Crime of the Day - Keep it light-hearted

[Warhawk]

Police: Men Shot Strippers With Paintball Guns in Retaliation

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,351342,00.html

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — Three men walked into a Boynton Beach strip club and turned paintball guns on exotic dancers, police said.

The three dancers had circular bruises after they were hit with pink paintballs, and they were treated at the scene, he said.

The incident started with a fight between another dancer and the club's manager, authorities said. The men came to the club on behalf of the other dancer.

 

[Prophetess]

Wow — these look like coins I used to have

BERLIN - Three days after stealing a rare collection of coins, a thief in Germany took them to the bank for safekeeping — and delivered them into the hands of the man he had robbed.
"I don't think the thief was expecting that," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Dortmund on Tuesday.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24132610/?GT1=43001

 

[Warhawk]

Police find pot in fried chicken order

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/04/16/chicken.marijuana.ap/index.html

MAGNOLIA, Arkansas (AP) -- Police in Magnolia, Arkansas, say it wasn't the fried chicken in Savalas Vantoli Stewart's car that gave off a funky smell.
Instead, officers who pulled over Stewart on Friday night say they found a side dish of marijuana hidden in a recently purchased box of chicken.
Police say officers smelled marijuana coming from the car and found it after Stewart consented to a search. Officers say they also found several Ecstasy pills in Stewart's pockets.
The 33-year-old Waldo, Arkansas, resident faces a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge and felony drug possession charge.
A deputy at the Columbia County jail says Stewart was released Monday to await a court appearance. A telephone number for Stewart in Waldo could not be found.

 

[mcsluggo]

Drunk Russian sleeps off knifing

One report said the two men had been drinking vodka



A Russian man trying to sleep off a night of after-work drinking failed to notice a six-inch (15-cm) knife in his back - until his wife woke him up.
Yuri Lyalin, 53, took a bus home, ate breakfast and apparently slept like a baby before his spouse noticed a handle sticking out of his back. He was rushed to casualty but doctors found no vital organs damaged. Mr Lyalin shrugged the episode off but the drinking partner who stabbed him faces trial, Russian media report.


.... more....>
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7353025.stm

 

[kennadog]

Drunk Russian sleeps off knifing

Sound sleeper there.

 

[Elise10]

Obscenity charges dropped against underwear-less Italian

Sat Apr 19, 4:20 PM ET


ROME (AFP) - An Italian man obliged to go commando because of his wide girth was resting easier Saturday after a court dropped obscenity charges resulting from an highly embarrassing moment at the shops.

The man, whose name and age were not disclosed by Italy's domestic ANSA news agency, was inside a supermarket reaching up to a shelf when his pants split at the seam, revealing nothing but his bare bottom.

Outraged, a couple of women shoppers nearby screamed in horror. Police soon rushed to the scene and arrested the man on suspicion of committing an obscene act in a public place.

Defending himself in a court in Gallarate, a medieval town of 50,000 in Lombardy, northern Italy, he said that due to an obesity problem, he could not find underwear in his size, ANSA reported.

Indeed, he had gone to the supermarket that very day to see if he could find something that would fit, he added.

The judge dropped the charges, ruling that the man had not committed an obscene act or not had he offended morals.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/2008041...80419202030;_ylt=AlVoqLcO3VS2zQcX_A35wgis0NUE

 

[Elise10]

Italian convicted for staring at woman on train


Fri Apr 18, 9:40 AM ET


LECCO, Italy (Reuters) - An Italian man was given a suspended jail sentence for staring too intensely at a woman sitting in front of him on a train.

A judge sentenced the man in his 30s, whose name was not revealed, to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro fine after a 55-year old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment.

His lawyer said on Friday he would appeal the sentence. The court will explain its verdict later.

The two met on two separate occasions in 2005 on a commuter train going from Lecco, a town in northern Italy, to Milan.

The first time, the man sat next to the woman but she felt he had moved too close for comfort. The next day, the man sat in front of the same woman and according to her complaint, stared at her for the whole journey.

The two did not speak.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080418...aly_staring;_ylt=As0yMpQgeS3qD6zvgY0s.g6s0NUE

 

[Warhawk]

Women's skirts, trousers bleached in spate of mystery attacks in Sapporo

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080328p2a00m0na008000c.html

SAPPORO -- A mystery attacker has been spraying bleach or a similar liquid on the skirts and trousers of women in central Sapporo, leaving embarrassing marks on their clothing, it has been learned.
A total of 15 attacks have occurred in subway stations, underground shopping centers and other areas since March, police said. Forty-four similar attacks were reported between May and July last year, but the perpetrator has not yet been apprehended. Police suspect a single person is responsible.
"The incidents last year stopped when they were reported in the news, but it looks like the same person has started them again after time has passed," a Sapporo Chuo Police Station official said.
Investigators said that a 39-year-old woman from Otaru spotted a suspicious man putting a spray can into his pocket and fleeing near the entrance of Sapporo Station on the Namboku Subway Line at about 5:10 p.m. on Tuesday. When she checked the back of her trousers, she found they had been marked with bleach or a similar liquid, leaving a white patch about 5 centimeters in diameter.
The man appeared to be aged between about 20 and 40. He was of thin build with short, frizzy hair, was wearing a light-colored top and black trousers and carrying a black bag, investigators said.
Police said that on March 21, a woman in her 30s was shopping at a department store in Sapporo's Chuo-ku when a store employee told her, "The color of your bottom has changed," and she noticed her trousers had been sprayed. Around the same time, another woman in her 30s smelled something like bleach, and, on checking her trousers, found they had changed color.
Police said most of the incidents occurred between about 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. All of the victims were in their 20s and 30s. In most cases the women didn't immediately notice, and only the woman in Otaru was able to give concrete information on the attacker.
Sapporo police have increased patrols in response to the incidents, and are calling for information from the public.

 

[kennadog]

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080328p2a00m0na008000c.html

SAPPORO -- A mystery attacker has been spraying bleach or a similar liquid on the skirts and trousers of women in central Sapporo, leaving embarrassing marks on their clothing, it has been learned.

Maybe the human race deserves extinction. People are weird. Yes, I am feeling judgmental today.

 

[Warhawk]

Heckler Arrested After Punching Wheelchair-Bound Girl

Ignore the political mentions, it's about the heckler.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352498,00.html

A man heckling First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna outside the 92nd Street Y was arrested after he punched a wheelchair-bound girl whose parents had told him to shut up, authorities said Wednesday.

German Talis, 22, was shouting obscenities at the Bushes, who were leaving the building Tuesday, when he crossed paths with Wendy and John Lovetro and their daughter Maureen, 18, who has cerebral palsy.

They had been in the audience to hear the Bushes talk about their children's book, "Read All About It."

"He began yelling about Iraq and Iran at Jenna Bush. She was waving at the crowd. I told the guy, 'What are you doing? Shut up. This is about a child and books,' " said John Lovetro. "He was unperturbed. I said, 'Get out of here! You're being a moron!' "

The next thing he knew, Talis was allegedly punching Maureen, a fan of the first lady since meeting her in 2004.

 

[kennadog]

How low do you have to be to beat up a wheelchair-bound disabled girl? My God.

 

[Elise10]

Stolen Skittles?

Candy scam: Woman nabbed for stealing, reselling Skittles

By TIM EBERLY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/25/08

Diana McKenzie has a candy habit.

She can't stop stealing it.

McKenzie is down on her luck and out of work. To make money, McKenzie came up with a sweet-tooth hustle: She steals candy from grocery stores and sells it to children and others, claiming the money is for her church.

But last week, McKenzie got greedy — she was caught stealing $86 worth of candy from the Kroger on Headland Drive in south Atlanta. She hid the bags of candy, mostly Skittles, under her clothing and in a bag.

She was released from jail Friday after completing a nine-day jail sentence for the candy heist.

When reached by phone Friday, McKenzie was half-embarrassed, half-unrepentant.

"I beg, I borrow and I steal — any means necessary for my children," McKenzie, 54, said. "I don't call it stealing. I call it survival skills.'

She said she's been running the candy scheme for three months, after she and her husband split up and she was left trying to support three daughters and a grandchild.

"Candy is a great commodity," she said. "There's a great demand for candy."

This is how it works: McKenzie goes to a grocery store and fills her clothes, pockets and bag with goodies.

"Some under my chest, some in my pockets, some in my bag," she said.

Then she goes to apartment complexes and sells the candy for 25 cents to kids, saying the money goes to her church. "You know they buy it, right?" she said. "Anything for the church."

Normally, she only takes enough candy from stores to make a decent profit.

On April 18, she went too far. She says her daughter had a doctor's appointment the next day and she needed money for her co-pay and medication.

"I got greedy — gluttony," she said.

A security guard at the Kroger on Headland Drive met McKenzie as she left the store. In her shirt and a bag, she had $86.42 worth of Skittles and other candies.

Why Skittles?

"Children love Skittles," she said. "And plus, it's summertime; they don't melt."

She was arrested on a charge of shoplifting — her third such arrest in as many months, she said.

"Evidently, I must not be too good at what I do."
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/me...ittles_0426.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

 

[Warhawk]

Seven-year-old takes grandma's SUV for bumpy ride

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localn...per/2008/04/25/0425kidincar.html?cxntlid=digg


PALM BEACH GARDENS — A 7-year-old boy took his grandmother's Dodge Durango for a ride Friday and left a path of damage in his wake.

The tike, who police would not identify, grabbed a set of car keys in his grandmother's home and began his nearly eight-minute joy ride on the 300 block of Sandtree Drive, said Palm Beach Gardens police officer Ellen Lovejoy.

"When she came in, she saw the keys were gone," Lovejoy said of the grandmother. "Her car was gone too."

Meanwhile, blocks away, the white SUV struck two mailboxes on Burma Road and continued north.

Police don't know how fast he was going, but it was the sight of the boy's head peeking over the steering wheel that prompted onlookers to call 911, describing the erratic driver as "a small person driving a car," Lovejoy said.

As police were responding to the area, the Durango continued through a crowded Costco parking lot fronting Northlake Boulevard - striking two parked cars without stopping. Then, at the corner of Park Avenue West and Congress Avenue, the young motorist hit two moving vehicles.

The youngster's jaunt abruptly ended a short time later, when the Durango slammed into sign at the corner of Currency Drive and Investment Lane - causing the right front wheel to break off the vehicle.

No one was hurt during the episode. The child was charged with stealing a vehicle and was returned to his family.

Lovejoy said charging the boy with a crime would allow him to receive services for any behavioral problems or other issues he might have. She did not believe the charge would be prosecuted.

"This is unusual behavior for a 7-year-old," Lovejoy said.

 

[Warhawk]

Dennis Rodman Arrested on Suspicion of Felony Domestic Violence

Included solely for the basketball connection.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353725,00.html


LOS ANGELES — Dennis Rodman has been arrested for allegedly hitting a woman at a hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles.
Police say the 46-year-old former NBA star was arrested Wednesday night after officers answered a report of a domestic dispute. Officer Sara Fayden says they learned Rodman had struck a woman who suffered "injuries to her arm."
There was no word on the seriousness of the injury.
Rodman manager Darren Prince told TMZ.com that Rodman and his girlfriend had too much to drink, argued, and Rodman grabbed her arm and left a bruise. Prince told TMZ that Rodman's drinking has escalated because of a nasty divorce and he plans to enter rehab.
Rodman was jailed for investigation of felony domestic violence and freed on $50,000 bail early Thursday.

 

[Warhawk]

Texas Cops Bust Man Trying to Cash $360 Billion Check

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,353896,00.html


FORT WORTH, Texas — Charles Ray Fuller must have been planning one big record company.
The 21-year-old North Texas man was arrested last week for trying to cash a $360 billion check, saying he wanted to start a record business. Tellers at the Fort Worth bank were immediately suspicious — perhaps the 10 zeros on a personal check tipped them off.
Fuller, of suburban Crowley, was arrested on a forgery charge. He was released after posting $3,750 bail.
Fuller said his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to start a record business. But bank employees who contacted the account's owner said the woman told them she did not give him permission to take or cash the check.
In addition to the forgery count, Fuller was charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon and possessing marijuana. Officers reported finding less than two ounces of marijuana and a .25-caliber handgun and magazine in his pockets.

 

[dukeswh]

Motorcyclist flipped bird, popped wheelie, crashed

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/93516/Motorcyclist-flipped-bird-popped-wheelie-crashed




Motorcyclist flipped bird, popped wheelie, crashed

05/06/2008 | 09:17 AM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us ​

COPIAGUE, N.Y. - A Long Island man who flipped his finger at a police cruiser and then popped a wheelie on his motorcycle is recovering from injuries after crashing.

Suffolk County Police said Frank Patti, 26, of West Islip, rode by the police car at a service station in Copiague at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Police say Patti made an obscene gesture to two officers in the car, popped a wheelie and then sped away.

Police gave chase.

When the motorcycle turned into a parking lot it crashed into a police car that had joined the chase.

Police said Patti was treated for minor injuries at Southside Hospital. He's charged with fleeing police, resisting arrest and several traffic violations.

He was being held for arraignment Monday. Police did not know if he had an attorney. - AP

 

[Warhawk]

O.D. death led to huge campus drug sting

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/05/06/sdsu.bust/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Authorities have arrested nearly 100 people and seized guns and drugs in a sting operation at San Diego State University in California, the Drug Enforcement Administration said Tuesday.

Among those arrested were 75 students, some of them working toward criminal justice or homeland security degrees. One criminal justice major was charged with possession of guns and cocaine, authorities said.

One student sent a mass text message offering a "sale" on cocaine, the DEA said in a news release.

Campus police and the DEA began their undercover operation after the death of a student from an overdose in May 2007, the news release said. A second overdose death occurred as recently as February at a fraternity house.

"DEA agents infiltrated several student drug distribution cells and more than 130 drug purchases and seizures were made" during the investigation known as Operation Sudden Fall, the news release said.

Officials arrested 75 students and 21 non-students on a variety of drug charges, including selling cocaine.

Authorities say they infiltrated seven campus fraternities and found that in some, most of the students were aware of drug dealing by fraternity brothers.

The news release alleges a member of the Theta Chi fraternity sent a mass text message to his "faithful customers" saying he and some others temporarily would be unable to complete orders for drug sales due to a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The text message went on to discuss a "sale" on cocaine and gave details on reduced prices, the news release said.

One student allegedly dealing cocaine was a month short of obtaining a master's degree in Homeland Security and worked with campus police as a student community service officer.

"This operation shows how accessible and pervasive illegal drugs continue to be on our college campuses, and how common it is for students to be selling to other students," said San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis.

Officials say the evidence seized as part of Operation Sudden Fall includes four pounds of cocaine, 50 pounds of marijuana and 350 ecstasy pills. Authorities also confiscated a shotgun, three semiautomatic pistols and $60,000.

 

[Warhawk]

Florida Substitute Teacher Fired, Accused of Wizardry

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354327,00.html

A Florida teacher may have to pull an unemployment check out of his hat after performing magic in front of students, according to reports.
Jim Piculas said he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students at the Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes, Fla., Local6.com reported. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.
"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he told Local6.com.
Piculas said he’s concerned the incident may prevent him from being considered for future jobs.

 

[kennadog]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354327,00.html

A Florida teacher may have to pull an unemployment check out of his hat after performing magic in front of students, according to reports.
Jim Piculas said he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students at the Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes, Fla., Local6.com reported. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.
"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he told Local6.com.
Piculas said he’s concerned the incident may prevent him from being considered for future jobs.

Oh. My. God.

 

[Warhawk]

Oh. My. God.

Quick, send for the Hogwarts Headmaster - sounds like a perfect muggle candidate for House Hufflepuff....

 

[Elise10]

Naked stranger on toilet asks to 'finish business' before arrest

By Joe VanHoose
STAR-BANNER

Published: Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 6:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 6:00 a.m.

OCALA — Lisa Bess could not figure out why the front door to her home on West Silver Springs Boulevard was locked and the key was missing Tuesday afternoon. She couldn't figure out why her bathroom door was locked and water was running. She called the police.

When Ocala police officers kicked open the door to her bathroom at about 5 p.m., she had her answer: A man had found the extra key outside, let himself in, picked out a new outfit of her clothes to wear and took a long hot shower. They found him sitting naked on the bathroom toilet.

"There was still a stench of my body lotion; actually, water was still draining from the bathtub," Bess said. "And he was refusing to get off the toilet until he finished doing his business."

Police arrested a man who later identified himself as Tom Wilkerson, 57, for trespassing. Ocala police Sgt. Angy Scroble said the man also identified himself as Antonio Wilson.

Bess believes he spent most of the day inside her home.

Bess said she locked the house when she and her two daughters left to go to school and work at about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

"He went through all our clothes and picked out socks, some plaid shirts, a nice pair of black dress pants and my underwear," she said. "My neighbors said they saw him come and go to the store and smoke cigarettes outside on the porch, and they just thought he was a friend of mine."

Bess said Wilkerson used the same strategy when police caught him. He told them he was a friend of the family and was just visiting.

The time in the house gave him a chance to shower up, using Bess' Victoria's Secret lavender body wash, and shave. She could smell her body wash in the air and said there was still steam on the bathroom mirror.

"He was perfectly clean cut when we saw him, but he was wearing our clothes," she said. "I couldn't tell you what underwear he was wearing, but I don't think I want to know."

No one was hurt during the altercation, and Wilkerson was taken to the Marion County Jail.

Bess said, other than the clothes he was wearing, Wilkerson took nothing else from the home. She said she won't mind if she doesn't get the clothes back.

"It was scary, but it was so funny, too," she said. "I couldn't be mad at him because I was laughing so hard."
http://www.ocala.com/article/20080508/news/805080323

 

[Warhawk]

Driver gets in wreck, sees his home catch fire, gets ticket

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_fe_st/odd_bad_day

ROCK ISLAND, Tenn. - One moment, Justin Hill was turning into his driveway. Minutes later he was being flown to a hospital as his home went up in flames. Then he got a traffic ticket.
Hill, 42, got into a crash after turning into the path of an oncoming car Tuesday evening, said Tennessee Highway Patrol Officer Monte Terry. Hill's wife heard the crash and ran outside, leaving the kitchen stove, where she had been cooking, unattended.
Within minutes, their Rock Island trailer was on fire, and firefighters who had responded to the accident found themselves fighting the blaze.
The rural central Tennessee home had extensive damage. Hill was treated at the hospital and released, but he was cited in the accident for failure to yield.

 

[Warhawk]

Iowa College Student Charged in M&Ms Assault on Police Officer

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355071,00.html

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 20-year-old Des Moines man has been charged with assaulting a police officer — with candy.
Sean McGuire, a student at Drake University, was arrested early Sunday at a convenience store, officials said. He allegedly threw several M&Ms at a Des Moines police officer, who was investigating a hit-and-run accident involving an intoxicated man.
Drake security guards on the scene noticed M&M candies falling on the ground around the officer, according to police reports. When the officer turned around, one of the candies hit his shoulder.
McGuire claimed he threw the candy because he was "sticking up for his friend," who apparently was the man suspected in the accident.

 

[Warhawk]

Suit: Man Forced To Sit In Jetblue Bathroom

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0512200...man_forced_to_sit_in_jetblue_bathr_110553.htm

A Manhattan man is feeling flush with anger after he says he was forced to sit in the bathroom for three hours on a cross-country JetBlue flight.

Gokhan Mutlu is now suing the airline for $2 million for having "mortified, disgraced, degraded and shamed" him by confining him to the can.

Mutlu says the bizarre incident happened Feb. 23, when he was a standby passenger for a flight from San Diego to New York.

He was told the flight was full because a flight attendant was taking the last available seat, but was then told she would sit in the "jump seat" and he could have her seat, 2E, the suit says.

He was issued a boarding pass and took the seat, but got a rude awakening as he began to doze off about 90 minutes into the flight.

That's when the pilot called him "towards the front of the plane, towards the cockpit, and advised the plaintiff that he would have to give his seat up" to the flight attendant, the suit says.

"The plaintiff was puzzled and asked what was going on," the filing says.

The pilot told him the "flight attendant wanted to be more comfortable and that the 'jump seat' was not comfortable for her."

Mutlu "asked if he was being directed to surrender the seat issued to him and to take the 'jump seat' for the remaining part of the flight, which was about 3 ½ hours."

The pilot told him the jump seat was for "for personnel only," the suit says.

"Even more puzzled and perplexed, the plaintiff asked if the pilot was directing him to stand for the remaining part of the flight," it says.

The pilot said no - Mutlu should just "go and 'hang out' in the bathroom," the suit says. In the meantime, the stewardess took Mutlu's seat, "closed her eyes and pretended to sleep."

When Mutlu began to argue, the pilot "became angry at the plaintiff's reluctance to go . . . to take his place in the rest room and took a much harsher tone with the plaintiff, advising him that he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command, and that the plaintiff should be grateful for being onboard," the suit says.

Mutlu says he was "imprisoned" in the bathroom for hours, which "seemed like an eternity."

He was ordered back to his seat when the plane ran into heavy turbulence, the suit says.

"Plaintiff walked back to his seat embarrassed, humiliated, mortified, disgraced degraded and still shocked beyond belief," and tried "to cover his face" as he walked up the aisle, the papers say.

The flight landed at JFK around 5:30 am, and the pilot stopped him as he was walking out "and asked if everything was okay. The plaintiff replied, 'No,'" the suit says. The suit seeks money for emotional damages.

A rep for JetBlue said the company doesn't comment on pending litigation.

 

[Warhawk]

Man Dressed as Darth Vader Spared Jail for Attack on Founder of Britain's Jedi Church

I don't know what's more humorous/sad - the fact that this guy got drunk and did this or the fact that they have a camera set up to record their lightsaber duels. Apparently they just leave this camera running for any impromptu "battles"?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,355268,00.html

HOLYHEAD, Wales — A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.
Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates' Court.
He also whacked Jones' 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said.
The two cousins and Barney Jones' brother, Daniel, set up the Church of Jediism, Anglesey order, last year. Jedi is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the "Star Wars" films.
The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses "insight and knowledge" from the films as "a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life."
"We all love the films and what they stand for. Obviously some people are going to laugh about it," the Wales on Sunday newspaper quoted Barney Jones as saying last month. "But a lot of people do take it seriously."
Unfortunately for Hughes, his March attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle.
"Darth Vader! Jedis!" Hughes shouted as he approached.
Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.
"He knows his behavior was wrong and didn't want it to happen but he has no recollection of it," said Hughes' lawyer, Frances Jones.
District Judge Andrew Shaw sentenced Hughes to two months in jail but suspended the sentence for one year. He also ordered Hughes to pay $195 to each of his victims and $117 in court costs.
In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

 

[kennadog]

Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon box of wine beforehand.

I'm actually impressed that he could even walk.

 

[Elise10]

Where's the Milk Truck?

14 tons of spilled Oreo cookies snarl Ill. traffic

Mon May 19, 9:00 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080519/ap_on_fe_st/odd_cookie_spill;_ylt=Ar7H9oPW3okWb7EZOkOr5losQE4F

MORRIS, Ill. - Police say a trailer loaded with 14 tons of double-stuffed Oreos has overturned, spilling the cookies still in their plastic sleeves into the median and roadway.

Illinois State Police Sgt. Brian Mahoney says the truck's driver was traveling from Chicago to Morris on Interstate 80 around 4 a.m. Monday when he fell asleep at the wheel and slammed into the median.

"The boxes came out of the trailer and boxes were ripped open," he said.

The crash about 50 miles southwest of Chicago remains under investigation.

Mahoney says no charges have been filed but both lanes of traffic remain closed while authorities remove the cookies

 

[Warhawk]

Man arrested at Macy's in NYC for carrying sword

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080526/D90TABTG0.html


NEW YORK (AP) - A man who was carrying a rusted pirate-style sword through Macy's flagship store in Manhattan is facing charges of criminal possession of a weapon.
Police say 29-year-old Lawrence Jackson was brandishing the curved sword while visiting Macy's Herald Square store Sunday with his girlfriend. He told police he was carrying the sword because he is a member of a kickball team whose players often wear pirate-themed costumes. He maintains he was on his way to a game when he was arrested.

 

[Warhawk]

Czech artist fined for traffic light stunt

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080521/od_afp/czechcrimeoffbeat_080521150754

PRAGUE (AFP) - A Czech artist was fined 60,000 koruna (2,400 euros, 3,750 dollars) on Wednesday for replacing the glass in pedestrian crossing traffic lights with stencils of comical and vulgar figures.
David Brudnak, 33, was also ordered to pay an additional 82,000 koruna by the Prague court for the damage done to around 50 traffic lights by his stunt in the capital in April last year.
Pedestrians were confronted, for example, by an illuminated figure dangling from a hangman's noose and a legless man.
Brudnak, along with other artists, was already facing criminal proceedings for inserting images of an atom bomb explosion into a public television weather and tourism broadcast in June last year.

 

[Warhawk]

Smile! Your crime is on YouTube

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080521/od_afp/britaincrimeinternetoffbeat_080521151350

LONDON (AFP) - A British man has been branded a city's "dumbest criminal" after he posted more than 80 videos of himself committing various misdemeanours on YouTube, officials said Wednesday.
Andrew Kellett, 23, was banned from boasting about his criminal activities on the Internet after posting videos of himself and others taking Class A drugs, racing cars at high speeds and trespassing and shouting abuse.
He even filmed himself receiving a suspended sentence for an offence at Leeds Magistrates' Court in the northern English city.
On Tuesday, the court issued him with an interim anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) to stop him showing unlawful activities on the video-sharing website. Some of the videos were shown to magistrates as part of the prosecution's case.
"Kellett must be in the running to be Leeds' dumbest criminal. He has handed us the evidence against him on a plate," said Leeds councillor Les Carter.
"In the last three years, we have seen a 32 percent reduction in crime in Leeds. If more criminals were as obliging, the city would be even safer," he added.
Under the terms of the order, which lasts at least until next month, Kellett cannot post any image or description of unlawful activity on the Internet.
Kellett opposed the court's order, claiming he was merely a bystander filming and the offences would have happened regardless of whether he was at the scene or not.