Weird News

No $81 billion fill-up, PayPal says

A commuter in Richland, Wash., who thought he had been overcharged ? by $81 billion ? for a tank of gas was fooled by an error in a voice mail about the transaction, his debit card company said. Juan Zamora told the Tri-City Herald newspaper this week that he received a communication from PayPal showing a debit card transaction of more than $81 billion, instead of the $26 worth that he said he pumped.

But a spokeswoman for PayPal, Sara Gorman, said Friday that misunderstanding was the result of a mistake in a voice mail from a PayPal processing partner about the transaction that put the merchant identification number where the amount should have been. ?I can assure you that we did not charge him $81 billion,? Gorman said.
 
Woman Calls 911 Because McDonald's Ran Out of Chicken McNuggets

FORT PIERCE, Fla. - According to WPEC/WFLX, a woman called 911 three times because the McDonald's restaurant she was frequenting had run out of Chicken McNuggets. Latreasa Leshae Goodman, 27, had already purchased a 10-piece McNugget meal from a McDonald's in Fort Pierce, Fla., when the cashier told her that the restaurant was out of McNuggets. When Goodman attempted to get a monetary refund, the cashier explained that store policy was that all sales were final. Instead, the cashier offered to give Goodman a larger quantity of food for the same price.

That did no sit well with Goodman, who -- according to the Fort Pierce Police report -- called 911 and told the dispatcher, "This is an emergency. "If I would have known they didn't have McNuggets, I wouldn't have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble, but I don't want one. This is an emergency."
 
Mass. man fined for Chuck E. Cheese mascot assault

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. -- A Massachusetts man has been fined $500 for assaulting a Chuck E. Cheese mouse. Authorities say 34-year-old Trahan Pires thought the perpetually happy mascot had pinned his 11-year-old son against a video game. Pires, of Fairhaven, ripped off the mascot's head piece, pointed a finger at the man inside and yelled at him.

The 19-year-old man in the mouse suit told police he put his arms out to get through a crowd of children trying to knock him over and never grabbed anyone. A witness agreed with that account. Pires pleaded guilty Monday. A judge fined him after rejecting the prosecution's request for a six-month jail sentence. Pires' family was at the children's restaurant in Dartmouth in May to celebrate his son's birthday.
 
'Lazy hiker' fee set for tired Pikes Peak climbers

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO -- Hikers who reach the summit of Pikes Peak but are daunted by the descent have reason to find a second wind -- calling rescuers will cost a hefty fee. The city council of Colorado Springs set a fee of $100 or more if uninjured hikers call 911 for help because they're not up to walking down the 14,000-foot peak.

The fee could increase if snow has to be plowed from Pikes Peak Highway for rescuers to fetch a stranded hiker. The council approved the fee unanimously and without debate last week. It took effect Sunday. Some 15,000 people try to climb Pikes Peak annually. It is believed to be the second-most visited mountain behind Japan's Mount Fuji.
 
Tenn. sheriff looks to serve 80-year-old warrant for the arrest of man who wrote bad $30 check

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. ? The Carter County Sheriff's Department is trying to serve an 80-year-old warrant for the arrest of a man who wrote a $30 bad check, although unsure if he is alive. The warrant, issued in August 1928, calls for the arrest of J.A. Rowland. It says he owes $30 for the bad check, $2 for the arrest fee and 50 cents each for the affidavit and warrant.

Clerks at the Glynn County Sheriff's Office in Brunswick, Ga., recently found the warrant buried in a records storage room while cleaning and mailed it to Tennessee. Current Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes told The Elizabethton Star he is still under a legal obligation to find Rowland.
 
Neb. man says he put cat in bong 3 times

OMAHA, Neb. -- A man who stuffed his girlfriend's cat into a makeshift bong and smoked marijuana through it said Tuesday that he had done it on other occasions and that it calmed the cat down. Acea Schomaker of Lincoln said he never intended to hurt the 6-month-old cat, Shadow. Lancaster County sheriff's deputies responding to a domestic disturbance at the residence ticketed the 20-year-old Schomaker on suspicion of misdemeanor animal cruelty Sunday after catching him smoking marijuana from a boxlike contraption that had the cat stuffed inside its 12-inch by 6-inch base.

Schomaker's girlfriend, Marissa Vieux, also was ticketed for animal cruelty because she didn't try to stop Schomaker, Sgt. Andy Stebbing said.Vieux, 22, said she took in the cat about two months ago from friends who abused it. Schomaker said the cat would bite and scratch them but he didn't want to discipline it by swatting or squirting water at it. He said they didn't bring it to an animal shelter because they feared it would be put down.

So Schomaker said he decided to use the makeshift bong because he had heard about people calming their pets by blowing marijuana smoke in their faces. "I know for sure this isn't the first time someone has done this," he said. "I'm just the first one to get caught." He said he put the cat in the bong a total of three times and it seemed to calm the cat. "Every time we took her out she would pretty much just lay down and proceed to clean herself and act like a stoned person," Schomaker said.

The bong had a foot-long piece of garden hose coming out of a Plexiglas box, with the top secured with duct tape. Schomaker said it was constructed in such a way that the cat did not get immersed in smoke to the extent some might believe. Schomaker said law enforcement and animal specialists lectured him about why what he did was cruel, and that he learned from his mistake.
 
Man robs gas station, then tells clerk he's sorry

RIB MOUNTAIN, Wis. -- Authorities said a man who robbed a gas station made no threats, displayed no gun, simply offered an apology as he fled with a fistful of cash. A sheriff's detective called the suspect a "polite robber." The man walked into the Petro Mart Sunday, asked for some cigarettes and when the cash drawer was open, grabbed a stack of $20s.The sheriff's department said the man told the clerk he was sorry he had to take the money.

A store surveillance camera captured only blurry footage of the robbery. The suspect was still at large.
 
Mexican worker sews his lips to demand promotion

VERACRUZ, Mexico -- A Mexican state water company worker has sewn his lips together to draw attention to his five-year fight to get a promotion. The man used a needle and thread to put five stitches through his lips in front of the water company headquarters in the eastern city of Veracruz. He handed a statement to reporters on Monday saying he has pleaded his case before several state institutions but only received unfulfilled promises.

The man has been a laborer at the company for 18 years and has been seeking an office job since 2004. Water company labor-union leader Angelica Navarette dismissed the man as a troublemaker whose demands are unfounded. She said the company has offered him better benefits but he refuses to compromise.
 
Wis. student accused of urinating in drink

HARTFORD, Wis. -- For the second time in three months, police are investigating whether a high school student urinated in a drink before someone took a sip. Police said Tuesday a 16-year-old boy at Hartford Union High School urinated in a drink and offered it to his basketball teammates in November. A 15-year-old boy took a sip and stopped when other boys laughed. The basketball coach said he suspended the older boy and called his parents.

The incident came to light as police investigated a complaint last month that two other junior boys at the school put urine in a soda at a basketball game. In that case, an administrator received an e-mail the boys sent to students who tasted the drink.
 
Ore. arsonist targets 1990s green Ford Escorts

MEDFORD, Ore. -- An arsonist is apparently on the prowl for green Ford Escorts from the 1990s. Three of them have been burned in recent weeks, a series that Medford police Sgt. Mike Budreau described as "pretty bizarre." A 1995 green Ford Escort was destroyed by flames early Sunday morning after someone broke a window and poured flammable liquid into it. A similar fire was set in a 1993 green Ford Escort parked in a driveway on Feb. 22.

Investigators have also uncovered a Feb. 2 case of a 1992 green Ford Escort damaged by a plastic container filled with flammable liquid placed next to a tire that burned without setting the car afire. Budreau told the Mail Tribune newspaper in Medford, "I think this person really doesn't like Ford Escorts."
 
Eagle busts through trucker's windshield in Nevada

ELKO, Nev. -- A Florida truck driver got an unexpected passenger when an eagle busted through the windshield of his semitrailer on Interstate 80 in northeast Nevada. Matthew Roberto Gonzalez of Opalocka, Fla., reported to the Nevada Highway Patrol Monday afternoon that he had just struck an eagle while driving westbound on I-80 near Wells, about 100 miles west of the Nevada-Utah line.

Trooper Jim Stewart said the eagle hit the passenger side of the windshield and entered the cab. Stewart said neither the 38-year-old driver nor his 45-year-old passenger Darryl Young of Miami were hurt. He said the eagle appeared to be alive shortly after the incident but he didn't know if it later succumbed to its injuries.
 
Wal-Mart customer in Mass. finds teeth in wallet

FALMOUTH, Mass. -- A customer shopping at a Wal-Mart for a wallet claims he found something that definitely didn't fit the bill: human teeth. Police say the man found 10 human teeth Saturday when he unzipped a compartment in the wallet. One tooth had a filling. The customer turned the wallet and the teeth over to employees at the Falmouth store but left without giving his name.

Police investigating the incident told The Cape Cod Times that the teeth belong to an adult, but since there was no blood or gum tissue on the teeth, they would be unable to perform DNA tests. A Walmart spokeswoman said the company believes it was an "isolated incident," but will investigate.
 
Man jumps out of taxiing airliner in Dallas

DALLAS - Authorities say a 26-year-old passenger ran to the front of a taxiing plane, opened a door and slid down to the tarmac before being detained. American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith says the man ? who was not injured ? was among 87 passengers aboard Flight 1343 from Charlotte, N.C., to Dallas on Tuesday. Smith says the flight was uneventful until it landed at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Two ramp workers detained the man until airport police took him into custody. Workers removed the slide so the plane could continue to the gate. Smith says the flight ended on time. An airport spokesman says the man was referred to a local hospital for psychological evaluation.
 
7 face discipline over 14-year-old fake cop

CHICAGO - Chicago police said Tuesday that seven officers face disciplinary reviews for the "lax" behavior that allowed a 14-year-old to pose as an officer, drive a patrol car and aid in an arrest. "They weren't paying attention," Superintendent Jody Weis said at a news conference announcing the completion of the investigation. "They were lax. I'm very upset. This whole incident is very disturbing."

The teenager, an aspiring police officer, allegedly wore a uniform and entered a South Side police station through an unlocked back door around 1:30 p.m. on Jan. 24. He was issued a radio and rode with a patrol officer for more than five hours, at times using the terminal in the squad car and responding to five assignments, Weis said.

Authorities previously said the teen did not drive a squad car, but Weis said Tuesday that the boy ? who is too young to drive in Illinois ? spent two hours behind the wheel. The boy also helped in the arrest of a suspect who allegedly violated a protection order. "He brought the arm into the middle of his back so handcuffs could be placed on him," Weis said. The boy returned to the station at 7:37 p.m., when a supervisor discovered the teen was not wearing a complete uniform and had no weapon, Weis said. The teen was arrested at 7:40 p.m.

"This is absolutely unacceptable," Weis said. "We were very fortunate that a lot of tragic things didn't happen."

Officers still on job
The boy has pleaded not guilty in juvenile court to impersonating an officer. He is no longer in custody but must wear an electronic monitoring device. The department's Internal Affairs Division has recommended discipline for each of the seven unidentified officers who remain on the job. The Bureau of Professional Standards, which Weis created a year ago to oversee the Internal Affairs Division, will review the recommendations. The officers also have the chance to appeal.

Discipline can range from an oral reprimand to dismissal, but Weis would not comment more specifically on what the officers might face. Weis also has asked the U.S. Secret Service for an independent security review after the security breach. The internal investigation included 150 interviews with civilians and officers and reviews of documents, videos and radio transmissions, Weis said. All officers involved have been retrained on applicable policies, the department said, and the entire 3rd District has been retrained on police impersonators.

There were 20 cases of impersonating an officer in 2007, 24 in 2007 and eight so far in 2009, Chicago police officials said. After the incident involving the 14-year-old, Mayor Richard Daley demanded accountability from police supervisors who were on duty at the time and Weis fielded questions for nearly two hours from visibly angry Chicago aldermen.
 
S.C. man charged after gun goes off in class

ROCK HILL, S.C. -- A South Carolina technical college student was arrested after authorities said a gun went off in his pocket during class. Reports released by police Thursday show the 19-year-old student originally said the gun fell from his pocket and went off during class at York Technical College on Wednesday. But reports show the man later changed his story to say he was holding the gun and accidentally pulled the trigger. No one was injured.

Police found the .40-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun in the trunk of his mother's car. Officers said they don't think he wanted to hurt anyone. The man was charged with carrying a weapon on school property, carrying a pistol unlawfully and discharging a firearm within city limits. He's been suspended from school.
 
Police: Man climbs pole to test new shoe spikes

KOKOMO, Ind. -- A man who begged neighbors not to call police was arrested after he was rescued dangling from a utility pole. Sgt. Bruce Rood said a 26-year-old man used shoe spikes to climb more than 20 feet up the pole when he become stuck Tuesday night. Neighbors called 911 despite his protests and when officers arrived, they found him hanging from a climbing strap around his waist.

Officers took the man into custody after determining that he had two outstanding warrants. He remained jailed on Thursday. Police are also investigating thefts of copper wire from utility poles in the area. The man told officers he was just trying out his new shoe spikes.
 
Man at border asks for manners, gets pepper spray

BLAINE, Wash. -- A Canadian says he got a face full of pepper spray after repeatedly asking a U.S. border inspector in Blaine, Wash., to say please. Desiderio Fortunato says he thought the inspector who told him to turn off his engine Monday was rude and asked him to say please. The 54-year-old British Columbia resident told The Bellingham Herald that the inspector repeatedly ordered him to turn the car off and then said he would spray him if he didn't.

Fortunato says he was stunned and blinded by the pepper spray and was pulled out of the car and handcuffed. He was detained about 3 hours. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Mike Milne (MILL'-en) in Seattle says it was a lawful order that travelers must obey. He says the use of force is under review.
 
Bus driver charged with egging on snowball attack

STERLING, Va. -- A school bus driver has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor after she allegedly offered students cash to throw snowballs at a 13-year-old boy. The woman was arrested Wednesday. According to police, the 34-year-old woman interjected herself into a verbal tussle between two students. Police said the driver got on the bus' PA system and offered varying amounts of money to students to either throw snowballs at the 13-year-old or stuff snow down his shirt.

Several students did throw snowballs at the boy, who was not seriously injured. The school system said the driver has been suspended from duty and was on paid leave.
 
Cops find bags of heroin in pregnant woman's pants

DUNLEITH, Del. -- Police arrested a 31-year-old pregnant woman who had 73 bags of heroin stashed in the waistband of her pants. Police said the woman was a passenger in a car stopped by officers on Wednesday because they believed it had illegal window tint. In the car, police said officers found six bags of heroin and a loaded gun and a stun gun in the trunk. When officers took her to police headquarters, they found 73 bags of heroin in her waistband.

The driver, a 27-year-old man, was charged with drug and weapons offenses. Both are being held on bail.
 
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