The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[rainstorm]

Woman ticketed for tossing lettuce from car

EASTON, Pa. (AP) - A woman fined $173.50 for throwing salad greens out of her car says, lettuce not be too quick to judge her.

Dawn Higgins, 47, was cited Oct. 18 while parked outside a Wal-Mart in Lower Nazareth Township in eastern Pennsylvania.

"Lettuce comes from the ground, therefore it can go back into the ground," she said. "It's biodegradable. I didn't think I was doing anything wrong."

Higgins said she took her daughters and a friend to the store, and they stopped at a McDonald's along the way. She said she pulled into a parking space to finish her meal but decided not to eat the half-dozen or so leaves atop her salad.

After failing to appear in court Dec. 22, Higgins discovered she had been convicted in absentia and owed the state $173.50. She has appealed to Northampton County Court, where she said she will call her children and their friend as witnesses.

She also plans to bring along a salad to show leaves to the judge.

thats ridiculous

[SamSagnella]

if she'd just gone to her court date it would have gotten thrown out.

[TexasStooge]

Jail inmate esapes, but falls down hill

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Lance H. Gauthun had barely escaped from the Thurston County jail before he was hollering for help and back behind bars.

Authorities heard the cries of Gauthun, 20, and a police officer pulled him to safety after he ran or fell down a steep embankment behind the jail late Tuesday and found himself stuck with temperatures in the low 30s, sheriff's deputy Daniel D. Kimball said. "They actually rescued the escapee from himself," Kimball said Wednesday.

He said Gauthun, who had served more than half of a 20-day sentence for theft of about $150 worth of copper tubing, slipped out a fire exit about 10:45 p.m. Tuesday in the minimum-security jail annex, which houses mostly inmates on work release or assigned to work crews.

Hostility between Gauthun and other inmates may have led to the short-lived getaway, corrections Capt. Todd Thoma said.

Gauthun has been rebooked for investigation of second-degree escape, punishable by one to three months behind bars for a first-time conviction.

"He's in the big boys' jail now," Kimball added.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Weaving Driver Distracted by stuff

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - A man who was stopped for driving erratically on a divided highway was distracted because he was looking at pornography, authorities said.

David Kennedy, 33, of Nashville, was charged with felony reckless endangerment after motorist Deborah Dotson reported Friday afternoon that he nearly ran her vehicle off State Route 840 several times.

Rutherford County Deputy Tony Hall pulled over Kennedy based on Dotson's report.

"When I made contact with the driver of the suspect vehicle, a Mr. David Kennedy, there were several pornographic magazines on the seat next to him," Hall said in his report.

A hearing on the charge is set for Feb. 22 in General Sessions Court in Murfreesboro, a Nashville suburb.
___

Information from: The Daily News Journal

[TexasStooge]

Robbery suspect dyes his face blue

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Court TV) - If his face hadn't been dyed blue with bingo paint, perhaps 19-year-old Anchorage man Daniel Clark would have been red with embarrassment.

Clark was arrested for attempting to rob a Super 8 motel on the morning of Jan. 7, according to police.

Sergeant Chris Sims said that he responded to a call from a clerk at the motel, who said he was threatened with a knife by a man he described as 5'5", thin, wearing a red jacket — and with a blue face.

According to a police report, officers located a suspect with the description at the nearby Chelsea Inn. Although he had changed his clothing, Sims said that Clark was sweaty, and that his face, neck, and hands were still tainted blue.

Sims said that when police first confronted him, Clark claimed that another man was running around and spreading blue paint on people.

But when police entered Clark's room, they discovered a prostitute, a red jacket, and an ice bucket filled with water and blue "bingo blotter." According to Sims, in the prostitute's statement, she explained that she lent Clark her red jacket and watched him spread blue dye on his face before he left the hotel room. Upon his return, she said, Clark was sweaty and winded.

Sims said that he was tempted to exclaim, "Bingo! We got him!"

[TexasStooge]

Sheet-clad sex offender caught in the act

BURKE COUNTY, N.C. (Court TV) - One North Carolina man's personal toga party was broken up by Burke County police, who responded to a complaint for a problem more serious than raucous music and wild crowds.

According to Detective Crystal Watts of Burke County Police, on the afternoon of Jan. 16, a woman was visiting her next-door neighbor when she heard her home alarm go off. On her way home, she spotted a gray car parked in her driveway, and a man running out of her home and into the vehicle.

She first thought that the suspect, Michael Ostrander, was sporting a white turtleneck, according to a police report. However, police later discovered that Ostrander was wrapped only in a bedsheet that he had brought along with him to the victim's home.

The woman then jumped into her car, called the sheriff's department and began chasing Ostrander, who drove onto the highway.

Towards the end of the high-speed chase, an officer noticed Ostrander's car swerving. Watts said that when Ostrander finally pulled over, the officers realized that Ostrander was nude, except for his bedsheet, and his swerving could be explained by the fact that he'd been trying to put on his pants while driving.

Police later discovered that Ostrander was listed in the Indiana sex offender registry. According to Watts, Ostrander confessed to having stalked two women, and to four isolated incidents of breaking and entering into the homes of women he'd followed.

Ostrander has been charged with breaking and entering, larceny, and possession of stolen goods.

[TexasStooge]

Burglary suspects get stuck in mud

RUDOLPH COUNTY, In. (Court TV)After getting their car stuck in a victim's driveway during an attempted burglary, the names of couple Donald and Linda Ballenger are now mud.

According to a Rudolph County, IN, police report, on Jan. 19, Robert Berry was returning to his home when he noticed a vehicle in his neighbor's driveway.

Knowing his neighbors were out of town, Berry approached the vehicle and found Donald Ballenger attempting to move his car, which was stuck in mud and filled with property later identified as belonging to the residence, according to a police report. Meanwhile, Linda Ballenger was walking towards the car with additional items.

Berry called police and then went out to confront the Ballengers, who had made no headway in moving their vehicle.

According to Sheriff Jay Harris, when Berry confronted the Ballengers, Linda Ballenger said that they "were just taking things." Berry then asked Ballenger if they were "things that don't belong to you."

"Yes," she replied.

Harris said that Donald Ballenger offered to return everything, and said that Berry could keep the car if he agreed not to call the police.

When Berry told the plaintiffs that he had already called 911, Linda Ballenger started to carry bags of items back into the residence, arguing that they couldn't be charged with stealing items that they didn't take, according to Harris.

Both Ballengers were arrested and charged with burglary, and each posted $25,000 bond.

[LaPlaceFF]

Burglary suspects get stuck in mud

RUDOLPH COUNTY, In. (Court TV)After getting their car stuck in a victim's driveway during an attempted burglary, the names of couple Donald and Linda Ballenger are now mud.

According to a Rudolph County, IN, police report, on Jan. 19, Robert Berry was returning to his home when he noticed a vehicle in his neighbor's driveway.

Knowing his neighbors were out of town, Berry approached the vehicle and found Donald Ballenger attempting to move his car, which was stuck in mud and filled with property later identified as belonging to the residence, according to a police report. Meanwhile, Linda Ballenger was walking towards the car with additional items.

Berry called police and then went out to confront the Ballengers, who had made no headway in moving their vehicle.

According to Sheriff Jay Harris, when Berry confronted the Ballengers, Linda Ballenger said that they "were just taking things." Berry then asked Ballenger if they were "things that don't belong to you."

"Yes," she replied.

Harris said that Donald Ballenger offered to return everything, and said that Berry could keep the car if he agreed not to call the police.

When Berry told the plaintiffs that he had already called 911, Linda Ballenger started to carry bags of items back into the residence, arguing that they couldn't be charged with stealing items that they didn't take, according to Harris.

Both Ballengers were arrested and charged with burglary, and each posted $25,000 bond.

The Ballengers sound like a bright couple-about as bright as a burned out light bulb!!!

[TexasStooge]

Woman Misspells Name on Forged Check

VAN BUREN, Ark. (AP) - A woman who was arrested for forgery after an alert cashier noticed a misspelling in a company name on fake check may have some time to brush up on her proofreading skills.

Julie Kay Russo, 32, was arrested Monday on 20 forgery counts after she tried to pass an allegedly forged payroll check at the S & S Superstop. The store clerk became suspicious when he noticed the word "independent" in the business name was spelled incorrectly as "indapendent," Van Buren police Cpl. Rob Rogers said.

The clerk telephoned the bank where the check was drawn and learned that no such account existed. Russo took off, but the clerk followed in his car. Arkansas State Police troopers caught up with Russo and pulled her over.

Police said Russo had an outstanding felony warrant for theft of leased property. Police said Russo gave permission for officers to search her car. Inside, police said they found 30 forged checks that would have had a value of more than $20,000.

Police jailed Russo on the 20 forgery complaints. Police said a passenger in her car, Robert H. Williams, 30, was linked to 10 of the forged checks, and he was arrested on 10 complaints of forgery.

Police allege Russo tried to pass forged checks on several other occasions.

[TexasStooge]

Man in Pokey After Reporting Purloined Pot

OREM, Utah (AP) - An man who called police to report the theft of a quarter-pound of marijuana was arrested when police recovered the bag of pot and then invited him to come to the Public Safety Building to identify it.

Kory C. Tippetts, 18, identified the pot as his and then was arrested and booked into the Utah County jail for investigation of possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with intent to distribute, police said Tuesday.

Tippetts had called police on Monday evening after he returned home and found that someone had broken a window, got cut on the glass, and crawled into the house. Tippetts told police the only thing missing was the quarter-pound of marijuana he was selling.

Tippetts also told officers that earlier in the day a man had called him about buying some marijuana, but he was on his way to work and told the caller no.

Tippetts gave police the man's name.

Officers found Richard W. Hight, 23, at his mother's home in Provo. He had a cut on his arm and blood-soaked pants. Police also recovered six ounces of marijuana at the home.

Hight was arrested for investigation of burglary, theft and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with intent to distribute and booked into the Utah County jail.

[TexasStooge]

Alleged Burglar Gets Stuck in Oven Vent

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - An alleged burglar was rescued Thursday after he got stuck overnight in the oven vent of the convenience store he was trying to rob, the fire department said

Investigators said Lonnie Shields, 37, climbed into a small vent on the roof of the New City Mart at about 2 a.m. and wasn't found until store employees arrived at about 8 a.m.

Shields, who faces charges of burglary of a structure, was treated at a nearby hospital and booked into Orange County Jail on $1,000 bond.

"He was banged up and crunched up and uncomfortable from being in that pipe for about six hours," Orlando fire chief Greg Hoggatt said.


In this photo released by the Orlando (Fla.) Fire Department, Lonnie Shields, 37, waits for help from firefighters after the owner of a convenience store found him stuck in an exhaust vent in Orlando, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 2, 2006. Shields, an alleged burglar, was rescued Thursday after he got stuck overnight in the oven vent of the convenience store he was trying to rob, the fire department said. (AP Photo/Orlando Fire Department,Gregg Hoggatt)

[TexasStooge]

Naked Man Charges Two Moving Cars in Wis.

WITTENBERG, Wis. (AP) - Authorities had no trouble locating the suspect after getting a call about a pedestrian attacking two moving cars. He was the one with no clothes.

Police said the first complaint came in at 9:36 a.m. Thursday after a woman encountered a naked man on a road. As she drove around him, he charged the vehicle, hit the right fender and jumped on the hood, smashing the windshield and breaking off the passenger side mirror, authorities said.

He slid off and was lying on the road but got up into a football-type stance and charged a second vehicle as it approached, damaging a fender.

He then opened the door, climbed in the vehicle and sat down, authorities said.

An ambulance got to the scene ahead of sheriff's deputies and had no trouble with the man, sheriff's Sgt. Staber Cook said.

The 42-year-old man was taken in for medical treatment and psychological assessment, Cook said. His name was not released.

The motorists were not injured.

[TexasStooge]

Man Charged With Taking Mom's Morphine

BARNSTABLE, Mass. (AP) - A Martha's Vineyard man is charged with taking morphine from his mother's intravenous drip minutes after she died.

Robert S. Peatie, 37, was arrested last week after a nurse at Cape Cod Hospital caught him pouring the morphine into a water bottle, the Cape Cod Times reported Friday.

His 62-year-old mother, Linda Peatie, had just died from an undisclosed illness.

The nurse, Maureen Beckler, told the newspaper she left Robert Peatie alone in the room while she sought a doctor to pronounce Linda Peatie dead.

Beckler returned to find the son "standing next to the IV stand holding the morphine bag. He was trying to pour it into a water bottle. He looked at me and said, 'I just need a minute more.'"

Beckler said she ordered the son away from the IV, and Peatie fled.

Police caught up to him at a restaurant near the hospital and charged him with larceny of a controlled substance and possession of morphine.

According to Hyannis police Detective Brian Guiney, Peatie later admitted pouring the morphine into the bottle and taking sips from it.

"After his mother was dead, that's when he took the top of the morphine bag off and poured it into his water bottle," Guiney wrote in his report.

Police said Peatie, a Vineyard Haven electrician, has a history of substance abuse.

"My brother is very sick," Jennifer Thompson, Peatie's sister, told the Times. She said she had forgiven her brother because that's what there mother would have wanted.

A judge ordered Peatie held on $2,000 bail at a hearing Wednesday in Barnstable Superior Court. His next scheduled court date is Feb. 17.

[TexasStooge]

Man Said to Offer Uniformed Deputy Cocaine

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Deputy Ed Johnson was in uniform. He was also sitting in his marked patrol car. So he was a bit surprised when a man approached Friday and allegedly offered to sell him some cocaine.

Michael Garibay walked up to Johnson's car at a Mobil gas station and asked the Orange County deputy if he was "straight," according to arrest records.

When Johnson replied he was, Garibay responded "Do you know what that means? .... It means do you want to buy some cocaine."

When Johnson said "yes," Garibay pulled out a plastic bag containing "several pieces of flat white rocks substances" and asked for cash, records show.

The deputy took the bag and arrested Garibay after the contents tested positive for cocaine, the Orlando Sentinel reported on its Web site.

Garibay was being held Friday in the Orange County Jail on $7,500 bail for alleged possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
___

Information from: Orlando Sentinel

[TexasStooge]

Notorious Bad Driver Gets Year in Prison

MANDAN, N.D. (AP) - A man convicted more than 40 times of drunken driving or driving without a valid license has been sentenced to a year in jail, a day after his arrest on yet another driving charge.

Craig Irwin, 45, of Mandan, was sentenced Friday for a driving under revocation offense last year. He was arrested Thursday on charges of driving under revocation and having no liability insurance.

"Mr. Irwin has achieved celebrity status in North Dakota," Morton County State's Attorney Allen Koppy told South Central District Judge Donald Jorgensen on Friday. "He's a poster child for driving under revocation."

Irwin is not scheduled to get his driver's license back for at least 35 years. State records show that he has had more than 100 citations for driving infractions in the last 22 years, and has not been allowed to drive legally for 20 years.

Irwin told Jorgensen on Friday that he has a drinking problem.

Jorgensen's sentence allows Irwin to knock one day off his jail time for every day he spends in treatment.

"I'm going to grant you a chance," the judge said.

Irwin was arrested Thursday after being spotted driving out of a Mandan alley.

"Officers identified him because he's so well known in the area," Officer Kelly Wimer said.

The state Department of Transportation said Irwin has 420 points on his license. A license is revoked at 12 points.

"The record for Craig is very long," said Marsha Lembke, director of the department's driver's license and traffic safety division.

Irwin's mother, Chris Irwin, of Bismarck, said her son's alcohol problem began in high school after the death of his oldest brother.

"It was devastating," she said. "It was too much of a shock."

Chris Irwin said her son remarried about four months ago and has a new baby, a stepchild and two grown children, including a son who is going to college. She said he has been employed building a home in the area.

"He adores those children," she said.

Craig Irwin's attorney, Ralph Vinje, told Jorgensen that he has known Irwin for many years and that he is now "seeing a different person."
___

Information from: Bismarck Tribune

[TexasStooge]

Man Drives Car Up R.I. Statehouse Steps

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A man drove his car up about 12 steps of the Statehouse Friday and was arrested by police after backing down the steps and parking.

Police identified the man as Robert R. Negrotti, 37. His mother was in the car when he drove up the steps, but she did not know what he was about to do, capitol police said. No one was hurt, police said.

Rep. Peter Kilmartin told WPRI-TV he witnessed what happened from his third floor office.

"I heard a loud crash on the south side of the Statehouse. I looked out my window. I saw a gray vehicle starting to ascend the stairs. I saw it back down the stairs and then park," he said.

Capitol Police Chief Stephen Tocco said police and fire marshals checked the car for explosives, but all they found was scissors.

Surveillance cameras showed the car speeding up the stairs as if the driver were drag racing, Tocco said.

"He just shot up the front steps," Tocco said, adding that police got to the car immediately.

Tocco said Negrotti had been charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, destruction of state property, possession of a weapon other than a firearm — in this case, the scissors.

[TexasStooge]

Men allegedly threaten bar patrons with samurai sword

WORCESTER, Mass. (Court TV) - Ninjas and samurai warriors are a rarity in Worcester, Mass., but the chaos that erupted in a local bar on Jan. 30 could have passed for a scene from a martial-arts movie.

The principal characters, Sebastian Moore and Adam Merkel, allegedly threatened patrons of the Green Island Pub with a samurai sword.

According to Worcester Police Sgt. Gary Quitadamo, Moore, 21, was ejected from the bar earlier in the day because of a history of disputes and was warned not to return to the establishment. But Moore returned a second time and was again turned away. He returned a third time with Merkel, 19, and when told to leave, he pulled out a small samurai sword and began swinging the weapon at the female bartender and threatened to cut her.

A male patron who stepped into protect the bartender was also threatened, Quitadamo said. Merkel allegedly brandished a knife, which he pointed at another patron's face, and threatened to slash the woman. Both men then fled the scene.

When officers arrived at the bar, a witness who had trailed Merkel and Moore called in to report that the men had entered a residence that was located several blocks away from the establishment. Police surrounded the home and the two men surrendered without incident.

Quitadamo said both men showed no signs of intoxication, and that no one was injured during the incident.

Merkel and Moore face charges of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to maim and threatening to commit a crime.

[TexasStooge]

Inmate's jailbreak turns into rescue mission

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. (Court TV) - Prison can be a lonely place without friends.

Although Lance Gauthun was more than halfway through his 20-day sentence on second-degree theft charges, he reportedly broke out of jail because he did not get along with his other prisonmates.

But Gauthun's escape from the Thurston County Jail in Washington was short-lived. The 20-year-old man fell down an embankment behind the jail and had to be rescued.

According to the newspaper The Olympian, the inmate had served 13 days of his sentence when he made the escape attempt on Jan. 24 at about 10:45 p.m. Classified as a low-risk inmate, Gauthun allegedly sneaked out through the fire exit of the minimum security wing of the jail. Officers heard the inmate's cries for help 10 minutes later and rescued him from the bottom of the hill.

Prison officials suggested that hostility between Gauthun and other inmates may have been the motive behind the escape, the report said.

Gauthun's escape attempt earned him a new charge and a longer prison stay: suspicion of second-degree escape. He faces one to three months in jail if convicted.

[TexasStooge]

Motel burglar leaves behind telltale note

FORT BRAGG, Calif. (Court TV) - It was the ideal crime of opportunity — until the suspect left behind the note.

Enrique Rodriguez Vasquez, 37, allegedly burglarized the main office of the motel where he was staying in Fort Bragg, Calif., and afterwards left a handwritten message that contained information on how to find him.

According to Fort Bragg Police Lt. Floyd Higdon, Vasquez arrived at the Best Western motel at about 3 a.m. and found the office unlocked. The motel's manager, who was aware that Vasquez would be checking in late, had retired for the night, but not before leaving a room key behind for the man.

The guest-turned-burglar reportedly stole a computer hard drive, television satellite device and $200 cash, and then wrote a note to the manager.

"There was no one here to attend us guest in rm427. You even left the office unattended. You could have been burglarized & Your lucky I didn't steele," the error-laden note reportedly said.

Fort Bragg police called to the scene confronted Vasquez and a female companion about the theft, but both denied any knowledge of it. When the woman gave officers permission to search her car, Vazquez confessed and said that the stolen items were in the vehicle.

Although Vazquez told officers that the woman, Dana Lynn Jensen, had nothing to do with the theft, police found the cash and methamphetamine in her belongings, Higdon said.

Vazquez and Jensen were arrested and charged with suspicion of burglary and possession of methamphetamine.

[rainstorm]

Man in Pokey After Reporting Purloined Pot

OREM, Utah (AP) - An man who called police to report the theft of a quarter-pound of marijuana was arrested when police recovered the bag of pot and then invited him to come to the Public Safety Building to identify it.

Kory C. Tippetts, 18, identified the pot as his and then was arrested and booked into the Utah County jail for investigation of possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with intent to distribute, police said Tuesday.

Tippetts had called police on Monday evening after he returned home and found that someone had broken a window, got cut on the glass, and crawled into the house. Tippetts told police the only thing missing was the quarter-pound of marijuana he was selling.

Tippetts also told officers that earlier in the day a man had called him about buying some marijuana, but he was on his way to work and told the caller no.

Tippetts gave police the man's name.

Officers found Richard W. Hight, 23, at his mother's home in Provo. He had a cut on his arm and blood-soaked pants. Police also recovered six ounces of marijuana at the home.

Hight was arrested for investigation of burglary, theft and possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone with intent to distribute and booked into the Utah County jail.

bad idea