Police say a man held an intruder at bay with a grilling fork and steak knife until police arrived. But the suspect fled, only to be arrested after he was zapped with a Taser. Police Lt. Don Hutson says the White City resident grabbed the barbecue implements when he found the intruder had entered through a basement window. (Continue story)
Two Florida men were questioned by wildlife authorities after they were seen cutting the tail off a beached whale.
Chris Hogan told officers he was fishing for crabs along the Delray Beach shoreline around 5:30 a.m. when a passerby showed him a picture of the dead whale on his cell phone, the Sun Sentinel reports.
Hogan and another man, who was not identified, then located the whale and cut off its tail with a fishing knife. Hogan was mutilating the 700-800 pound, 7-foot-long pygmy sperm whale, which is endangered, when a lifeguard informed him that what he was doing was illegal ... (Continue story)
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 licences 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 programmes. (Continue story)
At a news conference organized by self-identified gang members, several speakers complained that police and city officials do not respect them, and that the only way to curb violence is to provide jobs and improve their community. The self-described current and former gang members held a news conference at the Columbus Park Refectory, at 5701 W. Jackson Blvd. on the city's West Side. (Continue story)
A homeless man who called 911 from the hot tub of a suburban Portland home and asked for towels, hot chocolate and a hug got arrested for trespassing instead.
Beaverton police say Mark Eskelsen called 911 from his cell phone, identified himself as "the sheriff of Washington County," and asked for medical help. He later admitted he wasn't the sheriff but informed the dispatcher he'd been "yelling for about an hour and a half."
The man said in his Sunday morning call that he'd been in the water about 10 hours and his towels had gotten wet ... (Continue story)
The owner of Jean Baptiste Camille Corot's "Portrait of a Girl" is suing a courier after the man lost the painting during an alleged drunken night in New York. Kristyn Trudgeon, the majority owner of the 19th century painting, said art courier James Carl Haggerty told co-owner Tom Doyle he lost the $1.3 million artwork while showing it to a prospective buyer at The Mark Hotel. (Continue story)
A 20-year-old man is in extremely critical condition after he was run over by a car he was trying to push up the hilly street known as the Manayunk Wall. Police said the man's girlfriend was behind the wheel of a disabled 1996 Volvo sedan on the 200 block of Levering Street about 4:15 man when he attempted to push it uphill. The sedan rolled backward, dragging the man 25 to 30 feet before hitting a parked car and coming to a halt. (Continue story)
Centre Hall, Pennsylvania ( The Weekly Vice ) - Police have now arrested a third suspect in the case of Miranda Boob, who allegedly conspired with a lover to have her husband killed. Mirinda Boob, Ronald Heichel , and 26-year-old Kermit Butts were all jailed in connection to the murder of 29-year-old Samuel Boob. According to Centre Hall Police, detectives began investigating Miranda Boob after her husband, Samuel Boob was discovered dead in his driveway August 23rd, fatally shot twice with a shotgun. Detectives believe Mrs. Boob was having an affair with Heichel , who was one of her husband's co-workers, and they allegedly planned the murder or Mr. Boob. Investigators say Heichel was driven to the Boob's residence by Butts, who idly stood by and witnessed the slaying of Mr. Butts, then drove Heichel away from the scene of the crime. Heichel and Butts were captured after two concession stand workers at the Grange Fair reported to police that they had seen the suspects riding together in a pickup truck. The witnesses stated that Butts was "acting suspicious." Investigators say Heichel offered Butts $5,000 in exchange for his help to dispose of the body. Numerous text messages were sent between Heichel and Boob regarding the murder plot, with statements such as "Hopefully he'll be six feet under," and "Take him out," as well as messages about whether a gun had bullets in it. Mrs. Boob was booked into jail on charges of first-degree murder and solicitation. Heichel was also booked into jail on first-degree murder charges. Kermit Butts was booked into jail on charges of felony aggravated assault and hindering apprehension or prosecution. A trial for Mrs. Boob and Heichel was set for October, but is expected to be delayed. Mandi Milenko (Continue story)
According to Mecklenburg Police, a woman was shopping at a Harris Teeter grocery store when Skinner reportedly tried to sneak a camera under her and her teen daughter's skirts. Police say the victim caught onto his attempt, notified authorities and gave a description of what had happened. After investigating, police say they recovered evidence that confirmed the woman's account. Officer's say they obtained a warrant and arrested Skinner the following day. Skinner was booked into the Mecklenburg Jail on two felony counts of peeping - using a photographic imaging device. Bond was not set and Skinner was released on a notice to appear in court. Skinner has been suspended from South Mecklenburg High School with pay, pending an outcome of the investigation. A letter was also sent home to parents to inform them that an arrest had been made regarding a teacher being charged with a felony involving a juvenile, according to district authorities. Lacy Black (Continue story)
