at a nearby pub because he wasn't properly dressed, and apparently decided that the passing victim wore the right size for him. The thief was told to swap the pants back, and then arrested for theft.
September 23rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: NEIGHBOR STEALS ENTIRE GARDEN _ A British couple said they discovered the garden of their former home had been stolen and installed in the yard of their next-door neighbor. Phil and Linzi Wood said they put the five-bedroom home (in Hazel Slade) on the market when they moved to the Canary Islands and later learned from Phil's mother that their garden, which included a path, shrubs, plants, pots, hanging baskets and a garden shed, had been turned into an empty plot. Linzi Wood said she returned to England to investigate and discovered all the items from the garden had been moved to neighbor Brian Johnson's yard
September 22nd
NOT THE OLD "I'M A POLICE OFFICER TOO" TRICK AGAIN! Seriously folks -- stop trying to impersonate a police officer when you get pulled over. It doesn't work! In Salem, Deputy Ethan Griffith had pulled over 29-year-old David Hickman for operating an unsafe vehicle because it had a huge crack in the windshield. The first thing Hickman said was, "Shouldn't I be the one giving the tickets?" Surprised at the statement, Deputy Griffith asked Hickman what he meant. So Hickman proceeded so explain that he had just been hired by Gresham Police Department two days prior and had his choice between the State Police and the Gresham Police Department. He also said he was scheduled to attend the Police Academy soon. Deputy Griffith congratulated him and then gave him a ticket anyway. Griffith later checked out Hickman's story -- none of which turned out to be true -- and then later went to his home and arrested him for Criminal Impersonation of a Police Officer.
September 21st
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: IT"S ALWAYS 4:20 SOMEWHERE...A man has been arrested in northern Greece for allegedly growing marijuana in the median strip of the country's main highway. The pot plants weren't little seedlings, either, nor were they well-concealed. Police say the 35-year-old was caught Thursday in the middle of a six-lane highway harvesting 42 marijuana plants up to nearly ten feet tall.
Meanwhile in Millville, New Jersey, someone alerted police to some rather odd looking plants growing right in the middle of the city's business district. The 3-foot-tall plants, which were growing in a basket hanging from a lamp post, did in fact turn out to be marijuana plants. The city's parks and recreation department, which tends to the baskets, says it has no idea how the pot plants got there. And the best part of the story -- the street where the plants were growing was High Street. No kidding!
September 18th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: SCHOOL BOARD PRIMARY GETS VOTES FOR DARTH VADER _ Election officials in Washington state said a school board primary resulted in write-in votes for Mickey Mouse, Jesus, Captain Hook and Darth Vader. Votes from the August 18 Kent School Board primary were also cast for the secret identities of Superman and Batman -- Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne respectively -- as well as Pee Wee Herman.
September 17th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: BAR CUTS MAN OFF, MAN CALLS 911 _ If the bartender won't serve you anymore, it may be time to call a friend for a ride, or maybe a taxi... right? But Tuesday night, after a bartender wouldn't serve a Clearwater, Florida, man, he decided he wasn't gonna take it. He called 911. Numerous times. In fact, he was still on the phone with 911 when police arrived.
September 16th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FAKE COP PULLS OVER REAL MAYOR _ Police in Louisiana said a man who attempted a traffic stop while impersonating an officer pulled over the mayor of his town. Investigators said Daniel Niederhelman used a red light mounted on his dashboard to pull over a car Monday, but got back into his Chevy Monte Carlo and drove away when he recognized the driver of the vehicle as Shreveport Mayor Cedric Glover. Glover phoned the real police and followed the car through several neighborhoods until it stopped at a house. Officers arrested Niederhelman.
September 15th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: ASSAULT WITH JELLY FISH _ A 41-year-old Madeira Beach, Florida, man was arrested Monday afternoon after authorities say he created a disturbance by pretending to drown and throw jellyfish on teenagers. Keith Edward Marriott faces charges of disorderly intoxication and carrying a concealed weapon after a pocketknife was found in his shorts. Marriott repeatedly submerged himself and floated to the surface, "causing concern for his safety." Then he started throwing sea creatures.
September 14th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: YOU WANT MARIJUANA WITH THAT ORDER? _ A South Carolina teenager got more than he expected from a McDonald's in Charleston. After placing his order and paying, he drove up to the pickup window and the employee handed him three bags -- two containing food for the driver and his passenger, and one with some extras: a loaded handgun and bags of marijuana. Turns out the gun and pot were actually intended for the the car next car in line at the drive through, and that car followed him to a nearby gas station. There, a passenger in the second car told the teen to hand over the bag. He did. The group in the second car was never caught.
September 11th
I COULD JUST KICK MYSELF_In Longview, Washington, a 23-year-old unidentified man came up with a rather innovative, if not totally bizarre, way to make money at the Triangle Center in Longview. He held up a sign inviting folks to "Kick Me in the Groin for $5 Bucks!" Perhaps fortunately for him, only one customer took him up on the deal before police decided to break up his enterprise. Oh and apparently ladies got a discount. He later told police he had dropped the price to $3 bucks for the female customer. Police ultimately told him to leave and not come back. (Longview Daily News
September 10th
CARRIER PIGEON FASTER THAN INTERNET _ A South African information technology company on Wednesday proved it was faster for them to transmit data with a carrier pigeon than to send it using the country's leading Internet service provider. Internet speed and connectivity in Africa's largest economy are poor because of a bandwidth shortage. It is also expensive. The 11-month-old pigeon, Winston, took one hour and eight minutes to fly the 50 miles from Unlimited IT's offices (near Pietermaritzburg, to the coastal city of Durban) with a data card which was strapped to his leg. Including downloading, the transfer took two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds -- the time it took for only four percent of the data to be transferred using the local Internet service provider. Unlimited IT performed the stunt after becoming frustrated with slow Internet transmission times.
September 9th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: CRICKET SPITTING _ When it comes to spitting a cricket for distance, the central Wisconsin talent seems concentrated in one family. Brian Johnsrud spat a thawed cricket 22 feet, 8 inches at the Central Wisconsin State Fair on Saturday. Minutes later, his son Jared shot his cricket 10 feet, 5 inches to win the 9-to-11 age division. Brian Johnsrud says the key is to pick the biggest cricket and put it upside down on your tongue. He also says you have to take the deep breath before putting the cricket in your mouth, so you don't swallow the critter.
September 8th
EVERYBODY EATS HERE _Deputies in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, were taking a break at a restaurant when four burglary suspects pulled in with their truck loaded with stolen merchandise. Just how good does the food at a restaurant have to be to make both the cops and the robbers stop what they're doing to grab a bite to eat?
September 4th
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FIREFIGHTERS FORCED TO SCRUB SUZIE _ A firefighters union says a New York City engine company had to close its firehouse for 30 minutes to bathe a circus elephant on city orders. The Uniformed Firefighters Association says Brooklyn's Engine Company 245 didn't want to participate in the photo opportunity with circus elephant Suzie, part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show in Coney Island. But it says city officials ordered the engine company to participate. The firehouse closed Wednesday while four firefighters and an officer went to scrub Suzie.
September 3rd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: POT GROWER SNAPS HIS OWN PICTURE _ A suspected Wisconsin marijuana grower who attempted to disable a surveillance camera set up at his rural pot patch only succeeded in providing authorities with a close-up. A landowner reported finding the marijuana plants growing on his rural property. The La Crosse County, Wisconsin, sheriff's department then installed a surveillance camera in a nearby tree. When the gardener showed up at about 4am, he noticed the camera and climbed the tree to shut it down. The camera instead snapped a picture of his face. Police are hoping the photo helps them capture the pot grower.
September 2nd
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG GETS PARKING TICKET _ A dog has been booked for illegal parking in Darwin, Australia. The dog was tied to a fence outside a market when it was approached by two traffic wardens. One of the inspectors wrote out a ticket -- and taped it to the dog's lead.
MORE-WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG BITES TIRES _ Some dogs chase cars. One in a North Carolina town decided to try and eat one. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says a pit bull deflated all four tires of a deputy's cruiser Sunday. The deputy parked his car in a woman's driveway while responding to her complaint about another dog. When the deputy went to speak with the woman, the dog chomped into the tires. The dog didn't attack the deputy. The dog's owner, the woman's next-door neighbor, will be billed $500 for a new set of wheels.
MORE-WACKY-BUT-TRUE: DOG BITES TIRES _ Some dogs chase cars. One in a North Carolina town decided to try and eat one. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says a pit bull deflated all four tires of a deputy's cruiser Sunday. The deputy parked his car in a woman's driveway while responding to her complaint about another dog. When the deputy went to speak with the woman, the dog chomped into the tires. The dog didn't attack the deputy. The dog's owner, the woman's next-door neighbor, will be billed $500 for a new set of wheels.
September 1st
Sometimes You've Just Gotta Feed a Gorilla a Pop-Tart! An unnamed police officer in Minneapolis is being investigated for his bad habit of breaking into the Como Zoo so he can feed Pop-Tarts to the gorillas. Three gorillas, Schroeder, Gordy and Togo, were all fed the Kellogg's breakfast food. Security guards spotted the officer on surveillance cameras. The zoo says the animals have not suffered any ill effects from the experience, but have never eaten the sugary treat before.
August 2009
August 31
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOW TO ESCAPE YOUR WIFE'S NAGGING _ In China, a man jumped into a fast-flowing river because he couldn't take his wife's nagging anymore. The truck driver and his wife were on a ferry on the Yangtze River when it all became too much for him. Members of the ship's crew saw the man suddenly run out of his truck cab with his hands covering his ears, and shouting: "I can't stand it any longer." They initially thought he was suffering from an ear injury and went to help him but found he was unhurt. A crewmate said, "While we were still puzzling over the this, his wife ran up and continued nagging him. The husband covered his ears again and said: 'I need a break' before jumping over the side into the rushing river." Later that night, police found the man, who had managed to swim across the broad river. He told the cops: "I felt I was dying, but even that's better than my wife's nagging."
August 28
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: A HISTORICAL SEWER SYSTEM _ The city of Des Moines, Iowa, is upset with the State Historic Preservation Office, which is demanding that the city preserve the "critical", "historic" structures, and perhaps build a visitor center for ... their sewer system. Des Moines City Councilwoman Christine Hensley calls the state's preservation office request "a complete waste of taxpayer money. So what if you have historic sewers? Who gives a lick?"
August 27
Missouri Lawmakers Don't Know Tupperware From Styrofoam - A new law taking effect this week could make criminals out of those who bring Tupperware onto many Missouri rivers. The lawmakers were trying to ban those Styrofoam coolers from the state's waterways as they are often found broken into pieces and floating in the rivers. But lawmakers, apparently a little rusty with chemistry, banned polypropylene rather than the intended polystyrene. Polystyrene is Styrofoam. Polypropylene is the plastic found in plastic containers such as Tupperware. The mix up means river floaters can use foam coolers without fear. But someone caught with a dishwasher-safe plastic container could risk up to a year in jail.
August 26
Drink Up Raleigh! Your Water's Perfectly Safe! - Using a flexible-hose camera, public utility officials in Raleigh, North Carolina, were inspecting a faulty water pipe under the Cameron Village shopping district and found a pulsating, tennis-ball-size mass attached to a pipe wall. Local biologists identified it as a colony of tubifex worms that navigated the system until finding the perfect feeding spot. But don't worry Raleigh, officials swear that the worms are somehow no threat to water quality and your drinking water is just fine!
August 25
TOE THE LINE - The preferred "disciplinary" tactic of Tampa, Florida, high school assistant principal Olayinka Alege recently came under attack. The 28-year-old Alege was accused of making underperforming students remove a shoe so he could "pop" their toes. Five students at King High School complained, which led to a sheriff's office investigation. Amazingly, Alege was cleared of the charges after the students did admit that the popping is painless-- though some said, "weird." One apparently incorrigible student said his toes had been popped 20 times. Nevertheless, the principal recently ordered Alege to stop with the toe popping thing. (Tampa Tribune)
August 24
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: HOW ELSE DO YOU SHIP SNAKES? _ Police in Ohio (Fairfield Township) said a suspicious package at a shipping store turned out to be a box of live boa constrictors. Police said they were called after FedEx Office employees saw two pillowcases moving when they got curious and opened the parcel. An officer looked in one pillowcase, saw a snake and quickly tied the pillowcase closed. A reptile rescue group was contacted and took custody of the snakes. The package was addressed to a man in Phoenix, Arizona. He's been told he may not get the snakes.
August 20
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: WOMAN'S HOME ACCIDENTALLY SOLD BY BANK _ A Florida woman said her bank mistakenly auctioned off her house while she was attempting to modify her loan. Anna Ramirez said she was shocked to be evicted August 12 by a man who had purchased her Homestead, Florida, house from Washington Mutual, despite the fact that the home should not have been for sale. Washington Mutual acknowledged the house was sold in error and went with Ramirez to court to reverse the sale.
August 19
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: FIGHTING B.O. ON ROLLER COASTER RIDES _ Managers at a British amusement park say they banned visitors from putting their arms in the air during roller coaster rides due to concerns about body odor. The director of Thorpe Park (in Chertsey, England) said guests who do not keep their elbows at their sides will be kicked off rides, and repeat offenders will be escorted out of the park. He said, "We've found that when the temperature tops 77 degrees the level of unpleasant smells can become unacceptable, and we do receive complaints. Our rides are really scary, and people tend to sweat more than normal due to the fear and anticipation they experience while queuing up so it can get really pongy."
August 18
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: USE A CELL PHONE TO START YOUR GAS OVEN _ Could your cell phone inadvertently turn on your gas oven without you even knowing? A Brooklyn, New York, man claims that his phone does just that and actually caused his kitchen to fill with smoke. Andrei Melnikov says he first noticed it last Monday when he claims an incoming phone call caused his gas range's broiler to light. Melnikov's says when his phone is within about two feet of the stove, an incoming call will cause the Maytag Magic Chef stove to beep and the digital display will light up indicating that the broiler is on high. Open it up, he says, and you'll see the gas flames streaming out of the broiler's burners." He notified Maytag which promised to send a repair team to identify the problem.
August 17
WACKY-BUT-TRUE: GRANDPA AND GRANDSON LAND IN WRONG SYDNEY _ A Dutchman and his grandson boarded a flight to Sydney, looking forward to visiting sunny Australia, but ended up in a much chillier Sydney -- in Nova Scotia, Canada. Seventy-one year old Joannes Rutten and his 15-year-old grandson Nick booked the trip through a Dutch travel agency with plans to visit family south of Sydney, Australia. They set out from an Amsterdam airport with Air Canada on Saturday but instead of arriving to views of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Opera House, they touched down at Sydney in Cape Breton Island, off Canada's north east coast -- more than 10,000 miles away from their intended destination. Air Canada organized hotel rooms in the wrong Sydney, a former mining town with high unemployment and a population of about 26,000, until they could arrange flights on to the right Sydney, which offers sun-kissed beaches and 4 million people. They finally arrived in Australia on Wednesday.
August 6
SCARY COMMERCIAL PROMPTS FACEBOOK GROUP - A Facebook group for Swedes "scared" of a cosmetics commercial featuring a Swedish supermodel has gathered nearly 1,000 members. Anders Hammas, the Swedish student who started the "I am scared of the girl in the Apoliva commercial" Facebook group, said he was inspired to protest the "horrible" commercial the very first time he saw it. The commercial features supermodel Adina Fohlin standing in the snow and rain while a Swedish folk song plays. The Facebook page reads: "I am creating this group for those of us who need somewhere to seek support and talk things out. It's only a matter of time before it creeps into our dreams and terrorizes us in our sleep." A manager at the company which makes Apoliva products said the commercial was not intended to be frightening.
August 4
MUGGER THANKS COPS FOR RESCUING HIM: Police in Rome, Italy, say an attempted mugger thanked officers for rescuing him from his alleged victims -- a group of South Korean tourists skilled in taekwondo. Authorities say the 48-year-old Italian man grabbed a handbag from one of the tourists and brandished a knife. However, one South Korean disarmed the attacker using taekwondo techniques and used the martial art to keep the suspect from escaping until police arrived.
AND: Senator John McCain says that President Barack Obama should get "credit" for short-term improvements in the economy. Sounds like somebody wants to have a beer in the rose garden.