The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Man accused of calling 911 looking for love

By MARY ANN RAZZUK / WFAA ABC 8

FRISCO, Texas - A Frisco man has been accused of tying up 911 dispatchers by making nearly 200 phone calls to the emergency line in search for love.

In Dallas last year emergency operators answered more than 2.5 million calls and Fort Worth took in more than a million.

However, there are calls amongst those numbers from people who shouldn't be calling an emergency line.

Authorities say there are people calling 911 for non-emergencies such as complaints for loud music and barking dogs. Then there are the pranksters who tie up precious time on 911 phone lines before dispatchers figure out it's a hoax.

Regulo Rodriguez is suspected of being one such nuisance.

In recorded 911 calls, police said he has asked operators for kisses.

In once such recorded call, when asked what his emergency is Rodriguez is recorded saying, "Give me one kiss for you."

"He just wants to talk and say can I have a kiss," said Lisa Clausen, 911 dispatcher.

Police said while people using 911 for non-emergencies is a growing problem, they also said they haven't experienced anything like this case.

The determined caller was said to have tied up emergency lines more than 170 times over the last month.

"It's really frustrating to think that you're trying to help somebody and all he wants to do is talk to you," Clausen said.

Authorities said they struggled to stop the caller.

"He was making these phone calls and they couldn't keep him on the phone long enough to figure out where he was," said Gina McFarlin, Frisco Police Department.

The last time he called, a dispatcher managed to keep him on the line long enough for patrol units to track him down. Rodriguez was charged with making silent and abusive calls to 911.

"What he did, like I said, was more than excessive [and] definitely against the law and that's why he was arrested," McFarlin said.

[TexasStooge]

Man Says Stripper Delivered a Rob-O-Gram

ATASCADERO, Calif. (AP) - A retired salesman alleged a stripper and her friend beat and robbed him in his home. John Skinner, 54, said he was on his way to Bible study on Jan. 23 when exotic dancer Maureen Murphy, 25, knocked on his door and offered him a free strip-o-gram.

Murphy said a friend had already paid for the show, police said.

When Skinner agreed to let her perform, knife wielding Richard Adam, 23, allegedly forced his way inside and told Skinner he owed Murphy, owner of Bikini Assassins, and another woman money for earlier services.

Skinner said he owed Talbert money for sex one time but not for a previous time when he said she fell asleep before they could have sex.

Adam allegedly tied up Skinner and hit him in the face. Investigators said Murphy went upstairs to find valuables and returned with thong underwear and medication for erectile dysfunction.

The pair allegedly tried to take Skinner's car, but it was out of gas.

Prosecutors charged three people in the case.

Adam was charged with robbery, burglary and inflicting great bodily injury. Exotic dancer Leslie Talbert, 20, was charged with two counts of burglary and Murphy, 25, was charged with robbery, burglary, false imprisonment and battery. A preliminary hearing will be held March 23.

[TexasStooge]

Gives new meaning to "going back home"

SYDNEY, Australia (Reuters) - Police charged an Australian driver with "reversing further than necessary" after he traveled backwards for more than 25 miles along one of the country's busiest highways.

Police said the man was stopped on the Hume Highway -- which runs between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.

Police said the man told them reverse was the only gear in the car that worked and that he was traveling home to the small regional town of Numurkah, another 56 miles away.

He was also charged with unlicensed driving and driving an unregistered car. He will appear in court later this year.

[TexasStooge]

This is what he gets for following etiquette?

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) - A letter of apology sent to a robbery victim spelled arrest for a Japanese man after police investigating the case identified him from the handwriting.

NHK television said the man had pushed his way into the house of a 78-year-old woman in the town of Misato, western Japan, and stole 15,000 yen ($125) after threatening her with a knife.

He later wrote the victim a letter saying he was sorry and returning the cash.

The handwriting "and other things" led police to the man, a 51-year-old construction worker who lives near the victim, NHK said. The man, who has confessed, is heavily in debt, it said.

NHK did not say how the handwriting was linked to the man.

A local police official declined to give details, saying an investigation was still under way.

[TexasStooge]

Motorcyclist Clocked at 155 Mph Jailed

LIVINGSTON, La. (AP) - A motorcyclist has been given a couple of days to think about the record he set — at least in the minds of state troopers.

Brian Samuel Willis, 20, was clocked zooming down Interstate 12 on Sunday at 155 miles per hour — more than two times the speed limit 70, state police said.

"That may be the fastest of all-time in the state," said Trooper Ryan Riley of Troop A. "I can't confirm it, but I don't think anyone has ever gotten anybody at 155. The fastest I know of is like 144."

Riley said he was traveling westbound about 6 p.m. when he got the motorcycle in his radar. Maneuvering his vehicle to the other side of the interstate, Riley tried to follow Willis, but the black Yamaha R6 ducked off the roadway onto state highway 441 and traveled south to state highway 42, Riley said.

At that point, Livingston Parish sheriff's deputies and Springfield police chased Willis back toward Riley, who made the arrest, he said.

"He pulled over once he saw all of us, without incident," Riley said. "He just said he didn't think he was going that fast and he didn't know we were behind him. He thought he was only doing 120 or 130."

Willis motorcycle was impounded and he was booked for reckless operation of a vehicle, flight from an officer and speeding, Riley said.

"The judge refused to set the bond until Tuesday," Riley said. "I think she is going to let him spend a few days in jail."
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Information from: The Advocate

[alicia-w]

Man accused of putting mouse in burrito

Associated Press
Mar. 13, 2006 10:49 AM


TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - A man has been charged with plotting to strike it rich by planting a dead mouse in a burrito at a Taco Bell restaurant.

Ryan Daniel Goff, 20, was arraigned Thursday on an attempted extortion count. He laughed and smiled as District Judge Thomas Phillips read the charge.

"I don't recall seeing anything like this before," Grand Traverse County prosecutor Alan Schneider told the Traverse City Record-Eagle. "It was pretty ill-conceived from the beginning."

The sheriff's department said that while eating at the restaurant Jan. 24, Goff complained to an employee that his burrito tasted "funny."

Goff declined a replacement burrito and insisted on keeping his when he left, investigators said.

He later called Taco Bell's regional manager, Robert Buckle, and said he wanted "something that would make my ears tingle" to settle the matter, court documents said.

"There was an implied threat there to the regional manager, and that is why we charged this as an attempt," Schneider said.

He said Goff's girlfriend told an investigator that she was with Goff when he bought frozen mice at a pet store and saw him place one in the burrito.

Goff already was in jail on unrelated charges Thursday, but Phillips boosted his bond to $100,000 after his arraignment on the felony charge, punishable by up to five years in prison.

County jail spokesman Lt. Dennis "Buck" Monroe said Friday that inmates were not allowed to grant interviews.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man Pulls Gun After Oatmeal Prank

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) - A 20-year-old man who awoke after a party to find himself covered in syrup and dry oatmeal is the one facing a criminal charge after authorities say he turned a gun on the man who admitted pulling the prank.

Witnesses told police they were just trying to "get even" with Travis Maassen for pranks he had pulled in the past few days, according to a criminal complaint.

But Maassen "freaked out," emerging from a bedroom Friday with a .22 caliber bolt-action rifle the complaint said. One man tackled Maassen after having the gun pointed at his head, the complaint said.

Maassen was charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety while armed. He's on probation for carrying a concealed .25 caliber handgun, the complaint said.

La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez ordered Maassen held on a $5,000 cash bond Monday.
___

Information from: La Crosse Tribune

[TexasStooge]

Fake $1B Bank Notes Found in Apartment

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - Federal authorities investigating a man who smuggled money into the country have seized 250 counterfeit bank notes in billion-dollar denominations, they announced Tuesday.

The 250 bogus Federal Reserve notes had 1934 issue dates and were stained to make them look old, but no such currency exists, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Virginia Kice.

The man has been charged with cash smuggling, but no charges have yet been filed in connection with the counterfeit notes.

Federal authorities warned that the sale or transfer of fake securities has increased in recent years. Scam artists typically sell phony government bank notes at a discounted value or use them as collateral to secure loans or make purchases.

"A billion is a substantial number. We want to ensure that no one was duped or fleeced by the passing of these documents," Kice said.

[alicia-w]

Former E-M-T gets prison term for fatal defibrillator prank

LEBANON, Va. A Virginia emergency medicial technician is going to prison for a fatal defibrillator prank.

Joshua Martin had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in January, after jolting a co-worker with cardiac paddles. Courtney Rhoton died three days after getting the jolt.

Martin cried and apologized to Rhoton's family before being sentenced yesterday to five years in prison. Four years of that were suspended.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Car Prowler Brings Son to Work

ISSAQUAH, Wash. (AP) - There are many bring-a-child-to-work days, but none like what police in this Seattle suburb say they encountered early Monday — a 10-year-old boy watching his father and two other men burglarize motor vehicles.

Police said they were summoned about 3 a.m. by a resident who reported seeing three men breaking into cars at the Emerald Hills apartment complex.

Officers found three men in the parking lot as well as two vehicles that had been reported stolen, one containing items that were found to have been reported stolen in previous car prowls. Many of the items were returned to their owners, police said.

Three men were arrested — a 30-year-old from Marysville, a 25-year-old from Everett and a 19-year-old from Marysville.

Police did not say which was the father of the boy but added that he knew what his father and the others were doing. He was returned to his mother and police said they were contacting state Child Protective Services, which could investigate further.
___

Information from: King County Journal

[TexasStooge]

University Official Allegedly Bites Man

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Police charged a university official after he allegedly bit a man in the calf when the man stopped to help him after a car accident.

Robert E. Mays, 64, an associate dean at the University of Southern Indiana, was charged with battery and operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. He was released from Vanderburgh County jail on a $100 bond.

A telephone message seeking comment was left Wednesday at his home in Evansville.

Mays was driving on U.S. 41 in northern Evansville Tuesday night when he hit a vehicle in front of him, according to police reports. No one was injured in the wreck.

A passer-by who stopped to check on Mays tried to stop him from returning to his car. Mays then bent down and bit the man's calf, leaving a bruise and teeth marks, police said.

Police said Mays refused to take a breath test.

The university was not aware of the arrest and was not sure if Mays would be disciplined, said spokeswoman Sherrianne Standley. He has been at the school since 1973.
___

Information from: Evansville Courier & Press

[TexasStooge]

Two Men Arrested After Mistaken 911 Call

ENID, Okla. (AP) - Two men were jailed on arson complaints after one of them hit the wrong button on a cell phone, giving 911 dispatchers an account of a plot to set a vehicle on fire.

Enid police Capt. Jim Nivison said from that call, 911 dispatchers and a shift supervisor listened for nearly four hours to the two Enid natives as they drove across town, first planning to steal an acquaintance's car, then deciding to build an incendiary device out of a light bulb to burn the car up.

"It's all on tape; we've got the whole thing," Nivison said. "They made some pretty dumb statements. One of the males said. 'It's gonna burn, will they be able to get fingerprints?' and 'I've got the lighter, Dude. Let's go.' "

Johnny Ray Miller, 48, was arrested on complaints of third-degree arson and transporting an incendiary device. Robert A. Patterson, 24, was arrested on complaints of third-degree arson and manufacturing an incendiary device. Both also were jailed on conspiracy complaints.
___

Information from: The Oklahoman

[TexasStooge]

Life in the fast lane...

ROME, Italy (Reuters) - The zig-zagging car gave them away.

When Italian police pulled over the vehicle, they found a completely naked 70-year-old woman who had been trying to have sex with the driver -- 11 years her junior.

After demanding the joy-riding couple get dressed, the police tested the semi-nude male motorist for drunk driving.

"He was three times over the legal (blood-alcohol) limit," said police commander Angelo D'Anardo in the city of Cologno al Serio, northeast of Milan.

"We assume they must have been drinking at lunch and then things got out of control."

Asked if the couple were married, D'Anardo said he wasn't sure -- but somehow doubted it.

"Married people wouldn't probably do anything like this."

[TexasStooge]

Barefoot Dad Busts Teens After Chase

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) - Gerry Rodgers wasn't going to let himself become a burglary victim. When he heard two teenagers trying to break down his inside garage door, he jumped into his truck — without a weapon, a cell phone, or even shoes — and chased them down. He eventually forced the teens to call 911 on themselves.

In the process, police say, he may have busted up a group linked to 10 daytime burglaries in Eagan and Apply Valley.

"I'm surprised at what a can of worms this opened," said Rodgers. "We've lived here for 34 years and never had a problem. I'm sure there are a few other homeowners who are happy these kids were caught too."

Rodgers, 53, was sleeping on a recent Thursday afternoon before his night shift when his 20-year-old son heard two kids pounding on the front door and ringing the bell. The son woke his dad and ignored the doorbell because he didn't know the teens.

Later, Rodgers heard the suspects trying to break down his inside garage door. When he yelled at them, the teens took off in their pickup truck — and Rodgers jumped into his truck and chased them onto Interstate 35E. He drove erratically and honked to catch the attention of other motorists. He said he just was trying to get a license plate number.

"As this is going on, people are calling police because it looks like a crazy road-rage thing," said Eagan police Detective Brian Gunderson.

When the teens stopped on the freeway's shoulder, Rodgers pulled in front of them. He said he was a police officer and ordered them out of their vehicle.

"So I get them out and there I am, standing in my bare feet wondering what I was going to do," he said.

He forced the teens to lie on the side of the road and demanded that one of them use his own cell phone to call 911. The youth complied and handed over the phone so Rodgers could talk to the dispatcher.

"I made them stay in front of the car, and I went to the back," Rodgers said. "Luckily the State Patrol and the Eagan police were there within two minutes."

The two teenagers, both 17-year-old males, were charged with multiple felony counts of first- and second-degree burglary, said Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom. Two other teens were being investigated.
___

Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press

[TexasStooge]

Police: Customer pretended to hold up bank

WILLISTON, N.D. (Court TV) - Ryan Wright was the only person laughing when he allegedly pretended to rob a bank on Feb. 17.

The 20-year-old man from Williston, N.D., now faces the very serious charge of terrorizing and could pay $5,000 in fines and spend up to five years in prison.

According to Lt. Detective Tom Ladwig, Wright entered a local bank wearing a ski mask and allegedly demanded money from the tellers. But seconds after the order, the man took off the mask and said to the tellers, "Just kidding." He then proceeded to withdraw money from his checking account and left the building.

The frightened tellers contacted police who, after an investigation, arrested Wright on March 6. It is unclear if Wright told detectives that the incident was a prank.

"That's an issue that will be determined in court. And I'm sure he'll say that he didn't mean to rob the bank," Lt. Ladwig said.

Wright was released on $1,000 bail.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Car thief got directions from car owner's father

HARRISON COUNTY, Ohio (Court TV) - An alleged car thief in Ohio got the right driving directions from the wrong person.

After Michael Chapman allegedly stole Norma Harris' gold 2001 Buick LeSabre from her front yard on March 8, he needed directions to get out of town. He got it three miles away and twenty minutes later from Harris's father.

Deputy Robert Toker of the Harrison County Sheriff's Office said he was at the victim's house investigating the car theft when the woman's father called.

"He said 'I think your car was just here,' and gave us a description of the suspect and where he directed him," Toker said.

Chapman reportedly abandoned the car in a random driveway when he realized that deputies were trailing him. Police found him walking away shortly afterward.

The alleged car thief, a recent parolee, was charged with car theft, driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence. He is being held in the Harrison County Jail.

[TexasStooge]

Man accused of robbing store disguises himself with milk crate

PELHAM (Court TV) - Marty Simpson could have slipped away undetected from the convenience store that he had just robbed. But it was hard for bystanders to ignore the Georgia man, thanks to the milk crate on his head.

According to reports from television stations WALB and WFTV, Simpson, 46, wore a milk crate over his face when he allegedly held up a Flash Foods store at gunpoint in Pelham on March 11. The incident was caught on the store's surveillance tape.

Several witnesses in the parking lot saw the alleged thief exit the business and then abandon the crate and a BB gun behind the store.

Officers from the Pelham Police Department arrested Simpson two hours later; he had also just burglarized another store, the reports said.

Simpson was charged with felony armed robbery, aggravated assault and burglary.

[SouthFloridawx]

Man accused of robbing store disguises himself with milk crate

PELHAM (Court TV) - Marty Simpson could have slipped away undetected from the convenience store that he had just robbed. But it was hard for bystanders to ignore the Georgia man, thanks to the milk crate on his head.

According to reports from television stations WALB and WFTV, Simpson, 46, wore a milk crate over his face when he allegedly held up a Flash Foods store at gunpoint in Pelham on March 11. The incident was caught on the store's surveillance tape.

Several witnesses in the parking lot saw the alleged thief exit the business and then abandon the crate and a BB gun behind the store.

Officers from the Pelham Police Department arrested Simpson two hours later; he had also just burglarized another store, the reports said.

Simpson was charged with felony armed robbery, aggravated assault and burglary.

ROFLMAO!!!!

[SouthFloridawx]

Not RFLMAOat the aggravated assault but, I am laughing at the fact he wore a milk crate.

[TexasStooge]

Yeah, I know what you meam.