The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Hollywood Impersonators Busted

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (AP) - The red and cuddly Sesame Street Muppet Elmo has learned a new lesson: 'H' is for handcuffs.

A man dressed as the character was one of three impersonators arrested last week for allegedly harassing tourists for tips after posing for photos on Hollywood Boulevard. Booked with him were people impersonating superhero Mr. Incredible and the dark-hooded character from the horror movie "Scream."

The impersonators said they were taken into custody at gunpoint, handcuffed and paraded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before stunned tourists and other impersonators. They were charged with misdemeanor "aggressive begging," police said.

"With all of the crime in Los Angeles they pick on us?" said Elmo impersonator Donn Harper, 45, who makes up to $400 a day in tips.

Tourists have complained that the costumed characters harass them for not tipping after posing for photos in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Merchants say some of the costumed characters are scaring tourists.

Los Angeles Police Officer Michael Shea said police warned impersonators at a meeting last month that the department would start enforcing solicitation and harassment laws. Officers conducted a sting operation by posing as French tourists who didn't understand English or the American tipping culture.

"Make no mistake about it — I wanted the characters to know what we're doing," Shea said.

[TexasStooge]

Attorney Jailed After Going to Court Drunk

BENTON, Ark. (AP) - An attorney appealing his second drunken driving conviction was jailed Monday after he came to court intoxicated, officials said.

A Saline County Circuit Court judge ordered 59-year-old Jerry Stewart jailed for contempt of court.

He was ordered held without bail until Thursday, when he is scheduled in court for an unrelated case. It was not known whether Thursday's court appearance involved two pending drunken driving charges.

Stewart faces a total of six years in prison and could be disbarred if convicted of a fourth felony offense, prosecutor Robert Herzfeld said.

[TexasStooge]

Tourist charged for bathing naked

JAIPUR, India (Reuters) - Indian police have brought charges against a Finnish tourist for bathing naked in a holy lake in a Hindu pilgrim town, a police officer said on Monday.

Police said the tourist walked to her hotel in the nude after taking a dip in the lake in Pushkar in the desert state of Rajasthan Saturday, angering several local people and priests.

"We have framed charges of indecency against the lady tourist from Finland under section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Sugan Singh, a police officer in Pushkar, told Reuters.

Under India's obscenity laws, the tourist can be imprisoned for three months or pay a fine.

Pushkar has a famous temple dedicated to Brahma -- the Hindu god of creation -- and is popular with foreign tourists who come for its desert ambience, camel safaris and annual camel fair.

Last month, an Israeli couple was fined 1,000 rupees after an Indian court found them guilty of obscenity for kissing during their marriage ceremony in Pushkar.

India has tough obscenity laws and kissing in public is frowned upon in the largely conservative country. Last October, local residents in the western state complained to authorities that a group of Israeli women had danced naked near Pushkar.

[rainstorm]

Attorney Jailed After Going to Court Drunk

BENTON, Ark. (AP) - An attorney appealing his second drunken driving conviction was jailed Monday after he came to court intoxicated, officials said.

A Saline County Circuit Court judge ordered 59-year-old Jerry Stewart jailed for contempt of court.

He was ordered held without bail until Thursday, when he is scheduled in court for an unrelated case. It was not known whether Thursday's court appearance involved two pending drunken driving charges.

Stewart faces a total of six years in prison and could be disbarred if convicted of a fourth felony offense, prosecutor Robert Herzfeld said.

it takes 4 felonies to be disbarred?

[TexasStooge]

Man Posing As Cop Shows Woman His Tattoos

BATESVILLE, Ark. (AP) - According to Independence County deputies, Steven Terrell's first mistake was telling Christine Gray that he was an undercover officer for the sheriff's department. Then he showed her his driver's license. Then he asked her for a date. Then he was arrested.

Deputies arrested Terrell on Wednesday night after Gray called dispatchers to ask whether police agencies had a Steven Terrell working for them. Gray said Terrell wore a jacket with a sheriff's badge on it and repeatedly showed her his tattoos. He said he had left his badge at home, but showed the woman his license.

Genuine deputies traced Terrell to a Batesville home and found a jacket that matched the one Gray described. Terrell said he was trying to impress the woman.

"An undercover officer won't tell you that or wear anything to indicate his being a policeman. That would be pointless," sheriff's Capt. Bill Lindsey said. "Anyone who is approached by someone saying he or she is a police officer and not in uniform should be able to show proper credentials, including a badge."

Authorities said Terrell was arrested for first-degree criminal impersonation.
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Information from: Batesville Guard

[TexasStooge]

Robber Blames Crime on Missing His Mother

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - A man who led police on a high-speed chase after a bank robbery in May says he was driven to commit the robbery because he missed his mother.

Terrence Lee Mackey, 63, during a sentencing hearing Wednesday, blamed the crime on the federal prison system, saying officials refused to jail him near his mother in Florida after he violated parole in 1982.

"I wouldn't be standing here today if I'd been sent to Florida like I asked," Mackey said.

U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young sentenced Mackey to 29 years in prison. He said he didn't trust old age to stop Mackey from committing more crimes.

Mackey and William "Ricky" Herrell were arrested after the white Corvette they were driving crashed into a river levee as they fled from police.

During the sentencing hearing, Mackey said he was leaning out of the window of the getaway car, firing two handguns at police. He claimed he did it in self-defense.

"The police were shooting at me," Mackey said.

Herrell, 26, is awaiting trial in the case.
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Information from: Evansville Courier & Press

[TexasStooge]

Man crawls through sewer to escape police

LARGO COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) - Hiding from the police by jumping into a subterranean sewer system was apparently one man's idea of keeping a low profile.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, when Daniel Rhodes, 31, of Largo County, Fla., spotted a police helicopter on the night of Oct. 15, he assumed that he was being pursued for driving with a suspended license and for probation violations.

But policemen weren't looking for Rhodes. That is, of course, until they had to come to his rescue.

After crawling through the sewer, which was filled with storm water, Rhodes found a grate. There was one problem, however: Rhodes couldn't open it. According to the Times, he began shouting for help and finally caught the attention of a pedestrian, who then called Rhodes' brother, David — and the police.

When police arrived, Rhodes allegedly claimed he was his brother, David, who, unbeknownst to the defendant, had already identified himself to the police, and was arrested on a charge of obstruction for giving his brother's name, according to the article.

Police would not comment on the story.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Phony restaurant audit turned into robbery

ROCHESTER, Minn. (Court TV) - The manager of a McDonald's restaurant in Rochester, Minn., had a funny feeling about Michael Adam Skurdahl.

Was it the mole on Skurdahl's face that suddenly appeared smudged after he rubbed his cheek?

Or the sunglasses worn indoors at 11 p.m. because he claimed that his eyes had recently been dilated?

Or could it have been the fact that the man claimed to be performing a late-night audit authorized by McDonald's corporate office?

According to Rochester police, the manager's suspicions were confirmed when Skurdahl, 29, robbed the restaurant at knifepoint.

Skurdahl allegedly entered the restaurant with a briefcase about an hour before closing time on October 12 and told the woman that he was there to audit the store. Although the manager was skeptical, she did not attempt to contact McDonald's corporate office to verify the man's identity.

"[Skurdahl] sat down with the manager and they discussed numerous operational procedures for the restaurant," Capt. Brian Winters said.

Although Skurdahl appeared to have some knowledge of the company's audit policies, the manager found the man's appearance suspicious and noted that he had on makeup and was wearing a wig. Winters said Skurdahl spoke with the woman for an hour before announcing his intentions and threatening the woman with a folding knife.

The woman complied and gave Skurdahl an undisclosed amount of cash. Skurdahl then allegedly fled the restaurant on foot but was caught a short distance away hiding in the woods. Police recovered a black wig, a knife and a McDonald's money bag with the cash.

Skurdahl is facing robbery charges and is being held in the Olmsted County Jail.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man declared car missing, forgot to mention baby

JACKSON TOWNSHIP, Ind. (Court TV) - When James O'Rourke, a resident of Jackson Township, Ind., went out at about 11 p.m. on Oct. 15 to investigate the strange car with an opened driver's-side door parked in front of his home, he thought that the vehicle's sole occupant was a bit too young to have driven there alone.

O'Rourke called the police because the unlikely driver was a 4-month-old baby boy.

William Kersey, the child's father, has been arrested and charged with child neglect.

According to a police document, officers from the Porter County Sheriff's Department traced the vehicle's license plates to a man in LaPorte County, who refused to cooperate except to say that he had loaned the car to William Kersey.

While police attempted to locate Kersey, the 30-year-old man called police two hours after his son was found and reported his car missing, but failed to mention the baby. When asked again if anything of value had been left behind, Kersey allegedly said there was not.

The report said when police mentioned that they had a child in their custody, Kersey admitted that he had left his son in the car.

Kersey told authorities that he had been driving around the area with his infant son and 4-year-old daughter and they had gotten lost. When he stopped the car, an unidentified man assaulted him. Kersey stated that he jumped out of the car and chased three men into the woods. He was unable to find his way back to the car, and later found his daughter wandering in the woods, the report said.

Kersey, who had an active arrest warrant from Michigan, was arrested and charged with two counts of child neglect. He was taken to the Porter County Jail and held without bond. Child Protective Services have taken custody of the children.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Woman Used Stolen Card in Lottery

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - A woman bought a winning lottery ticket worth $1 million with a stolen credit card and could wind up with nothing if convicted, police said.

Christina Goodenow, 38, of White City in southern Oregon faced numerous theft-related charges, forgery and possession of methamphetamine, said authorities, who searched her home Thursday. The card belonged to a deceased relative, they said.

If convicted of any of the charges, Goodenow will not be able to collect prize money from the winning ticket, said police Lt. Tim George.

Oregon Lottery officials refused to discuss specifics of the case because an investigation is still under way.

"I'll be fascinated to see how this shakes out," Lottery spokesman Chuck Baumann said. "In my 12 years with the Oregon Lottery, this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

Goodenow purchased the winning ticket Oct. 9 using a credit card that had belonged to her mother-in-law, who died more than a year ago, police said.

Goodenow traveled to Oregon Lottery headquarters in Salem on Oct 12 to accept an installment payment of $33,500. The $1 million grand prize is paid out over 20 years.

Detectives began tracking Goodenow on Wednesday after learning that she had used the credit card to purchase several items, including the ticket.

A search warrant served at her home Thursday turned up some methamphetamine, but little money, George said.

"Our investigation is still trying to determine what happened to the $33,500," George said.

[TexasStooge]

'Naked Photographer' Sentenced to Jail

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A lawyer who was Columbus' "naked photographer" says in a deposition for a bar association panel investigating him that his nude stalking of women was an addictive behavior.

Stephen Linnen says he believes the time he served in jail and the counseling he has received will make him a better lawyer.

Linnen, 34, pleaded guilty in September 2004 to 53 misdemeanor counts of public indecency, sexual imposition and criminal trespassing and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

He would jump naked out of bushes in front of women and take pictures of their shocked expressions.

He'll appear at a hearing next week before a three-member Columbus Bar Association panel, which will make a recommendation to the Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel.

Linnen could face a suspension or disbarment. Linnen used to work for the Ohio House Republican caucus and now is in private practice.

In the depositions, made public this week by the bar association, Linnen says he has "such a revulsion towards my former behavior. I'm trying to be a better person in recovery and to manage my life in a healthy way."
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch

[TexasStooge]

Two Accused of Taking Fake Tombstones

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Stealing fake tombstones from a haunted trail in broad daylight isn't a good idea. Particularly if the trail is operated by a Fraternal Order of Police Lodge.

South Charleston police arrested two men Wednesday after Lt. D.B. Cunningham, president of FOP Lodge No. 85, saw several of the lodge's handmade props in a passing vehicle. The driver was wearing a skull mask, Patrolman Jeremy Burns said.

Cunningham, Burns and several other officers were gathered near the ticket stand at the time. Cunningham and Burns pursued the vehicle in Burns' police cruiser and stopped it.

Donald Jenkins Jr., 20, and Devon Halstead, 19, both of South Charleston, were charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor. They were issued citations and released.

Jenkins, the driver, allegedly told police he and Halstead saw the props on the ground and thought they were being discarded, Burns said.
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Information from: The Charleston Gazette

[TexasStooge]

Suspect in W.Va. Break-In Found Asleep

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A suspect in a break-in at a veterinarian's office wasn't hard to find. He was sleeping in his office at a neighboring business and allegedly had some stolen items in his pockets.

Chad Lee Mays, 26, of Malden was charged Thursday with breaking and entering. Mays owns a tire shop next door to the Kanawha Boulevard Animal Hospital in Charleston, according to a criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court.

Charleston police responding to the break-in saw a tire shop employee outside that business early Thursday morning, waiting for it to open. The employee said Mays was inside sleeping.

Mays told police he had heard an alarm go off at the veterinarian's office but did not see anything. He then said he needed to use a restroom and walked into another room where Patrolman S.S. Midkiff saw a computer similar to one that had been reported stolen, the complaint said.

Police searched the suspect and allegedly found cash and vials of veterinary drugs in his pockets.

Mays was being held Friday at South Central Regional Jail in Charleston.
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Information from: The Charleston Gazette

[TexasStooge]

Man Posing As Cop Shows Woman His Tattoos

BATESVILLE, Ark. (AP) - According to Independence County deputies, Steven Terrell's first mistake was telling Christine Gray that he was an undercover officer for the sheriff's department. Then he showed her his driver's license. Then he asked her for a date. Then he was arrested.

Deputies arrested Terrell on Wednesday night after Gray called dispatchers to ask whether police agencies had a Steven Terrell working for them. Gray said Terrell wore a jacket with a sheriff's badge on it and repeatedly showed her his tattoos. He said he had left his badge at home, but showed the woman his license.

Genuine deputies traced Terrell to a Batesville home and found a jacket that matched the one Gray described. Terrell said he was trying to impress the woman.

"An undercover officer won't tell you that or wear anything to indicate his being a policeman. That would be pointless," sheriff's Capt. Bill Lindsey said. "Anyone who is approached by someone saying he or she is a police officer and not in uniform should be able to show proper credentials, including a badge."

Authorities said Terrell was arrested for first-degree criminal impersonation.
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Information from: Batesville Guard

[TexasStooge]

Woman in Witch Costume Robs Wash. Bank

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A woman dressed as a witch robbed a bank and vanished in the smoke of an exploding security dye pack, then apparently reappeared in street clothes and held up another bank, police said.

The Halloween holdups were less than an hour apart at bank branches in Olympia and neighboring Lacey, authorities said.

The first robbery was reported when a woman wearing a shiny purple witch hat, cloak and long blond wig handed the teller a note indicating she had a weapon and demanding cash, Lacey police Lt. Phil Comstock said.

As the woman ran from the bank, the dye pack exploded and she dropped the money and her hat, authorities said.

Olympia police later received a silent alarm from a bank branch where witnesses said a woman handed the teller a note and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

Investigators were comparing images from surveillance cameras, but from witness descriptions "it looks like the same lady," Detective Samuel Costello said.

[rainstorm]

Man Posing As Cop Shows Woman His Tattoos

BATESVILLE, Ark. (AP) - According to Independence County deputies, Steven Terrell's first mistake was telling Christine Gray that he was an undercover officer for the sheriff's department. Then he showed her his driver's license. Then he asked her for a date. Then he was arrested.

Deputies arrested Terrell on Wednesday night after Gray called dispatchers to ask whether police agencies had a Steven Terrell working for them. Gray said Terrell wore a jacket with a sheriff's badge on it and repeatedly showed her his tattoos. He said he had left his badge at home, but showed the woman his license.

Genuine deputies traced Terrell to a Batesville home and found a jacket that matched the one Gray described. Terrell said he was trying to impress the woman.

"An undercover officer won't tell you that or wear anything to indicate his being a policeman. That would be pointless," sheriff's Capt. Bill Lindsey said. "Anyone who is approached by someone saying he or she is a police officer and not in uniform should be able to show proper credentials, including a badge."

Authorities said Terrell was arrested for first-degree criminal impersonation.
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Information from: Batesville Guard

what a dope

[TexasStooge]

Pizza parlor burglar gets away with dough

SAN CLEMENTE, California (Reuters) - A pizza parlor burglar who took the time to bake himself a large pepperoni to go beat it when the overnight crew arrived but still got away with plenty of dough, police said.

Authorities believe that Monday's caper in the coastal Southern California town of San Clemente may have been interrupted by an employee arriving to work at Sonny's Pizza & Pasta, forcing the would-be baker to forgo his predawn snack and flee hastily with only the restaurant's safe.

A surveillance camera captured the entire incident, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department plans on publicizing the videotape to aid their search for the thief.

The suspect entered the restaurant about 2 a.m. and rummaged around for a cook's apron, trying on several until he found one that fit, then began preparing a pepperoni pizza with all the fixings, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino.

The employee arrived at about 3 a.m., found the pizza smoldering in the oven and the safe missing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

[TexasStooge]

Thief Steals $75,000 Worth of Bull Semen

WOLFSVILLE, Md. (AP) - Someone stole $75,000 worth of bull semen from a Frederick County farm, the sheriff's office says. Eric Fleming said the six small canisters of frozen semen taken from a liquid nitrogen tank represented four to five years of collection work.

He said he had planned to sell it and use the proceeds to expand his breeding herd of shorthorn beef cattle.

"I'm so depressed about this that I probably will get out of the cattle business," Fleming said Tuesday.

He said he found the semen missing from an outbuilding on his Stonewood Acres farm in northwestern Frederick County Sunday night.

Fleming said the canisters held the semen of 40 to 50 bulls.

[TexasStooge]

'Belligerent Drunk Man' Gets Into Fight

ORANGE PARK, Fla. (AP) - A partygoer dressed as "Belligerent Drunk Man" was a hit at a Halloween bash until he started acting the part.

Wearing a blue sweatsuit, a belt of beer can pop-tops and a Superman-style emblem on his chest reading "BDM," William A. Griffin got into a fight Sunday morning at an apartment complex, authorities said.

Joseph Gilliam, dressed as the Green Lantern, tried to break up the fight but ended up pushing a sheriff's deputy, authorities said. Gilliam, 37, was charged with disorderly intoxication and battery on an officer. He was released on $753 bail.

Griffin, 26, was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence. He pleaded no contest Monday and was ordered to pay court costs.

Not that deputies didn't appreciate his outfit.

"It was the funniest, if not the most original costume I've ever seen," Deputy Glenn Ward said.

[TexasStooge]

Baggy Pants Trip Up Suspected Thief

FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) - A man suspected of stealing discs from a video store was tripped up by his baggy pants, falling twice before police captured him, authorities said.

James Green, 30, of Detroit, took about a half-dozen DVDs on Sunday night, and initially made his getaway on a bicycle, police said.

Officers spotted him in an alley, and he abandoned the bike and ran, but his pants fell to his ankles and he tripped, Ferndale Detective Sgt. Patrick Jones told The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak. "Finally, he kicked off his pants and shoes" and then jumped a fence into the backyard of a house where he was captured, Jones said.

On Monday, Green pleaded guilty to resisting arrest and retail fraud and was ordered jailed for 30 days.
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Information from: The Daily Tribune