The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Burglar Receives Unusual Sentence

ABERDEEN, Ohio (WLWT NBC 5) -- A Brown County judge handed down an unusual sentence to a man who broke into an Aberdeen gas station.

Ellerly Hines was ordered to stand outside that Citgo station for five hours on Thursday night with a sign that detailed his crime.

The sign read, "I robbed Citgo and got caught within three hours of the crime."

Hines was also ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 50 hours of community service.

The judge also gave Hines a year of probation.

Hines was facing felony charges that could have put him behind bars for several years.

[TexasStooge]

Thief leaves address

Press Release

A robber wrote a hold-up note – with her address on it.

The 30-year-old didn’t realise the old piece of mail she had penned the message on still had her name and address on it.

Although she successfully robbed the bank and made off with the cash, cops had no trouble finding her at home.

A police spokesman said: "I don't think anyone realised what was on the other side."

The thief was arrested.

[rainstorm]

im glad they nabbed her

[TexasStooge]

Rollerblader hitches 50 mph ride

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A 20-year-old man on rollerblades hitched a ride from a car at breakneck speed in the southern Dutch city of Roermond, touching 80 to 90 kilometres per hour (50-56 mph), police said Sunday.

A police spokesman said the ride had been about five kilometres, adding he wasn't sure how the man had managed to hang on to the car at these speeds.

Police detained the man for endangering traffic and later found he still needed to serve almost 30 days for an unrelated offence, the spokesman said.

The driver of the car he had been trailing was not found.

[TexasStooge]

'Wigged out' students caught cheating

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - More than 20 desperate students in Vietnam paid up to 50 million dong ($3,125) to don elaborately wired wigs and shirts that allowed them to cheat on their college entrance exams, police said Monday.

During a weekend raid, Hanoi police confiscated 50 mobile phones, 60 earphones, 150 SIM cards, eight shirts and five wigs, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Ring leader Nguyen Hong Hai, 39, told police that more than 20 students paid 20 million dong to 50 million dong ($1,250 to $3,125) to get wigs or shirts that were wired to mobile phones so they could call in test questions and answers, he said.

The officer said the operation had been running since 2003. The price depended on the popularity of the college the student was enrolling in.

The case was uncovered when two students taking entrance exams for Hanoi's Banking Institute were caught carrying mobile phones to get answers last Thursday, he said.

Operators of the ring gave the students a training course on how to use mobile phones, and wired wigs were used if their hair was too short to cover the earphone, he said. They also used wired-up shirts.

College entrance exams, which take place in the first two weeks of July, are highly competitive, with only about 10 percent of students being admitted into universities.

[TexasStooge]

Ind. couple charged after detaining man

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) - Two people who helped place a man under citizen's arrest when he strayed onto the wrong property found themselves in jail.

Michigan City police received a call Sunday night from a man who said he had been detained by four people while he was trying to find a friend's house. The man told police he was grabbed by two men and told to quit resisting, as he was under arrest. The man said he complied because he thought they were police officers.

Two women then came out of a nearby house and handcuffed the man, although he tried to explain he was just visiting a friend and had taken the wrong staircase, he told police.

The group took the handcuffed man to his friend's house, and released him when the friend vouched for him.

After receiving the report, police contacted Joel and Claudette St. Germain, who acknowledged handcuffing the man. Joel St. Germain told police he has had problems in the past with people stealing things from his lawn. He told officers he didn't know it was wrong to handcuff a man he didn't recognize in his yard.

The St. Germains, who were being held Monday at the LaPorte County Jail, were arrested and charged with criminal confinement, a Class D felony punishable by up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and battery, a Class A misdemeanor which carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a fine up to $5,000.

The other two people accused of confining the man were not identified.
___

Information from: The Herald-Argus

[TexasStooge]

Police chase W.Va. suspect over the edge

PRINCETON, W.Va. (AP) - This police chase ended with a cliffhanger. A 30-year-old man fell 50 to 70 feet over a cliff near the West Virginia Turnpike while fleeing on foot from police Thursday. A police officer pursuing the man couldn't stop and tumbled after him, while a second officer jumped off the cliff to help his colleague and landed in a tree.

The suspect, who was not identified, rolled another 100 feet before stopping and suffered serious injuries, acting Princeton Police Chief W.L. Harman said. Sgt. W.E. Rose, whose fall was stopped by a tree, suffered some scratches and bruises while Sgt. C.T. Lowe, who jumped off the cliff, was not injured.

The chase began around 1 a.m. in Princeton when Rose saw a man whom authorities wanted to talk to get into the passenger side of a vehicle. The driver sped off when the officers' cruiser pulled up and the passenger jumped out.

"Everybody is real lucky that the injuries aren't worse than they are," Harman said.

[pojo]

Forcing a removable shower head into his girlfriend mouth to try to drown her.

(WFRV) APPLETON A man accused of forcing a removable showerhead into his girlfriend's mouth and turning on the water was sentenced Tuesday to three and a half years in prison.

Delvin L. Debruin, 47, of Appleton pleaded no contest in April to charges of false imprisonment and disorderly conduct. As part of a plea agreement, a judge dismissed two felony charges of first-degree reckless endangerment and substantial battery.

Debruin was also sentenced Tuesday to three years of extended supervision.

According to the criminal complaint, the girlfriend had spent the night at Debruin's home in January but decided to leave around 5 a.m. because Debruin was acting strangely.

Before the 39-year-old Appleton woman could leave, Debruin dragged her into the bathroom shower and punched her in the face, the complaint said.

He then removed the showerhead, turned on the water and jammed the nozzle into her mouth until water came out of her nostrils, according to the complaint.

He released her but grabbed her hand, squeezing it until it cracked, the complaint said. The woman managed to leave the home and received treatment for a broken hand.

[rainstorm]

'Wigged out' students caught cheating

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - More than 20 desperate students in Vietnam paid up to 50 million dong ($3,125) to don elaborately wired wigs and shirts that allowed them to cheat on their college entrance exams, police said Monday.

During a weekend raid, Hanoi police confiscated 50 mobile phones, 60 earphones, 150 SIM cards, eight shirts and five wigs, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Ring leader Nguyen Hong Hai, 39, told police that more than 20 students paid 20 million dong to 50 million dong ($1,250 to $3,125) to get wigs or shirts that were wired to mobile phones so they could call in test questions and answers, he said.

The officer said the operation had been running since 2003. The price depended on the popularity of the college the student was enrolling in.

The case was uncovered when two students taking entrance exams for Hanoi's Banking Institute were caught carrying mobile phones to get answers last Thursday, he said.

Operators of the ring gave the students a training course on how to use mobile phones, and wired wigs were used if their hair was too short to cover the earphone, he said. They also used wired-up shirts.

College entrance exams, which take place in the first two weeks of July, are highly competitive, with only about 10 percent of students being admitted into universities.

i should have tried that

[TexasStooge]

Suspected thief robs judge at own trial

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A 61-year-old German on trial for theft got himself into more trouble when he stole from the judge during his court hearing, police said on Thursday.

Police in the central town of Coburg said that while facing her at the bench, the man pocketed a bunch of keys from the judge, who did not notice until he had left the room.

When confronted by court officials in the toilet, the man, who had a string of convictions for theft, told them he had been shocked to discover the keys in his pocket.

"He told them he realised how suspicious his story would sound and that he had therefore hidden the keys under a toilet brush," said police spokesman Bernhard Schmitt. "He'd been stealing all his life so it was probably just an intuitive act."

While the court officials decided what to do next, the man wrote a written confession to the deed. The theft meant the initial trial had to be temporarily suspended on legal grounds in case the judge showed bias in the case.

[TexasStooge]

Burglar tries to cook chicken wings in dishwasher

ONTARIO, Canada (Court TV) - A thief in Ontario got the munchies after breaking into a hunting and fishing lodge and deciding to make chicken wings — by cooking them in the dishwasher.

When Mary Schneider, owner of The Last Resort in Sioux Falls, Ont., arrived to open for business at 6 a.m. on June 8, she found Dayton Kavanaugh, 20, standing in her kitchen. She noticed the dishwasher was running, but said she didn't pay much attention to it.

Kavanaugh, whom Schneider has known since he was a little boy, told her he was "cooking chicken wings" and her son had let him in. But Schneider said she knew her son was not awake that early and could not have let him inside.

After Schneider's husband took Kavanaugh outside, Schneider said she noticed money from her cash register was missing. She left to get help, but said Kavanaugh bolted and escaped with $180.

When Schneider returned to the kitchen to turn off the dishwasher, she discovered Kavanaugh's snack — the wings were "cooking" in the dishwasher's running water.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, what a mess,'" she said. "I'm just glad he didn't use the deep-fryer. He could've burned the place down."

Although Officer Karen Rustige of the Kenora Police Department said no drugs were involved, Schneider got a different impression.

"He was under the influence of something," she said.

Schneider said it took awhile to scrub off the breading and grease, but is happy to report the dishwasher is now clean and functioning properly.

Police have not yet found Kavanaugh and have issued a warrant for his arrest. He faces charges of breaking and entering. Anyone with information can contact the Kenora Police Department at (807) 467-2111.

[TexasStooge]

Gno gnews on missing gnome

IRONWOOD, Mich. (Ironwood Daily Globe) - The staff at the Ironwood Carnegie Library has received gno gnews about its missing gnome.

"Gno ransom gnote, gno gnothing," library director Elaine Erickson said Friday morning.

The gnome, Tom Acorn, settled his stump home under shady shrubs at the library in late June. A note tucked into a hole in the base of the stump invited people to write to him.

Over the holiday weekend, Acorn and his stump were stolen, an action that could be unlucky for the perpetrators.

"When you tamper with magical beings, things happen," Erickson said in deliberately vague terms, adding, "Just leave it to the imagination."

She hopes Tom Acorn will be returned. If not, "we might have to put out his twin brother, but this time, we're going to chain him to the tree."

--If you have information about the missing gnome, call the Ironwood Carnegie Library at 906-932-0203.

[TexasStooge]

Bacon-Eating Burglar Arrested In Salt Lake Kitchen

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KUTV CBS 2) - A Salt Lake man came home Tuesday evening and saw someone in his house.

He called the police and reported that a man was eating in his kitchen.

Responding officers found a 45-year-old man sitting at the kitchen table.

He had taken two pounds of bacon from the refrigerator and had fried it up.

He was booked for burglary.

[TexasStooge]

Nude Mechanic Arrested In Oklahoma

Man Caught Twice In Same Week

KMGU ABC 7

A 57-year-old Oklahoma man was arrested for working on his car in the front lawn in the nude.

Police said the man, who had been seen naked twice in the same week, tried to explain he was just hot and took off his clothes.

His young neighbor, Neil Charbonneau, thought whether he was hot or not, seeing the naked mechanic was just wrong.

"[He was] naked, butt naked," said Charbonneau, "I felt like I was going to throw up."

The man was arrested by police for indecent exposure.

[TexasStooge]

Naked man delays train service from Limerick to Dublin

LIMERICK, Ireland (Ireland Examiner) - A naked man has disrupted a train service between Limerick and Dublin this morning.

The train is understood to have been delayed for some 20 minutes when the man stood on the line before it departed from Limerick's Colbert Station and refused to leave.

He was eventually removed by gardaí and the train was able to begin its journey.

The man, a foreign national in his 30s, is due to be examined by a doctor at Roxboro Garda Station later today.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Woman tried to run over husband with SUV

JENNIFER BRACKEN, Morning Journal Writer

VERMILION -- A 52-year-old woman allegedly used her sports utility vehicle to try to run over her husband, who was riding a lawnmower, according to police.

Deborah Smith, 1800 Claus Road, reportedly drank a half a fifth of vodka and took pain medication Saturday before she got angry at her husband, according to Vermilion police Chief Robert Kish. Terry Smith, 66, was on the riding lawnmower cleaning up some debris from the couple's yard when the incident happened, Kish said.

''We're not sure what upset her or how she did it,'' Kish said. ''But when the officers arrived, the riding lawnmower was on its right side and a Chevy Tahoe was in a small drainage ditch.''

The woman's daughter and granddaughter were at the home at the time of the incident. The daughter confirmed Terry Smith's story, police said.

''The granddaughter ran up the stairs and said, ÔMom! Grandma's got your keys and she's going to run over grandpa,''' Kish said.

Terry Smith managed to jump off the riding lawnmower before the SUV hit it, Kish said. He was not injured, and the car sustained a little paint damage.

According to police, Deborah Smith was highly intoxicated, with slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol.

''When they arrived she was sitting on the porch with a blue drink,'' Kish said. ''She later explained it was Absolut vodka mixed with blue Kool-Aid.''

Officers offered to take Mrs. Smith to the hospital to get her help with her problem, but she said she was busy and would go on Wednesday, Kish said.

Although Terry Smith did not want to press charges, the officers felt Mrs. Smith was a risk to herself and others and arrested her for domestic violence.

She was booked, held until she sobered up, and released on the agreement she would appear in court, Kish said. She will be arraigned in Vermilion Municipal Court at 9 a.m. today.

[TexasStooge]

Only in New York: Thief mugs bank robber

NEW YORK (United Press International) -- A man who robbed a New York bank fled on foot and ended up losing his loot on the street to another thief who stole his haul.

The original robbery of the Independence Bank was July 3, when several good Samaritans took after the thief on foot and ran him down, the New York Post said Wednesday.

In the scuffle of subduing him, another man who had witnessed the robbery grabbed the bank bags containing about $3,000, police said.

At the scene, police arrested James Boccanfusso and charged him with bank robbery, and the Samaritans provided a description of the second thief.

Tuesday, officers spotted the wanted man near the Independence Bank, and arrested him as well.

Kareem Sims, 31, is charged with robbery and possession of stolen property, the newspaper said.

[TexasStooge]

Suspect Charged In Morning Chase

Posted By: Maritza Nunez / WOAI NBC 4 Staff

SAN ANTONIO, Texas - A man led police on a chase right in the thick of morning rush hour Friday morning. But it was the man's bizarre behavior that had some officers wondering exactly what was wrong.

Officers can't explain why Christopher Hill was making monkey sounds after he put drivers' lives at risk. Hill yelled for several minutes, at one point screaming "Ayee yee yee yaaa. Ooo weee yee yee yah hoo. That's what you do right? You cage animals?"

The 23 year old led officers on an erratic and dangerous 15 minute chase through parts of San Antonio and Bexar County.

When we asked him why, he said, "I got pulled over a while back, because I had my (expletive) homeboy in the car and he had somebody else's ID."

The rush hour chase started when officers saw hill make a traffic violation.

"Come to find out he had a parole violation. He has a convicted felony," said Lt. Diana Lorenz with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies say Hill tried dodging them along Loop 1604. The chase ended when officers watched hill jump out of his moving car along Highway 151.

"He put up a little fight," added Lorenz.

We watched Hill curse, sing, kick and make all sorts of animal sounds in the patrol car. "Ooo Ahhhh Ahh," he screamed.

Hill's behavior was so erratic, officers used pepper spray to calm him down before taking him to jail.

No one was injured in that high speed chase. Friday evening, Hill was charged with evading arrest and because of his parole violation, the judge did not grant him bail.

[TexasStooge]

Postal worker caught with thousands of letters

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) - A Berlin postal worker who was caught with more than several thousand undelivered letters in his basement has admitted he was overwhelmed by the job but insisted he planned to deliver them soon.

Police recently found 90 boxes of post stacked in his basement. The postal worker, 36, identified as Thomas H., told Bild newspaper Friday he was only temporarily storing the post at his house and friends would help with delivery.

"There were just too much and I couldn't deliver it all by myself," he told the newspaper. Police said some of the letters found had been postmarked as early as April. The postal worker faces disciplinary action.

[TexasStooge]

Woman asks 911 to send 'cutie pie' deputy

ALOHA, Ore. (AP) - A woman who called 911 to get "the cutest cop I've seen" sent back to her home got a date all right — a court date.

The same sheriff's deputy arrested her on charges of misuse of the emergency dispatch system.

Washington County Sheriff's Sgt. David Thompson told KGW-TV of Portland it all started with a noise complaint called in last month by neighbors of Lorna Jeanne Dudash. The deputy sent to check on the complaint knocked on her door, then left.

Thompson said Dudash then called 911, asking that the "cutie pie" deputy return.

"He's the cutest cop I've seen in a long time. I just want to know his name," Dudash told the dispatcher. "Heck, it doesn't come very often a good man comes to your doorstep."

After listening to some more, followed by a bit of silence, the dispatcher asked again why Dudash needed the deputy to return.

"Honey, I'm just going to be honest with you, OK? I just thought he was cute. I'm 45 years old and I'd just like to meet him again, but I don't know how to go about doing that without calling 911," she said.

"I know this is absolutely not in any way, shape or form an emergency, but if you would give the officer my phone number and ask him to come back, would you mind?"

The deputy returned, verified that there was no emergency and arrested her for misusing the 911 system, an offense punishable by a fine of up to several thousand dollars and a year in jail.

Thompson said Thursday it was the first case he knew of in which someone called the emergency line for such a personal reason.

"That's taking up valuable time from dispatchers who could be taking true emergency calls," he said.