Weird News

Report: Ohio worker's porn surfing goes undetected

COLUMBUS -- A state agency is reviewing the way it tracks how employees use the Internet after discovering a worker viewed pornographic Web sites undetected for years. The state Inspector General found that Jeff Adkins, an employee at the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, spent hours on many days visiting adult sites and downloading videos and pictures. The report also found Adkins sent and received dozens of e-mails related to his volunteer work at his church.

In an investigative document reviewed by The Associated Press, a workers' comp technology manager said the bureau might not have enough staff to properly track employees' Internet use. The bureau says it has enough employees but acknowledges the tracking process can be time-consuming. Documents show Adkins told a former employee he suffered from a pornography addiction.
 
Man charged in knifings at moonshine victim's wake

HART, Mich. -- A parolee has been ordered to stand trial on charges of stabbing two men at a funeral wake for a man poisoned by moonshine. Dennis Jerome Foust of Montague faces trial in Oceana County Circuit Court on two counts of felonious assault and a misdemeanor count of domestic violence.

The 33-year-old also is charged as a habitual offender, which could result in a longer prison sentence if he is convicted.
Police say Foust and his wife fought Jan. 9 during the wake for Shawn Davila, who died on New Year's Day from methanol alcohol poisoning. Two men were stabbed after intervening in the fight. They were treated and released.
 
Mexico City man dragged by subway, survives

MEXICO CITY -- A Mexico City man is alive and nearly unscathed after falling onto subway tracks and being dragged by a train.
Red Cross official Heriberto Escalera says the man suffered an epileptic seizure on the platform and passed out, falling onto the tracks. The driver of an approaching train tried to stop before hitting the man, but ended up dragging him a short distance on Sunday. Escalera said Monday the man suffered burns and bruises but wasn't seriously hurt.
 
Tennessee triplets born months apart

It was Mother's Day last year that Alan and Christy Letsinger received the most exciting news of their life. "He had this shock on his face, and I was crying," Christy recalled. They had been praying four-and-a-half years for a baby. "I was so grateful just to be pregnant," Christy said. "I didn't realize that I would have triplets, but once I found out I was pregnant with triplets, that was just it for me."

Christy gave birth to Hannah and Layla, the two girls; and Trey, a beautiful baby boy. They were all set to arrive in December, but Trey came early. "He was determined to get here," Christy said. He was born October 13, and the girls came eight weeks later on December 15. Because Trey was born premature, he's still not strong enough to go home yet.

"When he comes home from the hospital, we plan on having triplet day," Christy said. In the meantime, the two girls are being strong for brother Trey, mom, and dad. "I'm scared for him being in there still, but I have comfort knowing he's in there, because they're amazing in there," Alan said.

In addition to family, friends, and their church, the Letsingers say the care they have received from East Tennessee Children's Hospital has been amazing. "They've been so supportive," Christy said. "They have helped us, they've guided us down the path with Trey, they have told us how to do everything with them."

For now, Children's Hospital has been the Letsingers' home away from home, but, they look forward to seeing their triplets back together again. "Just all of us being together for the first time, going to church the first time together, just doing everything for the first time together as a complete family," Christy said.
 
Holy guacamole! Super Bowl myths

LARGO, Florida -- From what we eat to how we party, there are plenty of myths surrounding the biggest game of the year. We're separating fact from fiction.

Halftime toilet trouble

Here's a nasty Super Bowl rumor: it claims that if everyone gives their toilet a big flush at halftime of the big game, a city's underground pipes could suffer a smelly collapse. Like the alligators that supposedly live down there, City of Tampa Wastewater chief Ralph Metcalf says this story is false. There are no "waves of sewage... with rodents surfing on them" coursing through the pipes under our feet, he said assuringly.

Avocado survival

What about the one that says America's avocado industry depends entirely on how much guacamole is sold around the Super Bowl? That's also false. But the Hass Avocado Board says the 46 million pounds farmers expect to sell will be neck-and-neck with the industry's other leading avocado-eating completely American holiday: Cinco de Mayo.

Empty Mouse house

Ever hear that Walt Disney World becomes a ghost town around kickoff time? We called to check this out, and a spokesperson for Mickey said -- well, actually -- he said that they won't say. Disney doesn't release attendance figures. The spokesman's verbatim quote? "Every day is the best day to go to Walt Disney World!"

Somebody's got a case of the Super Bowl Mondays

Have you heard the Monday after the game is the number one national sick day? That could be true. A survey last year by the company Kronos estimated six million Americans may call in sick or roll in late due to Super Bowl-itis.

Dangerous driving

Do auto body shops love the Super Bowl because cars are more likely to crash after the game? Yes they do, because it's true. A University of Toronto study found car crashes rose almost 50 percent in the four hours after the game, compared to other Sundays. The biggest increase comes in the area of the losing team's city.

Super Bowl stock market predictor

Can the Super Bowl predict the stock market? It sure seems to. For years, Bob Stovall, a money manager in Sarasota, has tracked it. The predictor says if the winning team started decades ago, back in the old American Football League -- the stock market will do badly that year. If a team with its roots in the NFL wins, the market climbs. The accuracy all-time is a respectable 79 percent. It's all luck and just for fun -- but -- this year, both teams have come from the NFL. The predictor says we're set to see a good year for the market.

That -- wouldn't stink at all.
 
Police: Man stole work computer, then replacement

LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- He didn't even pay for the warranty. Police in Long Branch said a man allegedly stole a $20,000 diagnostic computer from a garage where he used to work, then returned the broken unit several months later - only to steal its replacement. The man was been charged Friday with two counts of theft.

Police said the first computer went missing from Contemporary Motor Cars sometime between last June and October. The 29-year-old man couldn't be questioned because he had resigned and traveled to Trinidad. When he returned, he allegedly went to the garage to revisit former co-workers and even brought coffee and doughnuts. But he soon disappeared and employees noticed the old computer was back and the new computer was gone.
 
Firefighter suspended from band over nod to Obama

CLEVELAND -- An Ohio firefighter has been given a six-month suspension from his role in a pipe and drum band because he nodded to President Barack Obama during last week's inaugural parade in Washington. Video shows Drum Major John Coleman giving the nod along with a fleeting wave as the Cleveland Firefighter's Memorial Pipes & Drums marched past the president.

The band leader, Pipe Major Mike Engle, said the firefighter from Cleveland Heights violated the proper decorum required in a military parade. He said members were warned not to make such gestures during the parade. Coleman says Obama smiled and waved, and that he was just acknowledging the president.
 
Man accused of making drug deal at police station

EVERETT, Wash. -- Everett police said a 24-year-old man picked the wrong place to try to deal drugs - a stall in the police station restroom. Police Sgt. Robert Goetz said the man was overheard Wednesday using a cellular telephone to try to sell Oxycodone, a prescription painkiller, and other drugs.

Goetz said that as the man was leaving, he saw a gun-wearing plainclothes police sergeant who had overheard the call. The man asked if he was a probation officer. Goetz said the man admitted trying to deal drugs and turned over his stash. He was jailed for investigation of illegal drug possession and intent to sell. Goetz said the man is on probation from an attempted robbery conviction.
 
Man smears feces on his lawyer, flings it at jury

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego judge has declared a mistrial in a kidnapping and assault case after the defendant smeared excrement on his lawyer's face and threw it at jurors. The judge boosted defendant Weusi McGowan's bail from $250,000 to $1 million after the Monday incident. Prosecutor Christopher Lawson says McGowan was upset because the judge refused to remove public defender Jeffrey Martin from the case.

McGowan had smuggled a bag of feces into court and spread it on Martin's hair and face before flinging the excrement at jurors. No jurors were hit. McGowan has pleaded not guilty to kidnapping for robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and other counts in connection with a 2007 home invasion.
 
Pizzeria owner accused of beating man over calzone

PALM COAST, Fla. -- Flagler County authorities said a restaurant owner pistol-whipped and beat a customer who complained that his takeout order was incorrect. The owner of Goomba's Pizzeria was charged with aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon and released on bail.

According to a police report, security footage from the pizzeria shows that the owner struck the customer with a gun. He then jumped over a counter and started to assault the customer and his roommate. The customer was at the pizzeria to collect a refund for a calzone, which he said was prepared incorrectly. He was taken to a hospital after the incident with a bloodied head.
 
Cop accused of pushing Wal-Mart greeter suspended

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) -- A Chattanooga detective accused of assaulting an elderly Wal-Mart greeter who asked to see his sales receipt at the store has been suspended from duty. Police Chief Freeman Cooper told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that following a disciplinary hearing the officer was suspended 28 days without pay for conduct unbecoming an officer, improper procedure and excessive use of force.

The chief said the officer must also be retrained in the department's use of force policy and take an anger management course.
The detective was accused of pushing the 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter who touched the off-duty officer's arm while asking if he could see a receipt in December. A report shows the greeter fell and received a scratch on his right elbow.
 
Man allegedly rams police chief's truck 3 times

NORTHWOOD, N.D. (AP) -- Northwood police said a man is in custody after ramming his car three times into the police chief's four-wheel drive squad truck. Police Chief Keith Prosser said he was trying to make a traffic stop Tuesday afternoon when a 58-year-old man turned his car around and rammed the chief's patrol vehicle.

Prosser said he chased the man into town but he turned again and came at him in a head-on collision. The chief said he tried to disable the man's car rather than avoid it. The man was taken to the Northwood hospital and later to the jail in Grand Forks. Prosser said he was not hurt. The man's car was wrecked. The chief's truck is still drivable, but has about $7,000 in damage
 
New Zealand inmate stroll stopped by pole

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- It was less than a Great Escape. Two New Zealand prisoners who were handcuffed together as they fled a courthouse foiled their own getaway when they ran to opposite sides of a light pole, slammed into each other and fell to the ground.

Jailers nabbed them as they struggled to their feet. Their escapade on Wednesday was captured by a CCTV camera at Hastings District Court on New Zealand's North Island. The footage shows the two men trying to make a break for it - but apparently forgetting they were joined at the wrist. Hastings police Senior Sgt. Dave Greig said one inmate, Regan Reti, 20, had just been sent to prison for more than two years after being convicted of assault.

The other inmate, Tiranara White, 21, was in custody for allegedly stealing a car and violating parole. "As they were being led from the Hastings police cells ... they made a bolt for freedom," Greig told The Associated Press on Thursday. "They fell over and they were sprayed with pepper spray. But they got up and ran out of the court onto the street, across the road to a car park," he said. "That's where they met the pole - it was all over, rover."

The pair were back in court Thursday, facing fresh charges of escaping from custody. Police said Reti, who pleaded guilty to the charge, had a month added to his prison term. White did not enter a plea. He will remain in police custody while a psychiatric evaluation is carried out. Grainy footage of the escapade shown on TV One News was billed as "one of the worst escape attempts ever seen."
 
Sheriff: Mich. man stages break-in, then calls 911

CAPAC, Mich. -- Authorities in Michigan say a 24-year-old man broke into a gas station and called 911 on himself, claiming he wanted to go to jail to be with his incarcerated brother. St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon tells the Times Herald of Port Huron that deputies obliged, arresting the man early Tuesday.

Authorities say the man called the emergency number about 4:30 a.m. from inside the gas station in Capac, a village northeast of Detroit. He said he had had broken in about 20 minutes earlier. The man's name wasn't released pending an arraignment.
 
Swiss police spy marijuana field with Google Earth

ZURICH, Switzerland -- Swiss police said Thursday they stumbled across a large marijuana plantation while using Google Earth, the search engine company's satellite mapping software. Police said the find was part of a bigger investigation that led to the arrest of 16 people and seizure of 1.2 tons (1.1 metric tons) of marijuana as well as cash and valuables worth 900,000 Swiss francs ($780,000).

Officers discovered the hemp field in the northeastern canton (state) of Thurgau last year while investigating an alleged drug ring, said the head of Zurich police's specialist narcotics unit Norbert Klossner. The plantation, measuring almost two acres (7,500 square meters), was hidden inside a field of corn. But officers using Google Earth to locate the address of two farmers suspected of involvement in the drug operation quickly spotted the illegal crop. "It was an interesting chance discovery," said Klossner.

Prosecutor Gabi Alkalay told reporters in Zurich that she plans to complete her criminal investigation in February, after which she will formally charge the 16 suspects and ask for prison sentences for all of them. The gang is alleged to have sold up to 7 tons (7.7 US tons) of hashish and marijuana between 2004 and 2008, with an annual turnover of 3-10 million francs a year, officials said.
 
Electrician accused of stealing $13,500 in power

DERBY, Conn. Derby police say an electrical contractor used his expertise for no good. Andrew Natale, 45, was charged with larceny for allegedly bypassing his home's electricity meter and stealing about $13,500 worth of power dating back to 2003.
Natale posted $2,000 bail and is set to be arraigned Monday in Derby Superior Court. A message was left for Natale at his
home Thursday morning.

Authorities said the arrest was the result of an investigation by police and the United Illuminating Co. They say a field worker discovered the problem. UI spokesman Al Carbone said the illegal bypass was disconnected and reinstalled periodically. He said bypassing meters is dangerous and could cause electrocution or a fire.
 
Police: Man delivered stolen newspapers for years

PHILLIPSBURG, N.J. -- Police in New Jersey say a man stole stacks of newspapers and delivered them to unsuspecting customers for years. Phillipsburg police say Michael Farrell was delivering copies of the Express-Times of Easton (Pa.) for the last three years. The problem was, police say he was stealing the papers from boxes.

Newspaper officials say the Lopatcong Township man worked in the past as a carrier for the paper. Customers assumed the 53-year-old still did. Some even wrote him a check every month. Subscriber Mike Markle of Phillipsburg, a town about 60 miles west of Newark, says he was satisfied with the service. He never had a problem getting his morning paper.
 
Man busted twice within hours on marijuana charges

HIGHLAND HILLS, Ohio -- A public employee in a Cleveland suburb was arrested on a marijuana possession charge and, hours later, on charges of smoking pot while driving a village truck. Donald Brown, 34, of Highland Hills was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence when he was arrested the second time. Earlier, he was held on a possession charge when officers smelled marijuana outside his apartment.

According to the police report, Brown told officers he was fine to drive because he had "only smoked a roach" - the remnant of a marijuana cigarette. But officers said Brown failed a field sobriety test. A Highland Hills spokesman said any disciplinary action must await the outcome in court. Brown's attorney, Beverly Briggs, said Thursday she had just gotten the case and couldn't comment
 
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