Man Uses Stolen Forklift For Getaway After Stealing Sandwich

A Pennsylvania man is accused of stealing a sandwich and then hopping on a stolen forklift to make his getaway. Police say Sean Faulkner walked into Sieb’s Pub yesterday, ordered a Reuben sandwich, and then ran out without paying. He jumped on the forklift from a construction site. Faulker was still in the forklift in the parking lot when officers arrived. His escape was reportedly thwarted because he could not put the forklift in reverse.

Piggyback Bandit Arrested

Authorities say a man dubbed the “Piggyback Bandit” because of a habit of jumping on the backs of high school athletes in Oregon and Washington State has been arrested in Montana. Police received a tip that 28-year-old Sherwin Shayegan was at a high school boys soccer tournament in Helena on Friday and saw him jump on a player’s back. Police took Shayegan into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor assault. Last spring the Oregon School Activities Association warned athletes to look out for Shayegan after officials say he turned up at events in Eugene and Pendleton and got piggyback rides from some athletes. Police in Bonney Lake, Washington, say Shayegan gave a high school athlete money and jumped on his back.

Museum Limits Visitors In Bathtub-Like Artwork

Naked art lovers are no longer able to take dips together in a bathtub-like installation at a New York City museum after warnings from health officials. The “Psycho Tank” is part of an interactive exhibit “Experience” by German artist Carsten Holler. The pool sits off the ground in a tent-like structure. Visitors are handed bathrobes, slippers and towels before heading into the salty, warm water – nude. Health officials said allowing more than one person would have required a permit the museum didn’t have. The museum is now allowing only one person in at a time. Officials are also investigating whether other parts of the exhibit, which include a giant slide and a carousel, meet city regulations.

Man Breaks Into Home To Watch TV

Police in Oregon say a man broke into a home in Portland to watch television. Jason Leon Bastrom, 32, faces charges of criminal trespass after the homeowner called police. Police say Bastrom let himself in through an unlocked front door early yesterday and sat down on the couch to watch television. The homeowner alerted authorities and then sent over a family member who lived nearby. Authorities say the family member confronted Bastrom and struck him in the head, knocking him unconscious. Police took Bastrom to the hospital to be treated for injuries before booking him into jail.

Speeding Cop Late For 2nd Job

A Miami cop who found himself cuffed after facing a state trooper’s gun at the end of a 120 mph chase said he was late for his second job. Florida Highway Patrol Trooper D.J. Watts had her gun drawn when she arrested Fausto Lopez October 11th following a 7-minute chase on the Florida Turnpike in Broward County. The trooper said the Miami squad car drew her attention because it was switching lanes dangerously, and the driver failed to respond to her patrol car’s flashing lights and siren. When Lopez finally stopped his car, Watts ordered him out of the vehicle at gunpoint, handcuffed him and detained him. Lopez allegedly told the trooper he was driving fast because he was late for his off-duty job.

Bracelet Returned To Vet After 66 Years

A World War II soldier from South Carolina got a bracelet back that he lost in Italy during the war 66 years ago. Jim Turck first received the bracelet from his mother, shortly after he joined the war in 1943. Turck served as a ski trooper with the 10th Mountain Division in the northern Apennine Mountains of Italy in 1945, where he lost the bracelet. Bruno Bernardoni found the bracelet in the village of Iola in April while using a metal detector for the first time. It was about a foot underground. Bernardoni enlisted the help of his niece to find the owner. Through some Internet research, Bernardoni’s niece tracked down Turck through the 10th Mountain Division Foundation chairman in Colorado. Bernardoni mailed the bracelet to the foundation, which received it on August 16th and promptly forwarded it to Turck. Turck mailed Bernadoni a copy of “Soldiers on Skis: A Pictorial Memoir of the 10th Mountain Division,” gave him his address and welcomed a visit from him if he ever comes to the United States.

2 Arrested In Pizza War Arson

Two managers at a Lake City, Florida, Domino’s Pizza restaurant were charged with arson after allegedly torching a Papa John’s Pizza location, police said. Lake City police arrested Domino’s manager Sean Everett Davidson, 23, Thursday for the October 20th fire. The second manager, Bryan David Sullivan, 22, was arrested Friday after being questioned by police. Police say the two men confessed to the crime and their motive was that their Domino’s location would receive more business if the Papa John’s Pizza restaurant was put out of business. The fire was discovered early October 20th. By the time it was brought under control, the establishment had been gutted. The suspects allegedly told police they made an ignition device by using a clock, a 9-volt battery, a golf-ball-size amount of gunpowder and a plastic bag. Davidson and Sullivan told police they dismantled the ignition device later and threw it out of their car while driving away.

Giant Python Eats Deer In Florida

Florida officials found an invasive snake in the Everglades that had just made a meal out of a rather large native species. A 15.6- foot Burmese Python was discovered with a full deer in its belly. The monster snake was discovered in western Dade County by contractors working for the South Florida Water Management District. The discovery was actually record-breaking – not only was the snake one of the largest ever spotted in the South Florida wild, but its prey was also among the largest ever found devoured by the species. The female deer that the snake was dining on weighed in at 76 pounds.

Make $50,000 For Reading Shredded Messages

The latest tech challenge from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – aka DARPA – is offering $50,000 for piecing together messages that have been shredded into thousands of bits. The Pentagon think tank that previously offered multimillion-dollar robo-car races and a nationwide hunt for red balloons has put five ripped-up puzzles online to kick off its Shredder Challenge. “The goal is to identify and assess potential capabilities that could be used by our warfighters operating in war zones, but might also create vulnerabilities to sensitive information that is protected through our own shredding practices throughout the U.S. national security community,” DARPA said. Find out more at www.shredderchallenge.com.

Woman Scorned Gets Revenge

A Texas man says an ex-lover sent nude photographs of him to his wife and neighbors as an act of revenge. The man also claims he was fired after the woman called his employer, accusing him of stealing on the job. Pasadena, Texas, police were alerted to the incident when several female neighbors made complaints about receiving the photographs in an envelope addressed to “Ms.” The back of each photograph had a vulgar phrase written on it. “I think she wanted to get me somehow,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous. “I want her to leave my family alone and my kids.” The man says he and his wife have reconciled and he plans to file a lawsuit against the woman. Police contacted the ex-lover, who agreed to not send any more photos. They say no charges will be filed because no crime was committed.

Drunk Parents Get 9-Year-Old To Drive

Authorities in Florida said a Wyoming man was arrested after he and his wife allegedly made their 9-year-old son drive because they were drunk. The Florida Highway Patrol responded to a report of a crash around midnight Sunday at the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando. They arrived to find the 9-year-old had crashed his parents’ van through a security gate arm. Nathan Sikkenga, 31, of Gillette, Wyoming, told officers he and his wife had instructed the boy to drive them in the van because they had consumed too much alcohol to operate the vehicle. Sikkenga was arrested and charged with neglecting a child without great harm. He was released after posting $2,500 bond.

Victim Meets Burglar In Bar

A Florida man who went to a bar after his home was burglarized encountered the thief at the establishment, police said. Police said William “Drew” Webb of Atlantic Beach found his home had been burglarized October 15th with missing items including Florida Jaguar tickets, two laptop computers, two credit cards and $100 in change. He later decided to go to Pete’s Bar to forget his losses. Webb met up with a friend, Sean O’Conner, and learned O’Conner had just been sold two Jaguars tickets by another man at the bar for $20 each. O’Conner said he had a strange exchange with the man when the seller asked if fingerprints could be lifted from a knife left at the scene of a burglary. Webb and O’Conner determined the man was the burglar and alerted police, who arrested Christopher Jeffery Eldred on charges of burglary, grand theft and dealing in stolen property. He was jailed in lieu of $275,000 bail.

Cracked Couple

Authorities in Kissimmee, Florida, arrested a couple who attempted to check back into their motel room an hour after leaving because they forgot their crack. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called to the Rodeway Inn before lunch Tuesday when cleaning staff discovered several bags of crack cocaine in a room’s freezer. Deputies said the manager received a call from the room’s former occupant while they were investigating, saying “she was on her way back to the hotel and wanted to pay for one more night and stay in the same room.” Latasha Webb, 22, and William “Chino” Schulz, 17, were arrested upon returning to the motel. Webb told deputies that “Chino sells crack cocaine and they both forgot the crack cocaine when they checked out of the room.” Webb and Schulz were charged with possession of cocaine with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia

Dog Survives Death Sentence

A New Jersey rescue group has taken in a beagle mix that somehow survived being euthanized in an Alabama animal shelter’s gas chamber. Cody Berry, a worker at the Animal Control Department in Florence, Alabama, said he was shocked when he opened the gas chamber after several minutes to find the 20-pound beagle mix, which has since been named Daniel, was completely unharmed. “I opened the door, he stood right up and walked right out,” Berry said. “He was fine.” The department spread the word of the miracle dog to rescue groups and Daniel has now been taken in by Eleventh Hour Rescue, a group of volunteers in Rockaway, New Jersey. Eleventh Hour said Daniel is likely to go up for adoption soon.

Different Kind Of Taco Bell Gas

Police in Albany, Georgia, said a man allegedly threw a gas bomb at a Taco Bell drive-thru window because he felt there wasn’t enough meat in his chalupa. Police said Taco Bell manager Cynthia Thompson received a call shortly before the 5 a.m. Sunday incident from a man who said there was not enough meat in his two chalupas and demanded a corrected order. Thompson said the man used racial epithets when she told him the restaurant was preparing to close and the man said he was coming to “redecorate the place.” The manager said she and other employees soon discovered the fire outside of the drive-thru window. There was no damage to the building from the fire. Police said the attacker used a Molotov cocktail to start the blaze.

Gym Teacher Fakes Bomb Threat

Denver police said an elementary school physical education teacher made a fake a bomb threat to avoid having to go to work. The district attorney’s office said Jennifer Gomes, 42, left a note at the private Escuela de Guadalupe School on October 17th saying “there is a bomb inside.” Gomes, who was arrested two days later, told police she left the note because she didn’t want to go to work that day. She’s facing a class 6 felony count of false reporting of explosives. Gomes, who was released after posting $2,000 bond, has been suspended from the school where she has worked since spring 2010.

FBI Investigating Amish Violence

The FBI is investigating alleged violence by members of a breakaway Amish community in Ohio directed at other Amish. There are believed to have been a number of Amish-on-Amish incidents in recent years, carried out by about 30 men and women. But only one, in which a farmer was dragged from his house to have his beard cut off, has led to arrests. Amish do not shave or cut their hair, believing that it’s forbidden by the Bible, said Donald Kraybill, an expert who studies the religious minority. To forcibly lob off their locks is a direct insult to their identity, Kraybill said. Most Amish are reluctant to report crimes to the police, preferring to use religious tribunals. An FBI spokeswoman said agents are looking at all the incidents. Five men have been arrested and charged with kidnapping and burglary stemming from an incident at the home of Myron and Arlene Miller in early October in which the group of men pulled Myron out of the home by his beard, held him down, and cut off large portions of the beard. The perpetrators are believed to be followers of a breakaway Amish group led by Sam Mullet. Of the five that have been arrested, three are Mullet’s sons.

5-Year-Old Drives Car, Calls 911

A 5-year-old looking for her mother in Ohio backed a car out of the driveway, then called 911 for help. Mansfield, Ohio, police say Ameleah Kegley backed the car out Monday evening after returning from school to an empty house. Worried, she decided to look for mom and starter her mother’s 1999 Lincoln Navigator. It backed down the sloped drive and came to a stop on grass across the street. Ameleah then called 911 and explained the situation. She said she wanted help getting the car back in the garage because her mother would be very upset with her. Turns out, the little girl’s mother had gone to the hospital with an emergency and her father, who lives elsewhere, never got the message.

Pumpkins From Prison

There’s a big release from the Utah State Prison. Thousands of inmate-grown pumpkins are being delivered to nearby school districts for Halloween. The prisoners grow about 3,000 pumpkins each year to donate to schools and nonprofits. Next up, inmate-grown poinsettias that will go to state offices during the holiday season.

Man Reports Date As Burglar When Girlfriend Shows

Police in Colorado Springs say when a man’s girlfriend unexpectedly came home just before another woman was due to visit he called police to report his new gal pal as a burglar. Police say Kevin Gaylor, 24, invited a woman he had met via Craigslist to his home just after 3 a.m. so they could “get better acquainted.” When Gaylor’s girlfriend came home unexpectedly, the two-timer called police to report the other woman as a “burglary in progress.” Gaylor was cited on suspicion of false reporting to authorities.

Missing Captain Morgan Found In Dorm Room

Authorities in Florida said a missing 5-foot-tall statue of rum company mascot Captain Morgan has been found in a college dormitory. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said the statue, stolen from outside of a Key West Walgreens, was found in a Florida Keys Community College dorm room after receiving a tip. The students in the room told deputies they had not stolen the statue and Captain Morgan had been moving from room to room in the dormitory to “wherever the party was taking place.” The statue was returned to its original home, deputies said.

Spiders Gather Atop Chicago Skyscrapers

Officials with Chicago skyscrapers said the Halloween season has brought on real-life creepy-crawlers in the form of spiders on their highest floors. Mead Elliott, broadcast facilities manager for the John Hancock Center, said the fall season is a “spider fest” at the top of the building. “They are crawling everywhere, they are coming down on their strings everywhere, there are a lot of dead carcasses around – it’s like a haunted house,” he said. “It’s really weird seeing so many. You scratch your head, literally and figuratively.” Gary Michon, general manager of U.S. Equities Asset Management, the managing agent for the Willis Tower, said running the building’s window washing system every day helps control the spider problem at high altitudes. Petra Sierwald, associate curator of insects at Chicago’s Field Museum, said most spiders reach the high altitudes by letting out a small amount of silk and riding on air currents to the tops of the skyscrapers.

Shoplifter Wanted To Be Prepared

Police in Georgia said a shoplifter made off with $562.68 worth of items, including 26 boxes of condoms, an ovulation test and a box of baby wipes. Investigators said Alexandrea Brooks entered the Walgreens store in Marietta September 11th and left with 26 boxes of condoms, a pack of cotton balls, a box of Huggies baby wipes and an ovulation test kit. Brooks fled in a car driven by another person and store workers were able to take down the license plate number. Brooks has faced previous shoplifting charges, including one in September when she was charged with stealing Oil of Olay products from a CVS store in Mableton.

Washed-Up Lego Man

An 8-foot-tall Lego man that washed up on Siesta Key Beach in Florida appears to be the work of a Netherlands artist. The 100-pound Lego man, which bears the mangled message “NO REAL THAN YOU ARE” on its torso, was discovered Tuesday morning by Jeff Hindman as he was walking on the beach. The sculpture, which is currently being held by the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and will be turned over to Hindman if it is not claimed within 90 days, matches similar Lego men that washed up in the Netherlands in 2007 and England in 2008. The Siesta Key Lego man bears the name “Ego Leonard” on the back with the number 8. Ego Leonard is the name of the Dutch artist, but it is unclear whether it is his real name. An email request for comment was answered from the perspective of the Lego man. “I am glad I crossed over. Although it was a hell of a swim,” Leonard wrote. “Nice weather here and friendly people. I think I am gonna stay here for a while. A local sheriff escorted me to my new home.”

Pumpkin Spill

Michigan State Police closed the right lane of eastbound Interstate 696 in Farmington Hills when a truck dumped pumpkins on the road. The pumpkin-hauling truck lost part of its load yesterday morning. Sgt. James Kemp said a motorist dialed 911 around 6 a.m. when a pumpkin fell from the truck and bounced off his car. Kemp said, “At least one windshield was shattered, but at least he didn’t get hurt.” The truck driver was stopped and could face a citation for having an unstable load, which carries a fine of $100 to $150.

Toilet Snake

An apartment-dweller in Toronto found a 3-foot-long python coiled up inside his toilet bowl. Ramdat Punwassie called authorities after discovering the snake Tuesday night. “I didn’t want to take chances,” the native of Guyana said Wednesday. “I close the door and call for help. I see [snakes] in my country. This is the first time I see it here.” Two police officers removed the python and turned it over to the city’s animal services department. It was the second snake call of the day. Hours earlier, the same officers had removed a 3-foot corn snake that had crawled out of a wall in an apartment in another building in the neighborhood. Neither snake is venomous. They will be turned over to a reptile zoo if the owners can’t be located, police said.

Pennsylvania Corn Maze Honors 9/11

A Pennsylvania couple who created a September 11, 2001-inspired maze in a cornfield on their farm say the design will be a secret until after the attraction closes. This is the 12th year Herb and Nancy Gearhard have cut a design into the field at Gearhard Farms in Murrysville. “There are four points of interest related to 9/11,” Herb Gearhard said. Each year they also include the letters G and F somewhere in the puzzle, representing the name of the farm. The farmers say this year’s maze observes the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack and honors first responders. Area firefighters and police officers are given passes to the puzzle for free. The Gearhards are careful not to reveal too much about the maze and photos of the field will only be available on the farm’s website after it’s closed for the season.

Switched At Birth Girls Want To Stay With Wrong Moms

A pair of 12-year-old girls who discovered they were accidentally switched at birth want to stay with the mothers who have been raising them rather than go to their real parents. The girls have grown up just a few miles away from each other in the town of Kopeisk in eastern Russia. Their mothers gave birth in the same maternity ward just 15 minutes apart in 1999, and their infant daughters were inadvertently given the wrong name tags. Their true identities were revealed after the ex-husband of Yuliya Belyaeva, one of the mothers, refused to pay for child care because his daughter, Irina, looked nothing like him. After conducting several DNA tests it emerged that that neither adult was Irina’s biological parent.

Road Paved With Money

Piles of cash littered Interstate 40 near Oklahoma City, creating a traffic snafu as motorists abandoned their vehicles to scoop up the money. So far no one’s claimed ownership of the bank bag that burst Monday on the interstate. EMS paramedic Shawn Altebaumer stopped and picked up the bag. He turned it over to police with empty money wrappers and a $20 bill. It is not known how much was lost from the bag or picked up by motorists who stopped. Altebaumer said he thinks there was more than $30,000 lost from the bag and he saw 20 to 30 people scrambled to pick up money before he grabbed the bag. He said he also found four empty wrappers for bundles of $2,000.

Naughty TSA Note

A woman who traveled from New Jersey to Ireland said a Transportation Security Administration card in her luggage told her to “GET YOUR FREAK ON.” Jill Filipovic, a blogger for Feministe.us, said she found the TSA card, which is frequently left in the luggage of passengers after their checked bags have been searched, in her luggage after flying from Newark to Dublin over the weekend. “Just unpacked my suitcase and found this note from TSA,” Filipovic tweeted. “Guess they discovered a ‘personal item’ in my bag. Wow.” Filipovic described the “personal item” as “the most basic lady-thing you can imagine.” Filipovic wrote the note was “total violation of privacy, wildly inappropriate and clearly not OK, but I also just died laughing in my hotel room.” She said she plans to file a complaint with the TSA when she returns to the United States.

Texas Authorities Warning Folks To Stay Away From Pot Farm

Authorities in Texas said they are trying to discourage people from going sightseeing at the location where 6,000 stalks of marijuana were seized. Liberty County sheriff’s deputies said people have been coming out to the grow site just outside Hardin, with some saying they wanted to see the location where investigators seized more than $4 million worth of pot last week and some admitting they were looking for leftover weed. The sheriff’s office said one man was arrested on a paraphernalia charge when he visited the site. Officials released a statement pleading with the public to stay away from the location, saying, “There are no souvenirs or remaining marijuana plants which may have been missed by the LCSO, state or federal agents.”

Dentist Plans Halloween Candy Buyback

An Ohio dentist is aiming to prevent cavities by buying back Halloween candy from trick-or-treaters at $1 per pound. Dr. Craig Callen said kids can bring their candy to his Mansfield office and receive $1 per pound, with a 5-pound limit, and free toothbrushes in exchange for their trick-or-treating loot. Callen said he will distribute as much as $1,000 and children who return candy will be entered in a drawing for two bikes.

Class Helps Spay/Neuter Rescued Rats

A California veterinary tech instructor said her students assisted with spaying and neutering 30 domesticated rats rescued from the home of a hoarder. Sandy Gregory, an instructor at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, said 35 of her students assisted four surgeons with the surgeries Sunday at the school to spay and neuter the rats, which were among 1,500 taken from a home in an incident immortalized on A&E’s “Hoarders” in 2010. Gregory said, “Rats get a bad rap as being dirty and attacking people in horror films. But they’re just the opposite; they’re incredibly sweet, social and very smart.”

122-Year-Old Church Bell Stolen

A San Francisco church is offering an unspecified reward for information leading to the return of its 122-year-old bell. Police said the 2.7-ton bell was first noticed missing from St. Mary’s Cathedral when parishioners arrived for services Sunday morning and church members said it could have been gone for up to a month before the absence was noted. Police said the 5-foot-across bell would have required a crane and a larger-than-average truck to remove. Investigators said the bell, which is 80% copper and 20% tin, would be worth about $75,000 if melted down as scrap.

A Real Swinger

Emergency responders in California said a man spent nine hours trapped in a child’s swing at a public park after accepting a bet from friends. Vallejo police responded Saturday morning to a report of a man screaming at Blue Rock Springs Park around 6 a.m. 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 9 p.m. the previous night after accepting a $100 bet from friends. Firefighters cut the chains of the swing, allowing the man to be taken to Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, where he was freed from the leg holsters with a cast cutter. The man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Lawyer Refuses To Pay For Daughter’s Hearing Aids But Buys Diamond Ring

Talk about a dude that’s tone deaf! A prominent Manhattan lawyer bought his Playboy bunny fiancée a $215,000 diamond engagement ring – but refuses to pay for his teenage daughter’s $12,000 hearing aids. According to the New York Post, Ira Schacter, 51, who works for the powerhouse firm of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, is in the middle of one wicked battle with his estranged wife, Janice. Janice says that while Schacter was spending a fortune on his bombshell fiancée, Lace Rose Allenius, 26, he was ignoring a 2010 court order that gives Janice “legal decision-making” for the “physical auditory care to the extent provided by a doctor, audiologist or hearing-aids provider.” Schacter’s lawyer insists that Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Laura Drager has said he is not responsible for expenses unless he gives prior approval, which he did not. The battle continues.

Jerk Steals iPhone From 6-Year-Old

Police in Florida are using security camera footage to try to identify a man who snatched an iPhone from the hands of a 6-year-old boy. Palm Bay police said an employee of Lin’s Garden restaurant told detectives the suspect, described as a black man in his late teens, came into the eatery briefly on October 15th and then returned a short while later and grabbed the phone from the hands of an employee’s 6-year-old son. Investigators said no one was injured and they have security camera footage revealing the man’s face.

Proposal At 32,000 Feet

A Chicago man who first met his girlfriend on a Delta flight collaborated with the airline to help him with a marriage proposal at 32,000 feet. Arvin Shandiz, 27, proposed to Alexandria Williams, 28, on Friday. Shandiz said he convinced her to fly with him to New York to see his brother’s new baby and he conspired with Delta to allow him to use the intercom in mid-flight. “Good evening everyone, my name is Arvin, and I’m on this flight with a beautiful young lady I met almost two years ago flying Delta Air Lines … From the moment that I met her that night, I knew I never wanted to spend a second without her … Alex, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world and you make me so incredibly happy … so would you marry me?” Shandiz said over the intercom. Williams tearfully accepted the proposal. They returned to Chicago Sunday and were greeted by Delta officials with a decorated gate and a free honeymoon package.

Trooper Gives A Hoot About Injured Owl

A Massachusetts state trooper used his cruiser to protect an injured barred owl in a turnpike breakdown lane while waiting for help to arrive. Trooper Michael Golenski discovered the owl with a broken wing in the breakdown lane of the Massachusetts Turnpike near Exit 10. Golenski parked his car in front of the bird while waiting for officers from the Massachusetts Environmental Police. Golenski said the environmental police arrived and one of them picked the owl up with his bare hands. The owl was taken to the emergency wildlife rescue clinic at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. If its wing heals, they’ll rehab the owl and let it back into the wild “as soon as possible.”

Deer Crashes Into Auto Shop

A Maryland auto repair shop manager conducted business yesterday alongside a deer that survived being hit by car and crashing through a shop window. Ron Schuk, manager of the Auto Masters shop in Randallstown, said there were several Baltimore County police cars at the business when he arrived for work at 7:45 a.m. He was told the buck had crashed through the window about 7 a.m. after being struck by a car. Schuk said the police were waiting for help from animal control officers, who were stuck in traffic, so he decided to conduct business while the deer, which had cuts on its face, rested next to his tool box. He said the deer did not damage anything in the shop other than the window. Police eventually escorted the deer out the front door of the business about 8:30 a.m., before animal control officers arrived.

Las Vegas Stores Spurn ‘Schweddy Balls’

Some Las Vegas grocery stores are refusing to stock a “Saturday Night Live” inspired Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavor dubbed Schweddy Balls. The flavor, named after the “Schweddy Balls” desserts created by Alec Baldwin’s character, Pete Schweddy, on a classic “SNL” sketch, can be found on the shelves at Las Vegas-area Albertson’s stores, but is absent from Smith’s stores and Whole Foods locations in the region. “While we do carry many of Ben & Jerry’s varieties, that one we decided to keep out of our mix,” Smith’s spokeswoman Marsha Gifford said. “It has been a decision for Kroger stores across the country. The company felt that from our customers’ perspective, it may be offensive.” Whole Foods spokeswoman Liz Burkhart said the flavor is available at locations in some parts of the country and its absence from Las Vegas stores has more to do with the chain stocking regionally sourced products than any moral objections.

Man Suing For Age Bias Says Judge Too Old

A 60-year-old New York man suing a music competition for age discrimination claims the 88-year-old judge assigned to his case is “unable to function.” Martin Stoner, a violinist suing the non-profit Young Concert Artists for only allowing musicians less than one-third his age, said he admits trying to get U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson, 88, off his case may seem hypocritical, but the judge is “slow-witted and unable to function.” “Judge Patterson could barely see unless he put his face almost on top of a document,” Stoner wrote in his judicial complaint. “Judge Patterson should be removed from the bench, both because of his mental and physical limitations,” Stoner wrote. “With all due respect, he may have been a very learned jurist in his day.”

Horse Rescued From Covered Pool

Authorities in Massachusetts say an old horse walked away with only minor bruises after falling into a covered pool. Animal control officer Scott Diagle said the 21-year-old horse, Rocket, was following one of its owners, who was riding another horse, in Swansea Sunday afternoon when it apparently mistook the covered pool for a solid surface. Its legs fell through the cover, which held the animal from plopping into the water. Animal control officers, police officers and firefighters responded to the scene and used fire hoses to lift the animal out of the pool. Diagle said Rocket was able to walk away with only minor bruises.

Million Mile Honda

A Maine man whose 1990 Honda Accord has surpassed the 1 million-mile mark was honored with a parade and presented with a 2012 Accord. Honda said Joe LoCicero, a 53-year-old auto technician, is the first documented Honda owner to have nursed one of the Japanese automaker’s vehicles more than 1 million miles. He was greeted Sunday at Saco City Hall with a surprise parade and a 2012 Honda Accord. “If you listen carefully, she’s getting old,” LoCicero said of his blue 1990 model, which he bought in 1996 when it had 74,000 miles. He calls his Accord “True Blue.” “But it’s been an amazing ride,” he added. LoCicero’s car has averaged about 48,000 miles a year.

Man Tosses Mom From Wedding

A Nevada man faces misdemeanor charges after authorities say he carried his mother out of a church when she arrived to stop his wedding. Police say Justin Lew Harris of Gardnerville carried his 56-year-old mother out of the church last Monday as she loudly objected to the ceremony. Harris’ wedding at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church was called off after the disruption, church volunteer Jim Jameson said. Jameson didn’t know what the mother’s objections were.

Jack-O-Lantern Record Attempts

Officials in Highwood, Illinois, believe they have broken the record for most jack-o-lanterns lit at one time, a record Boston set in 2006 with 30,128 pumpkins. City residents carved nearly 32,000 pumpkins during Highwood’s annual Pumpkin Fest. Most of the pumpkins, gutted by volunteers, were placed on blue scaffolding that reached eight levels high in some spots. The city will look over photos and videos to determine an exact number that will be submitted to Guinness. Highwood is not the only town going for the record this year. Keene, New Hampshire, the first town to hold the title, is also looking to set a new record.

Mall Zombies

Denver’s Zombie Crawlers wanted to break the world record for most zombies in one place but Guinness officials were not there to verify the attempt. Denver’s 6th annual Zombie Crawl at the 16th Street Mall allegedly drew thousands of participants Saturday, but officials were not on hand to certify the exact number, leaving the October 30, 2010, record of 4,093 held by New Jersey’s Zombie Walk intact. The occasion included a canned-food drive for Food Bank of the Rockies and a Nerf shooting event benefiting Hopeful Tomorrow Inc., a program for at-risk youth. Student Brian Strongreen, 29, sported a costume strikingly similar to late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi he called “zombie-Gadhafi.” “I used to be in the military and I’m all for dead dictators,” Strongreen said. “I couldn’t find a Jheri curl wig.”

Monster Burger

A Michigan restaurant that offers a 319-pound hamburger for $2,000 broke its own Guinness World Record by making a 338-pounder. Jason Jones of Mallie’s Sports Grill & Bar in Southgate said the restaurant beat its record Thursday with a huge new creation called the “Absolutely Ridiculous Burger.” Maillie’s holds the record for the largest commercially available burger. Jones said a large crowd gathered to witness the introduction of the 3-foot-tall burger, and a Travel channel crew captured footage for the “Food Paradise” program. Restaurant workers said patrons have yet to shell out the $2,000 cost for one of the mammoth sandwiches.

Man Reunited With Long-Lost Camaro

A Missouri man said the old flame was rekindled when he travelled to Utah to take possession of the Chevy Camaro stolen from him 16 years ago. Edward Neeley of Jefferson City signed the paperwork in Salt Lake City needed to secure the release of his red 1969 muscle car he had named Chelsey Pearl. Ed and Chelsey were separated in 1995 when a thief stole the classic vehicle. Neeley stumbled upon the missing car being offered for sale by a Syracuse man. The man said he had bought the car four years earlier on eBay. Neeley recognized the picture and obtained a police report from Syracuse that revealed the VIN number had been changed to a number that belonged to a Chevy Chevelle. Investigators said the switch was missed by officials when the Camaro was registered in Utah and they have no idea how many hands Chelsey went through before winding up with Neeley once again.

Twins Give Birth On Same Day

Identical twin sisters gave birth on the same day at a hospital in Bloomington, Indiana. Growing up, twins Jessica and Jennifer Patterson said they shared everything. However, the twins, who are currently living together, say they didn’t plan to become pregnant at the same time. “It just happened,” the 21-year-old sisters explained. On Tuesday night, the two went to the hospital for Jessica to be induced when her sister ended up going into labor. Jessica had a Caesarean section later. Jessica gave birth to a son, Mason Douglas, and Jennifer had a daughter, Adeline Rose. The new mothers, both single, say they plan on continuing to live together.

Muggers Pick Wrong Victim

Four alleged muggers with a fake gun who tried to rob an off-duty New York police detective holding a real weapon ended up with very real injuries, police say. The detective was walking his dog about 6:20 p.m. Saturday when the alleged assailants approached him and tried to rob him with a fake but realistic-looking gun – even after the detective identified himself. “There was a struggle and he let go some rounds,” a police source said. One of the alleged robbers was hit in the foot and another in the chin and arm. The muggers ran away, but police captured three, with one wounded man taken to a hospital in stable condition. The fourth suspect walked into the same hospital later in the evening.

How Much Does A Hangover Cost?

The cost of excessive U.S. alcohol consumption – mostly binge drinking – in 2006 reached $223.5 billion, or $746 per citizen, officials say. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defined heavy drinking as consuming an average of more than one alcoholic beverage per day for women, and an average of more than two alcoholic beverages per day for men, and any drinking by pregnant women or underage youth. The study found that $94.2 billion of the total economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption were covered by federal, state and local governments, while $92.9 billion was covered by excessive drinkers and their family members. Government agencies paid most of the healthcare expenses due to excessive alcohol use, while drinkers and their families bore most of the cost of lost productivity – primarily in the form of lower household income.

Woman Accused Of Using Power Saw On Husband

Police in Everett, Washington, say a woman allegedly cut her sleeping husband’s neck and shoulder with a power saw. Officers who arrived at the home say they could hear the man screaming, “You tried to cut my head off. You’re going to jail!” The 43-year-old woman appeared in court Monday on a charge of domestic violence assault and a judge kept her bail at $250,000. The woman told cops she grabbed the reciprocating saw Friday night because an intruder escaped out her daughter’s window. But police said there was no evidence of an intruder and a child lock prevented the window from opening more than a few inches. The 36-year-old man was treated at a hospital. The woman has not been identified.

Contest Seeks Zombie-Proof Home Designs

Architects Southwest, an architecture firm based in Louisiana, has launched the 2011 Zombie Safe House Competition. The organization has tasked artists, architects and other zombie enthusiasts with designing a haven that can withstand a full-on zombie assault. Design entries so far are varied and imaginative, to say the least. A top contender right now is the Zombie Ranch, a zombie-powered vertical farm. Humans live in a spiral housing system above ground, safely out of harm’s reach, while down below, zombies run in circles trying to catch hanging bait traps, while turning a turbine that provides energy for the humans in the ranch. Other entries include portable houses that travel through the air by balloon, structures floating atop abandoned oil rigs in the Antarctic and zombie fortresses built into mountain cliffs. Voting at http://zombiesafehouse.wordpress.com ends tomorrow.

Letter Missin_ At Scrabble Championship

Two competitors at the World Scrabble Championships in Warsaw were asked to empty their pockets when a letter “G” went missing. An official said yesterday that the disappearance of a “G” tile occurred during the international event, which was held in the Polish capital from October 12-16. The event coordinator said a referee had to intervene when opponents Edward Martin from Britain and Chollapat Itthi-Aree from Thailand noticed a missing tile during the last draw of their match. He said that led to a search on and under the table, and both players “were asked to show the contents of their pockets.” The missing letter was nowhere to be found, so the referee added another “G” to the letters to create a complete set.

Officer To Face Discipline Over Pot Joke

A New Jersey police department said an officer will face discipline for a 5-year-old photo of him smoking a fake joint in uniform. The Cresskill Police Department said Detective Lt. Joseph Trumbetti will keep his job but will face disciplinary action over a photograph of him smoking an imitation marijuana cigarette as a joke at the Battle of the Bands Concert at Cresskill’s recreation center five years ago. “There was no traces of drugs -- there was nothing illegal,” Chief Edward Wrixon said. However, “he shouldn’t have been doing that in uniform.” The picture was given to police recently by Gregory Levitzki of Dumont, father of former officer Brad Levitzki, who was fired in June after a hearing officer found him guilty of six charges of misconduct on duty. Levitzki’s attorney said the photo was evidence of hypocrisy on the part of the department.

Bigfoot Hunt

A North Carolina man who has hunted for Bigfoot for decades will lead a four-day expedition to seek out the mythical man-ape creature. Michael Greene, 70, of Salisbury, said his previous encounters with Bigfoot include hearing the creature roar and capturing thermal imaging footage of a 7-foot-tall creature with no discernible neck. He plans to lead a team into the Uwharrie National Forest in November to try to bring the creature out of hiding. Greene said his team will try to root out the Sasquatch with low-tech methods such as banging on trees with baseball bats and leaving candy bars at their campsite.

Pay Phone Graveyard

Where do pay phones go to die? They go to the basement of Interwest Communications in Washington State. The company is a leading pay phone vendor in the region. But now there are rows of the dented and damaged phones in the company’s cellar. The pay phone is a dying technology, pushed aside by cell phones. Company officials say pay phones just don’t make enough money for many of their customers.

Java Wedding

A California couple got married in the parking lot of the drive-thru coffee shop where they shared many dates and even their marriage proposal. Ethan Cole said he and his bride, Bryer, were introduced at a Dutch Brothers Coffee shop on a blind date and they spent many of their dates during the next two years at another Dutch Brothers location in Chico. Cole said he proposed to Bryer at the Chico location and they decided to hold their Saturday wedding in the parking lot of the same cafe. The couple said the owners of the coffee shop picked up the tab for everything in the ceremony except the bride’s gown.

Dogs Blessed

Ruby the beagle was one of the canines at the Blessing of the Dogs in a Kentucky park over the weekend. Father Matthew Young of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Covington got the tails wagging. The dog lovers are also helping their fellow humans. Donations collected at the canine celebration will help stock the church’s food pantry.

School Takes Focus Off ‘Beer Grandma’

A University of North Dakota hockey fan who became known as the “Beer Grandma” said she doesn’t mind stepping down as unofficial team mascot. Beth Delano, 85, who was featured in commercials for UND after she gained fame in 2009 when the Fighting Sioux Sports Network photographed her with a beer in her hand at Ralph Engelstad Arena, said university officials told her they would no longer be using her for promotions. University President Robert Kelley decided to end the “Beer Grandma” campaign and focus on other fans after recent national rankings revealed the school has a high rate of student drinking.

Brothers Charged With Stealing Bridge

Two brothers have been charged with stealing a western Pennsylvania bridge and selling the 15 1/2 tons of scrap metal for more than $5,000. Police say 24-year-old Benjamin Arthur Jones and 25-year-old Alexander Williams Jones of New Castle used a blowtorch to break up the bridge in late September or early October. They face felony charges of criminal mischief, theft, receiving stolen property and conspiracy. The 50-foot-long by 20-foot-wide Covert’s Crossing Bridge was in a wooded area about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Record Weather Observer

Ninety-one-year-old Ruth Everhart has been keeping an eye on the sky for the National Weather Service for nearly 64 years. The Indiana senior is being honored for being the longest-serving weather observer in the state. And she’s not ready to hang up her thermometer just yet. Everhart says she would like to be an official weather observer for another year. But she says that 65 years of tracking temps and rainfall will probably be enough.

Mom Admits She Was ‘Probably Drunk’ When Baby Lisa Disappeared

On the night her 10-month-old daughter disappeared, Lisa Irwin’s mother admits she drank enough wine at home while relaxing with a neighbor that she has no recollection of whether or not she checked on her daughter or turned off the house lights before she went to bed. Yesterday, 25 members of the Missouri National Guard scoured areas searched previously by police and FBI agents for clues regarding the whereabouts of Baby Lisa, whom her mother says was snatched from her crib in the hours prior to 4 a.m. October 4th. That’s when Lisa’s father, Bradley’s fiancé Jeremy Irwin, returned home from a late work shift to find a front window open, the front door unlocked, several inside lights on and their daughter missing. Police have named no suspects while continuing to scour woods, landfills and abandoned houses near the family’s north Kansas City, Missouri, home. Meanwhile, Lisa’s parents now have a well-known defense attorney representing them. Joe Tacopina, who represented the prime suspect in the Natalee Holloway mystery in Aruba, traveled to Kansas City yesterday to meet with Deborah Bradley and Jeremy Irwin for the first time. “They have nothing to hide. They are looking for answers. I believe these people, I really do,” he said.

iPhone App Finds Wife With Another Man

When Apple released its new iOS5 operating systems to go with its iPhone 4S, it touted a new app called “Find My Friends” as a great way to track and meet up with friends. If they agree, you can see their locations on a map on your screen. But the app’s enterprising customer’s are apparently already finding other uses. If the online posts appearing on a chat forum at MacRumors.com are for real, “Find My Friends” may have already claimed its first marriage. Saturday night on MacRumors, a man saying he lived in New York City said he is “Divorcing wife. Thanks iPhone 4S and Find My Friends.” The man apparently found his wife had told him she was going to be with friends but was actually with a guy. The man closed his post with “thankfully, she’s the rich one.”

Thief Hides Ice Cream In Pants

Police in Florida arrested a man on a theft charge after he allegedly stole an ice cream sandwich by concealing it in his pants. Fort Pierce police said an assistant manager at the Family Dollar store saw a man take something from a cooler and leave the store without paying on October 12th. As he walked “he removed an ice cream sandwich from the front of his pants and began eating it,” the arrest report states. “He then entered the Dollar Tree and came out a few minutes later with a drink and then began to walk west on Georgia Avenue.” Police found Robert Silva, 32, while he was walking with a beverage. He told officers he stole the ice cream treat because his car had blown a tire near the store and he was only carrying $3. Silva, who said he was “sorry,” was arrested on a charge of misdemeanor theft.

Gamers Raise $1 Million For Charity

Video gamers in 97 countries, sponsored by groups including Microsoft, raised more than $1 million for charity in a 24-hour fundraiser. The “Extra Life” event, which had more than 13,596 participants from 97 countries, ran from Saturday morning until Sunday morning to raise $1,108,224 for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Participants raised money by finding sponsors to give $1 each for every half hour of gaming during the event. In addition to Microsoft, the event was sponsored by groups including Hulu, Sony and cable network G4. “Extra Life,” which began on the website sarcasticgamer.com, began in 2008 when it raised $121,000.

Centenarian Finishes Toronto Marathon

At age 100, Fauja Singh has run into the record books. He finished a Toronto marathon last week. He’s now the oldest runner to complete a full-distance marathon – 26.2 miles – and earns a Guinness record. It took Singh more than eight hours to cross the finish line, six hours after the winner. While the crowd was long gone, family, friends and supporters greeted Singh as he finished the race.

State Fair Tree Walker

Cliff Spenger spends his days covered with leaves and bark. He’s the Tree Walker at the State Fair of Texas. His costume includes a grayish trunk, stilts and a Spanish moss beard. Spenger poses for pictures and gives kids high-fives with his long branches. And he says there are a lot of tree huggers at the fair. Spenger says he loves the fair-goers and they love him.

Cat Survives Two Euthanasia Attempts

A cat that survived two euthanasia attempts in West Valley, Utah, is now in need of a permanent home, animal shelter officials say. Andrea, a black cat with white paws, was brought to the West Valley City animal shelter by police because she was a stray. She was kept at the shelter for 30 days before being put on a death list after no one adopted her. Andrea was placed in the shelter’s carbon monoxide gas chamber Thursday to be euthanized. When shelter employees pulled her out of the chamber, she still showed signs of life, so she was put back in. When pulled out a second time, employees put her in a plastic bag in a cooler. “There were no vitals and for whatever reason as time went on the cat came back to life,” said the West Valley City director of public relations, who added the workers followed proper procedures. After finding the cat alive in the plastic bag, workers decided against trying to kill her again. Janita Coombs, a volunteer with the Community Animal Welfare Society, said the cat is now staying at her home while she looks for a permanent home for Andrea.

Haunted House Pro

Rocky Elwood knows what’s scary. He’s a fear pro who creates haunted houses. His latest Fear Factory is in downtown Athens, Georgia. Visitors get the wits scared out them by a gory scene that include a haunted butcher shop and a haunted mental hospital. Elwood says he’s been building haunted houses since he was a kid.

Lunch Thief

A bag stolen at gunpoint from the owner of a California check-cashing business would have yielded the thief no more than the victim’s lunch, police say. The incident occurred Friday morning at the Fontana Cash Now, when the 35-year-old owner was allegedly approached from behind by a gunman demanding a bag the businessman was carrying. Police said the victim gladly relinquished the bag, which contained only his lunch. The thief drove away in a car bearing Arizona license plates.

Zombie Walk

Lynchburg, Virginia, hosted its first zombie walk over the weekend. More than 200 of the undead stumbled, moaned and groaned their way through the streets. The Zombie Walk was organized by area mortician Patrick Hubble. He spread the word through Facebook and fliers. Hubble says there were a lot more zombies than he expected. He hopes to make it an annual event.

Troy Polamalu Poses As Wax Sculpture

Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu frightened visitors to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Los Angeles by posing as a wax sculpture. Polamalu, whose hijinks were filmed as a viral advertisement for Head & Shoulders, posed as a wax sculpture at the famous museum, which is filled with wax statues of celebrities and historical figures, and would occasionally move to terrify museum visitors. The video depicts several patrons being frightened by Polamalu, including one woman who shoved the player. The Steelers All-Pro’s hair, which he said he hasn’t cut since 2000 as a tribute to his Samoan heritage, is currently insured for $1 million by Head & Shoulders.

Rhino Escapes

Officials at a Florida zoo said an Indian rhinoceros escaped its enclosure and was on the loose for about 25 minutes, but never entered any public areas. Zoo Miami officials said Juanpur, a 21-year-old rhino on loan from Louisiana’s Baton Rouge Zoo, set off a “Code Green” about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when he walked through a gate mistakenly left unsecured by a zookeeper. Ron Magill, communications director for the zoo, said Juanpur, nicknamed “Johnny” by zoo staff, never left the adjacent service area and did not go near any public areas. He said zoo patrons were never in danger from the animal, which has poor eyesight. Magill said zoo staff used pickup trucks to herd the 4,640-pound rhinoceros back into its enclosure about 25 minutes after the escape. There were no injuries resulting from the rhino’s brief freedom, the spokesman said.

Lenin Statue Painted To Look Like Cheese

Police in Russia said three people were arrested for allegedly painting a statue of Lenin to make it appear the Soviet Leader was sitting on a block of cheese. Investigators in Nakhodka, in the far east of the country, said three people in their 20s were caught in the act of painting the pedestal under the statue of Vladimir Lenin. “Such pranks involving statues are unacceptable,” a police spokesman said. Police said the vandals will face prosecution.

Births Increase 9 Months After Snowstorm

Major hospitals in the Atlanta area are seeing an uptick in births, nine months after a major ice and snowstorm effectively shut down the Georgia city. Doctors at Emory University Hospital Midtown, Northside Hospital and Piedmont Hospital all said early October births are up from the same time last year. University of Georgia demographer Doug Bachtel said the snowstorm, which shut down public transportation and left many without electricity for days, was likely the catalyst. Doctors at Emory Midtown said 41 babies were delivered from October 2nd to October 5th, up from 32 babies delivered during the same time period in 2010.

Critter Car

Authorities in Georgia arrested a man who was found to have 10 snakes and three different lizard species in his car during a traffic stop. Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies pulled over Nicholas Mesa of Indiana on Interstate 75 Monday and the motorist told deputies they could not search his car because he was carrying snakes and lizards. The deputies contacted Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which sent an investigator to the scene. DNR spokeswoman Melissa Cummings said the snakes were non-venomous. She added, “Species included corn, coachwhip, pine, king and Southern hognose snakes – all native to Georgia – plus a rosy boa, a non-native snake. Mr. Mesa said he caught the snakes in Florida and was taking them to Indiana.” Mesa was charged with one count of illegal possession of non-game wildlife without a permit. He was released Wednesday after posting $5,000 bond.

Rioters Who ‘Fess Up Get Free Spa Day

A spa chain in Vancouver, Canada, is offering $50 “Calm Down” vouchers to anyone who took part in hockey riots last June who surrenders to police. The chain of seven Eccotique spa outlets launched advertising this week in which rioters were invited to visit a spa and describe their looting or arson on June 15th when the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup. The confessors will leave a fingerprint on a spa card and then turn themselves into police. When they return to the spa with a police arrest form, they receive the $50 voucher to be used toward massages, manicures, pedicures or waxing.

Shark Surfer

An Oregon surfer who was knocked off his board by a 10- to 12-foot shark said he wound up riding for a few seconds on the large beast’s back. Doug Niblack, whose story was backed up by witnesses, said he was surfing Monday at “the cove” in Seaside when the shark, which he suspects was a great white, knocked him off his board. Niblack said he landed on the shark’s back and the monster fish lifted him out of the water above his knees for several seconds before swimming away. “It pulled my leg about three feet, hooked on my leash, then it was gone,” Niblack said. “And that was the scariest part, when I didn’t know where it was anymore.” Niblack and fellow surfer Jake Marks said they paddled to shore as quickly as they could.

Seattle ‘Superhero’ Arrested For Assault

Seattle’s self-proclaimed superhero known as Phoenix Jones was arrested early Sunday, accused of assaulting several people with pepper spray after they left a nightclub. The masked crime fighter says he feels “betrayed” by Seattle police but he remains undeterred from his personal crime fighting mission. “I’m getting a new super suit…shipped to me, and I plan on being on patrol soon,” the 23-year-old said. Police took Jones’ black-and-gold armored suit and mask when they arrested him. Jones, who has patrolled Seattle’s streets with a colorful band of masked men and women since 2010, said he was simply breaking up a fight. Police claimed he pepper sprayed a group of men and women who’d been “dancing” in the street. Jones posted a shaky video of the incident online, which didn’t do much to clarify the confusing altercation.

Cards Squirrel Captured

The squirrel that ran across third base during a St. Louis Cardinals home game against the Philadelphia Phillies was taken to a wildlife center, officials said. Pam Bolton, the executive director of the Wildlife Rescue Center in Ballwin, said the squirrel, which was nicknamed Rally after running across third base during last Wednesday’s game, was caught by the Busch Stadium grounds crew Friday and transported to the center. “He’s a very famous squirrel and we’re honored to have him at the wildlife center,” Bolton said.

Shop Offers Frozen Popcorn

Three friends in the Las Vegas Valley have opened a popcorn business with a unique twist – freezing the snack in liquid nitrogen. Oliver Morowati said he first added liquid nitrogen to popcorn he made at a barbecue last year and it impressed Zelma Watsubo and Jean Francois Chavanel, his co-workers at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris, Las Vegas. They opened Popped Gourmet Popcorn at a shopping center in Henderson’s Silverado Ranch development in July. Chavanel said they have been rotating popcorn flavors through the shop and the liquid nitrogen treatments, which last about 10 minutes before melting, are optional.

700-Pound Pelican Missing

Police in California are offering $1,000 for information leading to the culprits behind the theft of a 700-pound pelican statue. Novato police said the sculpture, which the Novato City Council commissioned for Scottsdale Pond park in 2007 for $27,500, was apparently stolen over the weekend. The statue, named “Omay,” the Miwok word for pelican, was created by Idaho artist David Clemons. Police are investigating and a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves is being offered.

‘Least Active’ City Holds Sedentary Parade

The mayor of a Kentucky city sat on a moving couch at the head of a parade mocking the city being named the least active in the country by Men’s Health magazine. Lexington Mayor Jim Gray sat on the sofa, which came complete with a coffee table atop the mobile platform, at the head of Sunday’s Sedentary Parade. The parade was followed by active-living events sponsored by more than 70 organizations. Gray said he does not agree with Lexington being labeled the least active city, “but it’s not the healthiest either.” Kathleen Martin, vice president of development at Get Healthy Kentucky, estimated at least 7,000 people participated in the events. Men’s Health said it ranked the cities based on how often residents exercise, the percentage of households watching more than 15 hours of TV per week, the percentage of households buying more than 11 video games per year, and the rate of deaths from deep-vein thrombosis, which has been linked to excessive sitting.

Horse Tail Thief

A Montana woman says she felt “violated” after discovering someone had entered her horse’s pen and lopped off its tail. Alisha Novotny of Belgrade said she entered the pen of her horse, Raz, October 2nd and immediately noticed the mare’s tail was clipped. Police said thefts of horse hair, which can be valuable for creating bridles and other items, have been an increasing problem in the area this year.

Threats Prevent Arkansas Turkey Drop

A traditional Arkansas turkey drop was aborted this year following threats from an animal rights group and the Federal Aviation Administration. Fans gathered in downtown Yellville at the 66th annual Turkey Trot festival Saturday as an unknown aviator dubbed The Phantom Pilot circled overhead in his small plane. But no turkeys were dropped and the plane flew away. The traditional turkey dropping was torpedoed this year when PETA ponied up a $5,000 bounty for the arrest and conviction of anyone who dropped a turkey from the sky. The pilot also had the feds on his tail in the form of a threat from an FAA official threatening to pull his license if any one of their team present at the festival witnessed turkeys dropping from the air. It’s unclear where the custom of dropping turkeys around Thanksgiving came from, but it may have been inspired by a 1978 episode of the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati.” The episode, “Turkeys Away,” featured the famous tag line uttered by the radio station owner following a disastrous turkey drop promotion was “As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

Hot Dog Council Calls Tiger Hot Dog Incident ‘Reprehensible’

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has declared an act of violence against Tiger Woods that involved a hot dog “reprehensible.” “The use of an iconic food in an act of violence against an iconic golfer like Tiger Woods is reprehensible – and a violation of hot dog etiquette. Some might call the thrower a ‘wiener,’ but we’d say that’s too high a compliment,” said Council President Janet Riley. “Hot dogs are meant to be enjoyed – not weaponized.”

Woman Accused Of Robbing Home To Buy Porn

Authorities say an 18-year-old Minnesota woman admitted that she broke into a neighbor’s home three times looking for items she could steal to feed her porn addiction. Investigators say the neighbor had surveillance footage of Amanda Rose Owens sneaking into his East Bethel home through a dog door. He set up the camera after $300 and several items were stolen. Investigators say Owens admitted she had broken in three times. She said she needed money so she could pay for 20 to 30 pornographic DVDs she bought. Owens was charged with second-degree burglary.

State Record Pumpkin

It’s a monster Minnesota pumpkin. Chad Revier has broken the state record with a giant gourd that weighs 1,630 pounds! It beats the old mark by 51 pounds. But even that’s not good enough to win the grand prize at the Stillwater Harvest Fest. An out of state grower takes the $5,000. Kevin Marsh of Parker, South Dakota, brought in a pumpkin that tipped the scales at 1,657 pounds.

Little Miss Roadkill

The new Little Miss Roadkill is Baylee Blankenship. The 9-year-old has a new title to add to her growing collection. The beauty pageant was part of the recent Roadkill Cook-off and Autumn Harvest Festival in Marlinton, West Virginia. Baylee has won a number of other titles, including Little Miss Dandelion and Little Miss Greenbrier County. Her mom, Stephanie, says she had some reservations about entering her daughter in the roadkill beauty contest. But mom says being Little Miss Roadkill is “actually a pretty cool deal.”

Mom’s Pregnant Marathon

 Amber Miller accomplished two monumental feats last weekend. Days from her due date, the 27-year-old joined 45,000 other runners to participate in Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon and then gave birth to a baby girl named June hours later. Miller, an avid runner, said she signed up for the 26.2-mile race before finding out she was pregnant. She said she never expected to finish the race, but she did. Miller and her husband started the run and just kept on going. They ran part of the race and walked the second half as her contractions started. It took them 6.5 hours to finish. At 7 pounds, 13 ounces, baby June entered the world at 10:29 p.m. Sunday, just hours after mom and dad crossed the finish line.

High Winds At Flugtag

More than 125,000 people watched as 38 teams pushed crafts off a 30-foot bridge into the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida, at this year’s Red Bull Flugtag. High winds of up to 32 mph made the Saturday event all the more interesting. “When we got up on the ramp, a gust of wind came over the top of the Convention Center and snapped our right wing,” said Keith Humphrey, the pilot of Willy Wonka’s Amazing Flying Adventure team from St. Petersburg. After repairing the wing with a broom and some duct tape, Humphrey went on to fly his team’s craft 50 feet, winning the competition. The same crew won in 2008, the last time the Flugtag visited Tampa. Other teams didn’t do so well in the wind. The 2nd Basemen team of Tampa built a giant pink bra as their craft, which went crashing straight down after launching. The event was the only Flugtag in the United States this year. The event’s name is German and translates into “flying day.” The first Flugtag took place in Austria in 1992.

Tiger Woods Assaulted By Hot Dog

A golf fan was arrested for running toward the seventh green and throwing a hot dog in the direction of Tiger Woods during the final round of the Frys.com Open. Dan Diggins, head of security for Frys Electroncis, said the man immediately dropped to the ground and allowed himself to be arrested. He was taken off the property at CordeValle and jailed. Woods was about to putt when it happened. Players said the bun fell well short of where Woods was standing, and the hot dog went onto the green. Woods resumed his putting as if nothing had happened, although he missed the putt. He wound up with his third straight round of 68 in his first tournament back in seven weeks.

Farmers’ Almanac Editor Paddles Pumpkin To Victory

Farmers’ Almanac editor Peter Geiger splashed his way to first place in a giant pumpkin fashioned to look like a whale in the annual Pumpkin Regatta yesterday, besting four other pumpkin boats. Geiger started with a 535-pound giant gourd for the race at the annual Pumpkinfest in the small coastal village of Damariscotta, Maine. “After taking the guts out and carving it down, it was about 70 pounds less,” said Geiger. First-time racer Christian Rioux finished first in the powered-pumpkin class. He strapped a 15 horsepower outboard motor to a shell fashioned from an 800-pound pumpkin. About 1,000 people lined the shore of Damariscotta Harbor to watch the pumpkin boats painted to look like a pig, a peacock, and an old schooner. The 10-day festival celebrates all-things pumpkin, from elaborately carved giants of 600 pounds or more lining the streets to a derby, catapults and a 220-foot drop.

Man Buys Pizza, Beer After Robbing Bank

Police in Yuma, Arizona, have arrested a man they say robbed a bank and then spent some of the money on beer and pizza at a nearby restaurant. Police accuse 56-year-old Henry Elmer of robbing a local Wells Fargo Bank with a box-cutter knife Saturday and leaving with cash. Elmer then ordered a beer and a couple slices of pizza at a nearby restaurant. He was arrested before he got his food. The restaurant returned the $20 Elmer had used to pay for his order.

Pregnant Cow Named Lucky Rescued From Well

Firefighters in Boulder County, Colorado, rescued a pregnant cow named Lucky, who fell into a well. Lucky was grazing in a field Friday afternoon when she walked onto a wooden platform covering a well. The 1,200- to 1,500-pound cow was too heavy for the structure and fell through. Firefighters, animal control officers and neighbors showed up on the scene at 3:30 p.m. One neighbor climbed down into the well to calm the cow after calling someone who owned a crane. Firefighters attached a fire hose to the crane to lift the animal out of the well. Witnesses said Lucky was very calm as she was hoisted out of the well. A veterinarian examined Lucky afterward and said the cow is doing fine.

Wild Thing Park

Folks in Colorado may soon go hiking in Let It Be Park – or the Wild Thing Park. Those are among the five possible names chosen for a new park in the Aspen area. The final choice will be up to school kids and members of the public in an online vote next month. Also up for vote is a name for a ridgeline trail in the park. Among the choices: Hallelujah and Touch the Sky.

Cop Uses Finger To Stop Shooting

A New York City police officer saved his own life by sticking his finger between the hammer and cylinder of a gun jammed in his stomach by a suspect. Officers Michael Miller and William Reddin pulled over a speeding car in Brooklyn. They noticed one of the two passengers adjusted something in his waistband area and asked everyone to step out of the vehicle. Miller felt a gun during a frisk of one of the passengers and ordered him to put his hands behind his head. The suspect, Eugene Graves, attacked Miller, shoving the gun against his stomach. Miller stuck his finger between the hammer and cylinder while Graves attempted to fire several times, breaking Miller’s finger. Reddin joined the struggle and helped restrain Graves, who was arrested on several charges, including attempted murder of a police officer. Miller was at home Saturday, nursing his broken finger.

Bridge Theft

Police in Pennsylvania are looking for some bridge-nappers. State troopers say the crooks managed to sneak away with a 40-ton, 50-foot steel bridge. The span was in a wooded area along a railroad line, about 60 miles north of Pittsburgh. The bridge is made out of corrugated steel. Officials say it’s worth about $100,000. Authorities figure the bridge bandits will try to sell it for scrap.

Man Takes Game Way To Seriously

A 46-year-old British man admitted going to the home of a 13-year-old and attacking the boy because he killed off his online video game character. Mark Bradford of Plymouth, England, told the court he was playing “Call of Duty: Black Ops” on the Internet with the teenager and he lost his cool when the boy killed his character. Bradford said he knew where the boy lived and went to his house, where he grabbed the kid’s throat with both hands. “It wasn’t malice. I just grabbed him. I’ve seen him since and apologized. The injuries weren’t that bad, but I do regret it,” Bradford said. Bradford has been released on bail and is due to be sentenced on October 24th.

Commercial With Doggy Appeal

Nestle Purina said a commercial for its Beneful dog food currently airing in Germany and Austria is designed specifically to appeal to dogs. Dr. Georg Sanders, a nutrition expert and consumer consultant at Nestle Purina PetCare in Germany, said the company teamed with experts from St. Joseph, Missouri, to create a series of high-pitched squeaks and tones designed to appeal to canine ears. “We wanted to create a TV commercial that our four-legged friends can enjoy and listen to, but also allow the owner and dog to experience it together,” said Anna Rabanus, brand manager of Beneful for Nestle Purina PetCare Germany.

Missing Cornerstone Was Taken By Sheriff

The mystery of a missing cornerstone from a closed-down Virginia high school was solved when the sheriff revealed he took it to display at an annual event. The cornerstone from Cradock High School in Portsmouth, which closed in 1992, was reported stolen last week. Sheriff Bill Watson, a 1965 graduate of the school, revealed he had his inmate work crew remove the stone to save it from demolition and preserve it for the annual “Come Home to Cradock” event on October 22nd. Watson said he discussed his plans with Deputy City Manager Richard Hartman, who “said he had no problem.” However, Hartman didn’t realize “he was going to go out and take it then.”

Clerk Error Leads To $25 Million Lottery Win

A Georgia woman said a store clerk’s error caused her to win $25 million in a recent Powerball lottery drawing. Kathy Scruggs, 44, of Lithonia, claimed her prize Monday at Georgia Lottery headquarters. She said she asked the clerk at Shell Food Mart in Decatur for a Mega Millions ticket, but she was instead given a Powerball ticket for the September 14th drawing. “I just took it anyway. So I bought Powerball and Mega Millions,” Scruggs said. Scruggs won the jackpot with the numbers 16-41-42-50-59 and Powerball 5.

Man Arrested, Released, Arrested Again

Authorities in Florida say an “extremely intoxicated” man was arrested, released and arrested again less than two hours later in the jail parking lot. Pasco County sheriff’s deputies said Donald Gartner, 48, was arrested about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after witnesses said he was banging on neighbors’ doors and broke a neighbor’s porch light. Gartner, who also allegedly urinated in some bushes, was “extremely intoxicated” and told officers he had consumed six beers and six Oxycodone pills. Gartner was arrested on a criminal mischief charge and released on his own recognizance at 10 p.m. He was arrested again at 11:45 p.m. after he was seen trying to break into two cars. He was charged with two counts of attempted car theft and jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.

Bad Boss Offers Prize For Predicting Firings

An Iowa judge has sided with former convenience store workers whose former boss offered prizes to employees who could correctly guess who would be fired next. Former QC Mart cashier Misty Shelsky said she and other workers from her branch quit after William Ernst, owner of the Bettendorf-based chain, sent a memo to employees offering a $10 cash prize to workers who could correctly predict who would be fired next. Shelsky filed for unemployment benefits and Ernst challenged the claim, saying the worker left her job voluntarily. However, Administrative Law Judge Susan Ackerman awarded Skelsky the benefits and called the contest “egregious and deplorable.” “The employer’s actions have clearly created a hostile work environment by suggesting its employees turn on each other for a minimal monetary prize,” Ackerman said. “This was an intolerable and detrimental work environment.”

Authorities Seek ‘Butterfingers Bandit’

FBI agents in Houston are searching for the “Butterfingers Bandit,” a woman who dropped her pilfered money during a bank robbery. The agents said the woman walked into a J.P. Morgan Chase bank shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday and handed a note to a teller demanding money. Investigators said the woman dropped the money as it was handed to her and cursed loudly, drawing the attention of other people in the bank. She picked the money up from the floor and fled. The woman was described as between the ages of 40 and 45 with a large build. She was wearing a New Orleans Saints cap.

Short Cat

Fizz Girl comes up short. She’s featured in the Guinness World Record 2012 book as the world’s shortest living cat. The 2-year-old munchkin cat measures just 6 inches from floor to shoulder. Fizz Girl belongs to a San Diego woman. A munchkin cat is a special breed, with little legs caused by a naturally occurring genetic mutation.

Denmark Imposes ‘Fat Tax’

Would you stop eating butter or burgers because they cost more? That’s the dilemma facing consumers in Denmark, which has imposed what’s being called a “fat tax,” The tax is based on the amount of saturated fat in a food product. A government official says the tax will tack on about $0.15 to the price of a burger, and raise the price of a small package of butter by about $0.40. The tax was approved in March by large majority in parliament as a move to help increase the average life expectancy of Danes. Other European countries already have higher fees on sugar, chocolates and soft drinks. But it’s believed Denmark is the first in the world to tax fatty foods.

Woman Jailed For Burrito Love Note To Minor

A Norman, Oklahoma, woman accused of having sex with a 13-year-old boy was arrested for violating the terms of her bail by contacting the boy. Cleveland County prosecutors allege Amy Blose, 37, hid a note to the boy inside a burrito and had another teenager deliver it to him. Blose was arrested in April on charges of rape, sodomy and other felonies in connection with her alleged sexual relationship with the teenager. The woman’s $20,000 bail was revoked and she was taken into custody Friday for the burrito note, which said, “Hey, babe, I’ll love you forever.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 11th.

Cuffed Kid Turns Self In

Police in Indiana say a teenager walked into their station with handcuffs on his wrists and told them he was wanted on a warrant. Indiana State Police at the Lowell Post said Zachary Keilman, 18, of Rensselaer, walked into the post about 2 p.m. Thursday and told Sgt. Alan Jamerson he believed there was a warrant for his arrest. Keilman rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and showed Jamerson there were handcuffs on his wrists with the middle chain cut. Keilman said he had been detained by a Newton County sheriff’s deputy while attending a party with alleged underage drinking and had escaped the deputy’s car while other partygoers were being questioned. He later realized he had left his identification in the deputy’s car. Keilman, who was taken to jail and released on bond Friday, faces a felony count of escape and a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement.

Monster Nachos

A Massachusetts restaurant was certified by Guinness World Records as creating the World’s Largest Nachos after preparing a 3,999-pound serving. The Ninety Nine Restaurant in Billerica said the nachos, placed atop a 70-foot horseshoe-shaped table started with 1,105 pounds of chips and teams followed with 825 pounds of Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, 439 pounds of cheese sauce, 451 pounds of salsa, 459 pounds of chili, 199 pounds of jalapeno peppers, 90 pounds of diced red onion, 421 pounds of sour cream, and 8 pounds of chopped cilantro. A Guinness representative was on hand Saturday during the attempt and certified the restaurant as beating the previous record of 3,555 pounds, set in Frisco, Texas, in April 2010.

Veteran Police Dog To Retire

A drug sniffing dog in New York State responsible for a 700-pound marijuana seizure is retiring. The Cheektowaga Police Department said Iozo, a 9-year-old sniffer dog imported from Budapest, Hungary, is being prepared for retirement after serving with the department since May 2004. Police Capt. James Speyer said Iozo and his handler, Officer John Doskocz, held the most independent certifications for any area K-9 team, including the State Bureau of Municipal Police, the North American Police Work Dog Association, the Eastern Police Canine Association and the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association. Iozo was responsible for busts including the seizure of more than 695 pounds of marijuana from the Afro Dogs Motorcycle Club and the arrest of serial home invasion suspect Fabian Jones in March 2006. Iozo will be removed from active duty as soon as his replacement, Wazi, completes training. Officials said Iozo may be retained as a backup K-9 until his certification expires in May 2014.

Homecoming Queen Kicks Winning Field Goal

The first girl to play on a Michigan high school’s varsity football team was crowned homecoming queen and then went out and kicked a game-winning field goal. Brianna Amat, a Pinchney High soccer star turned varsity football kicker, said she received a note at halftime of the Friday night game against Grand Blanc telling her to come out of the locker room. She was shocked to find herself crowned homecoming queen. Later, with 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Amat kicked a 31-yard field goal, a personal record, to win the game 9-7.

Baby Alligator Survives Flushing

The head of an Ohio reptile rescue group said a baby alligator was lucky to survive being flushed down a toilet and brought to the city’s wastewater plant. Damien Oxier of Butler County, who heads the non-profit Arrowhead Reptile Rescue, said the foot-long baby was the first he knew of in the area to survive being flushed down a toilet in his 20 years on the job. Oxier, whose group rescues dozens of alligators per year, said the baby alligator survived being flushed as well as the water treatment plant’s “mechanical bar rack” and a “mechanized rake,” which sent the gator to the first floor dumpster where he was found. Oxier said the gator will be taken to a foster home for about a year before being transferred to a reptile rescue facility.

Bus Driver Accused Of Booting Crying Baby

Oregon’s TriMet bus system is investigating allegations a woman and her baby were kicked off a bus by a driver upset by the infant’s crying. Passenger Jennifer Chapman of Forest Grove said the female driver of the No. 57 TriMet bus, which serves Hillsboro, forced her and her baby off the bus Thursday night when she couldn’t get the child to stop crying. Chapman said other passengers were outraged at the woman’s treatment. “Every single person got off the bus, and it was a full bus, with just two empty seats,” Chapman said.

Baseball Fan Loses Baseball And Daughter

A Taiwanese baseball fan probably won’t be scoring much at home after what he did at a recent baseball game. When a foul ball came toward his seat, the man reached for the souvenir while holding his daughter. He ended up with his hand on neither, losing the baseball and dropping his young daughter into the seats in front of him. While mom wasn’t all that excited about him losing the ball, she was pretty upset that he dropped their child. Though the child wasn’t badly hurt, TV cameras caught mom giving the clumsy dad a death stare. And her anger at him didn’t end when the game did. She told reporters she was still steamed because he seemed to want the ball bad enough that he dropped his own daughter.