The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Police finger Friday mugger

STATEN ISLAND, New York (Court TV) - Keith Brown had a familiar teen problem: He was often strapped for cash.

But instead of getting a part-time job like many teens his age, the 17-year-old Staten Island, N.Y., native decided that mugging people was an easier way to make a quick buck.

At least he kept a part-time schedule. He targeted his victims on Mondays and Fridays.

According to the Staten Island Advance, Brown told detectives that he robbed people on Mondays because he had no money, and on Fridays because he felt like going out.

He added that he especially enjoyed seeing movies on Fridays.

Brown was arrested after an attempted mugging on Jan. 23. He pulled a knife on two teens and demanded money. A struggle ensued when the teens told Brown they had no money. Brown fled after dropping his knife. He was later apprehended.

Brown was charged for an earlier incident, a Monday mugging, and the attempted Friday mugging.

He also confessed to attacking three other victims.

The movie-loving teen pleaded guilty to two charges of third-degree robbery and attempted robbery, and faces two to six years in prison for each charge.

Ironically, his sentencing is also set for a Friday: May 28.

[TexasStooge]

FORT WORTH, Texas (KXAS TV) -- A man had more than his hands full when a homeowner busted him allegedly stealing from his garage.

When Wade Spradilin pulled up to his Fort Worth home on Monday he found a burglar exiting the garage with his property.

Spradilin, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall and 240 pounds, was a college wrestler and has a brown belt in tae kwon do. Spradilin pinned the burglar and called 911.

"He said, 'Man, why don't you let me go?' And I said, 'I'm not going to let you go,'" Spradilin told NBC 5. "And I said, 'If you try to move I am going to knock you out!'"

Spradilin even demonstrated the moves he used to subdue the suspect on NBC 5's Scott Gordon (pictured, above). Spradilin also told Gordon that in college he was known as "Wrasslin' Spradilin."

The suspect, Samuel Nobles, has a long record of burglary convictions.

Nobles is currently in the Tarrant County jail.

[TexasStooge]

Verizon customer gets heard

FARGO, North Dakota (Court TV) — Jason Perala was mad as hell and wasn't going to put up with unreliable cellphone service anymore.

That message was loud and clear when the Fargo, N.D., construction worker walked into a local mall May 12 and trashed a Verizon Wireless store.

Police say that before Perala, 22, reached the store he warned other mall customers about his mission of destruction.

"He told people to stay away from the Verizon store, that there was going to be trouble," Police Sergeant Kevin Volrath said.

Perala reportedly walked into the store, took off his shirt and put on a pair of safety goggles. He then turned to one of the store employees and said, "Let's go, motherf----rs."

He began knocking computers and phones off their pedestals, tearing down wall displays and throwing phones across the store. But refrained from destroying another customer's merchandise after the man, who witnessed the rampage, pointed out his purchases, Volrath said.

The store employees locked themselves in an office to escape Perala's wrath. One employee later reported being hit on the shoulder by a flying cellphone.

Police officers were called to the scene. They drew their taser guns and ordered Perala to the floor. He was arrested without incident and later told police he had worn goggles because he had anticipated their arrival.

"He knew we'd be coming and that we carry Mace," Volrath said. "He didn't want us to be able to get that stuff in his eyes."

However, Perala did not plan for stun guns which Volrath said made him more than compliant during the arrest.

Perala was charged with criminal mischief and simple assault, and ordered to stay away from the Verizon store. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 10.

[TexasStooge]

Three hots and a cot, but not for life

YAKIMA, Washington (Court TV) — Ruben Ramirez thought he'd be getting three square meals and a bed at night for life. Instead he will have to settle for eight and a half years.

The Yakima, Wash., man who robbed a Wells Fargo bank last August so he could get a life sentence under the state's "three strikes" law, was disappointed by a judge who gave him a reduced sentence on May 6.

Ramirez had his numbers right — he had three prior armed robbery convictions in California from the early 80s — but a legal loophole foiled his bizarre quest for lodging.

According to Yakima County Prosecutor Dwayne Knittle, Ramirez, 45, was arrested after he walked into a Wells Fargo bank and told a teller that he had a gun and wanted money. But then Ramirez sat down by the front door and waited for police.

When he was arrested, Ramirez told police that he wanted to go back to jail because he was divorced and had no job and no money. He later said that he wanted to be punished under the "three strikes" law, Knittle said.

Ramirez almost got his wish until prosecutors reviewed his conviction history.

"He did not meet the exact criteria for Washington's 'three strikes' provision," Knittle said. "Under the statute he had only one serious conviction."

To be convicted under Washington's "three strikes" law, an offender must be convicted of each violent crime separately before a new strike can be counted. Ramirez somehow managed to commit all three of his offenses in California before ever being convicted or sentenced for any of them.

Technically only one of his convictions counted as a strike in Washington state.

Ramirez has one more strike left to use if he decides to make his prison permanent.

[TexasStooge]

Thief Steals Yacht Out of Love for His Daughter

DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) - A thief living in Ireland missed his young daughter so much that he stole a 84,000 euro ($100,000) yacht and sailed to England to see her.

Ignoring a budget airline industry which offers flights across the Irish Sea for a handful of euros, Lawrence McMillan took the yacht from a marina in southern Ireland and headed east, a court heard.

"It was a most foolhardy expedition, but he wanted to return to his daughter in Boston, Lincolnshire, to whom he is deeply attached," McMillan's lawyer said.

The would-be sailor, a 53-year-old Scottish-Canadian who lived in a caravan in western Ireland, ran into trouble off the English coast and had to be rescued by helicopter, newspapers reported Friday.

The court sentenced him to 14 months in jail Thursday.

[TexasStooge]

Woman objects strongly to ex's wedding

COVINGTON, Georgia (Court TV) - Shirley Darlene Kent was unable to forever hold her peace.

The Covington, Ga., woman was arrested April 29 for disrupting her ex-husband's wedding.

Kent, 27, apparently thought the bride-to-be was all wrong for her former husband, Willie Cosby.

According to police reports, Kent approached Cosby in the Newton County Courthouse hallway where he sat with his fiancée. Kent began arguing loudly with Cosby about their three children and told him not marry his bride.

Deputy Sheriff Mark Polite intervened when Kent pulled on Cosby's shirt.

"I told her to stay away from them," Polite said. "But she kept saying she just needed five minutes of his time."

Kent became even more upset when the judge summoned Cosby and the bride to the ceremony. Polite walked Kent outside and made sure she would not return to the courthouse.

"I was trying to be sympathetic. I gave her the opportunity to leave but she didn't," Polite said.

According to the deputy, Kent continued to be disruptive even as two wedding guests tried to placate her. But when Cosby and his new wife made their way out of the courthouse to the parking lot, Kent allegedly ran past the guests and headed for the couple.

She lunged at Cosby and threatened to kill him, Polite said.

"I had hoped she would have made the better choice to leave," Polite said.

Kent was charged with disorderly conduct and making terrorist threats. She faces up to six years in prison and $6,000 in fines.

[TexasStooge]

Ship escape plan gets wrecked

QUINCY, Mass (Court TV) - It's the great escape that never was.

When Jonathan Schempp of Quincy, Mass., wanted out of a May 12 court appearance for a slew of motor vehicle violations and assault charges, he decided to skip town.

Destination? Cape Verde, Africa. Transport of choice? A shipping crate.

"Someone he knew had relatives out in Cape Verde. He figured they would pick up the box and unpack him," Police Captain John Chepren said.

According to Chepren, Schempp, 22, went to the Atlantic Shipping Co. in Fall River on May 11 and purchased a large box to ship himself out of the country. He loaded the box with his personal belongings, food and water. He then recruited a friend to load him into the box and deliver him via U-Haul to the shipping company's warehouse.

But Schempp's plan began to go awry. "He didn't plan on having his box nailed shut by the warehouse and fitted with metal straps. Then a bunch of other boxes were stacked on top of him and everything got loaded into an airtight crate," Chepren said.

Also, for unknown reasons the transport ship to Cape Verde was delayed by 15 days, and transit time from the African island nation would take another two weeks. Schempp would have run out of food and oxygen before getting to his destination.

But police say Schempp would have died from something more immediate: the warehouse's stifling heat during an unseasonable heat wave in the area.

Three days later, a Cape Verdean friend who knew of Schempp's attempted escape heard about the shipping delay and called police. A search dog helped locate a disoriented and dehydrated Schempp within minutes.

Schempp was treated at a local hospital for dehydration and later arrested for skipping his court hearing. But he won't be doing any time for his self-shipping stunt.

"Unfortunately, there is no charge for stupidity," Chepren said.

[TexasStooge]

Major misdial lands alleged crack-seeker in jail

ONTARIO (Court TV) - A 27-year-old Ohio woman may be looking at some jail time after a serious case of misdialing.

Amy Logue mistakenly called the Ontario Police Department to buy crack cocaine.

Officer Robert Griefenstine was on dispatch duty when the call came in at 6:30 a.m. on May 15.

"I answered, 'Ontario Police,'" Griefenstine said. "The individual probably didn't hear me because it was a cellphone call and the line was breaking up."

Logue asked the officer what he was doing, and he told her he was working. She then asked if he was "on."

Griefenstine's experience working with a narcotics task force told him that the call was probably about a drug purchase and he decided to play along.

Logue allegedly asked to buy some "80" and wanted to meet with the officer. Griefenstine put Logue on hold and went to get his commander. But Logue had hung up. The officers listened to the taped call and heard Logue ask someone in the background, "What number was that that I called?"

Logue called back, but this time Griefenstine's commander, Lt. Randy Hutchinson, answered.

"We didn't want to tell her again we were the Ontario Police," Griefenstine said. "She already had one chance."

Logue identified herself by name and requested $80 worth of "rock" or crack cocaine. Police say she suggested a meeting in the parking lot of a local McDonald's.

Officers went to the arranged location and found Logue and two others waiting in a car. Although her companions allegedly admitted Logue was there to purchase drugs, she insisted she was only there to buy a sandwich. Police found $80 on her.

Logue was charged with attempting to commit a first offense and disorderly conduct by intoxication for trying to kick the window out of a patrol car. Police say other charges for the solicitation are likely to follow.

[TexasStooge]

Oxygen-dependent robbery suspect runs out of air

KENMORE, Ohio (Court TV) - When Officer Janet Hoffinger arrived at the scene of a convenience store holdup, she thought the frail-looking man hooked up to an oxygen tank was one of the victims.

He turned out to be the alleged robber.

Police say a very bad case of emphysema was not enough to deter William Basil Armstrong from attempting to rob a Kenmore, Ohio, store.

Armstrong, 57, allegedly walked into the store and pointed a gun at the store owner. Close behind him was an oxygen tank that he dragged on wheels.

He demanded money, but the store owner, Imran Surani, refused and ordered him out of the store.

"He gave up and just wheeled himself out," Hoffinger said.

But Surani decided to go after Armstrong to prevent him from targeting other stores. He tackled Armstrong outside of the store.

Armstrong allegedly pointed the gun at Surani's head and tried to pull the trigger.

"I'm not sure whether he was too old or needed more oxygen or if the gun was too big and his hands were too small, but he just couldn't reach the trigger," Hoffinger said.

Surani slapped Armstrong on the head, which caused the suspect to his gun. A woman who stopped to buy gas and saw the scuffle picked up the gun and pointed it at Armstrong.

Armstrong then pleaded with Surani to let him off the ground because he needed some oxygen.

Hoffinger said Armstrong, who looked much older than 56, admitted to trying to rob the store because he was broke. "I handcuffed him and wheeled the oxygen tank along with him," he said.

Armstrong is charged with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and felonious assault. He is also charged with using a stolen gun during the robbery attempt.

[TexasStooge]

This Is a Stick-Up! Fry Me Some Eggs!

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) - A hungry Argentine thief forced his way into a home on Friday to steal clothes and appliances -- before sitting at the dinner table to demand the captive family cook him a proper meal.

"He ordered a steak and fried eggs. Afterward, he pulled the telephone out and tied the family up," said the porter from the building in a posh neighborhood of Buenos Aires.

The thief then escaped.

[TexasStooge]

Oregon Man Bites Dog Before His Arrest

BEND, Ore. - A man suspected of assaulting his girlfriend set two fires and bit a dog on the head as he tried to escape from police, the authorities said.

Jeffrey Scott Sernett, 23, of Bend was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of assault, reckless burning, interfering with a police animal and resisting arrest.

The incident started when authorities received a call that a man would not leave a woman's home. By the time police arrived, Sernett had assaulted his girlfriend, Bend Police Lt. Jerry Stone said.

Sernett ran from the home and set two grass fires, which were extinguished with garden hoses, Stone said.

Police late found Sernett hiding in an area filled with empty pipes. Sernett, who was yelling profanities at the officers, refused to surrender.

"He was given several opportunities to come out of the pipe and he basically signaled with his middle finger," Stone said.

A police dog named Amor was sent in to retrieve Sernett and bit the suspect in the leg.

Sernett responded by lifting the dog off the ground and biting him on the head, Stone said.

Sernett was arrested and taken to St. Charles Medical Center, where he was treated for the bite wound and released. Amor suffered a minor head injury.

Sernett was booked in the Deschutes County Jail, where his bail was set at $12,500.

[TexasStooge]

Joined at the hip, thief and statue make clean getaway

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Virginia (Court TV) - An art lover with an eye for life-like sculptures is wanted for a brazen abduction.

The victim is a white female, 40 pounds, 5-feet-2 inches tall, brunette with blue eyes. She was last seen perched on her abductor's hip. She was wearing a gray bikini top and black bikini bottom.

According to Fairfax County police, a man at the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival walked up to the statue known as "Legs Folded" because of her sitting position and plucked her off her pedestal. He then walked out of the exhibition center with the statue.

Several dozen witnesses saw the statue heist but did not realize they were witnessing a theft. An alarm wasn't raised until the artist noticed one of his statues was gone.

"If someone at a fair picks up a statue and calmly walks away with it many people would assume the person has something to do with the statue," police Sgt. Jeff Gossett said of the lack of attention the crime raised.

"Legs Folded," a life-size and life-like poly-resin statue, is the work of Wisconsin artist Marc Sijan, who has sold similar works to celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone.

Fairfax police conducted a crowd search and dispatched a helicopter to help with an aerial sweep.

"The statue was life-sized, so a man carrying it on the street would be easily seen in the air," Gossett explained.

The suspect was not caught. He is described as a white male in his 40s or 50s with short blond and gray hair.

"Legs Folded" is valued at $38,000. Fairfax police are offering a small reward for information leading to an arrest.

[TexasStooge]

Car thief pinches officer's cellphone

CARDBORO, N.C. (Court TV) - Police will keep a close watch on Zachary Lee Foust the next time he pays them a visit.

After the 19-year-old Chapel Hill man was arrested May 29 for breaking into a car and stealing some items, he then stole his arresting officer's cellphone, according to police.

Foust allegedly committed his second theft inside a patrol car where he was waiting to be transported to jail. At the time, he was handcuffed in the back and restrained with a seatbelt.

Officer Grant Mayfield, who was taking Foust to be booked for felony breaking and entering, said he wasn't concerned when he left the limber suspect alone in the car briefly to complete some paperwork.

Upon arriving at the jail, however, Mayfield noticed his cellphone was missing from the car's center console. He never suspected Foust.

"I thought I had put it somewhere else," Mayfield said.

Inside the jail, the officer noted that Foust was acting oddly, shifting in his chair and looking down. Then Mayfield heard the sound.

"I knew it was my cellphone because it has a distinct beep," he said.

Mayfield searched Foust again and found his Motorola phone in the man's left shoe.

"I don't know how he got it into his shoe with cuffs on and a tight seatbelt. But I told him I'd be adding on a second charge and coming back with a warrant."

Foust was charged with misdemeanor larceny for the phone heist. He is being held in the Orange County jail.

[TexasStooge]

Bank teller calls robber a taxi

(Court TV) - A good disguise and getaway plan are perhaps two key elements for a successful bank heist. But Ernest Di Falco did not put much thought into either.

The 53-year-old New Jersey man allegedly walked into the Rutherford branch of Bank of New York wearing a business suit, sunglasses and a long brown wig. It wasn't much of a disguise since a bank employee recognized him as a former employee of a local pizza shop.

According to the North Jersey Herald, Di Falco pointed a fake gun at a teller and demanded money. He then asked the woman for a ride to his car. He told her it was parked down the street. The woman refused and called Di Falco a cab instead.

With his cash in hand, Di Falco waited patiently for the cab to arrive, the report said, even as people walked by. A bank employee wrote down the cab's plate number, according to the paper.

Police sent out a radio alert with the vehicle's description. They also called the dispatcher at the cab company who instructed the driver in Polish to pull over.

Police followed the cab until it stopped at a red light a few blocks from Di Falco's home. Di Falco attempted to walk away from the cab but was arrested. The cash, wig, and the fake gun were found on him.

Di Falco faces up to 20 years if convicted.

[TexasStooge]

A new charge for Love: assault with a deadly flashlight

By Lisa Sweetingham - Court TV

Rebel rocker and courtroom fashion plate Courtney Love is expected to surrender to Los Angeles authorities Friday to face new charges of assault with a deadly weapon.

Love, 39, is charged with attacking singer Kristin King with a bottle and a metal flashlight on April 25, 2004. The incident occurred at the home of Love's former boyfriend and manager, Jim Barber. According to a source close to the case, Love showed up unannounced at Barber's home that morning and became enraged to find King sitting on the couch. She allegedly struck the woman with a liquor bottle.

Love's relationship with Barber has a history of alleged misconduct and legal troubles.

On Dec. 15, 2000, the singer filed a lawsuit against Barber's ex-wife, Lesley Barber. The suit, which was later settled, charged that Lesley Barber stalked her, threatened to burn her house down and ran over Love's foot with her Volvo.

In October 2003, police responded to a potential-burglary call at about 2:40 a.m. outside Barber's home, where Love had allegedly broken some windows. Barber did not press charges, but Love admitted to police that she had taken "hillbilly heroin," the slang term for the narcotic painkiller OxyContin.

She was arrested and charged with being under the influence of a controlled substance. In May, she agreed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor drug charge and to enter a drug-rehab program as part of her plea agreement. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for July 16.

Hours after her arrest outside Barber's home, Love allegedly overdosed in her own Beverly Hills home. Police called to the scene would later testify that Love did not possess a prescription for the OxyContin and Vicodin pills in her possession. She has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance. A pretrial hearing in that case is scheduled for July 15.

Love was also arrested in New York in March for allegedly striking a fan in the head with a microphone stand. Gregory Burrett, who attended a concert where Love was performing on March 18, needed three staples in his head after the rocker allegedly tossed the mic into the audience. She pleaded not guilty in May to charges of assault and reckless endangerment.

Love's latest criminal charge was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 2, and an arrest warrant was ordered on Wednesday. According to a press agent at the District Attorney's office, Love is exected to turn herself in Friday for the alleged assault on singer/guitarist King. Because the violation allegedly took place while Love was out on bail, her bond amount was raised from the presumptive $30,000 to $55,000.

The nature of the charge also requires that Love must provide DNA samples — blood and saliva — when she is processed at the LA County Sheriff's Department inmate reception center.

Love's criminal attorney, Michael Rosenstein, did not return calls for comment.

Click here to see the complaint.

[TexasStooge]

BM_3Bank robbery suspects nabbed during lunch break

ABILENE, Texas (Court TV) — His brother's yen for Chinese food proved to be Oscar Ibarra's undoing.

The 33-year-old Texas man was arrested on robbery charges after he allegedly pulled off a heist at the American State Bank in Abilene. Ibarra was caught at a truck stop after he stopped so that his younger brother, Irad, could get lunch.

Abilene police Detective Larry Tatum said Ibarra walked into the bank June 2 and presented a note demanding money to one of the tellers. He received an undisclosed amount of money and left the bank. His brother Irad, 26, was waiting in the getaway car.

A description of Ibarra, his then unidentified brother and the getaway car was announced over police radio, Tatum said. An hour later, two Texas Highway patrolmen saw a vehicle matching the description of Ibarra's car parked at a trucking stop. The two brothers were arrested.

"Oscar admitted to the robbery, but Irad initially denied knowing that his brother had robbed the bank," Tatum said.

According to the Abilene Reporter News, Irad Ibarra was eating Chinese food at the time of the arrest.

The two brothers were arraigned in federal court June 3. Oscar Ibarra was charged with robbery; his brother Irad was charged with providing false information.

[TexasStooge]

Denny's cook busted for special ingredients

WATERLOO, Illinois (Court TV) — A former night-shift cook at a Denny's Restaurant in Illinois is in hot water after allegedly getting creative in the kitchen.

Anthony Lindhorst, of Waterloo, is charged with five counts of aggravated battery for allegedly lacing brownies with marijuana and mixing his semen into the restaurant's sauce.

Lindhorst is accused of serving the brownies to co-workers and the tainted sauce to two customers.

According to Waterloo Police Chief Joe Brauer, Lindhorst, 26, came to work with a tray of brownies that he baked at home and offered them to two co-workers. One co-worker ate two of the brownies, but the second took a bite and realized that the treat owed its unique flavor to something other than cocoa.

The restaurant fired Lindhorst and contacted Waterloo police about the incident, Brauer said. At the same time, another co-worker came forward with information about Lindhorst's other culinary exploit.

The employee and two others reportedly saw Lindhorst mix his semen into an order of honey-mustard dressing which he served to two customers on two separate occasions.

"One is a woman who worked at a restaurant where he worked years before. We presume he targeted her because she was a manager," Brauer said. "The other is a police officer who had stopped him in the past for a minor traffic violation."

The alleged semen contamination occurred in November and April and was carried out in the restaurant's restroom. Both customers have tested negative for any infectious disease, Brauer said.

Police conducted an investigation and arrested Lindhorst May 17. He was released on $25,000 bond, but was re-arrested June 2 for witness tampering. Brauer said Lindhorst returned to the restaurant and tried to intimidate a witness. He is out on another $25,000 bond.

[TexasStooge]

Suspects have camera, will travel

LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (Court TV) — Two rookie crooks are learning the hard way that leaving evidence of your presence at a crime is a quick and surefire way to jail.

Police in Lower Allen Township, Pa., recently nabbed Marqus Anthony Stahl and Michael Wolfe after the two men embarked on a week-long burglary spree. The police had little trouble identifying the pair because the men left photos and video footage of themselves committing their crimes.

According to Detective Justin Spalding, Stahl, 22, and Wolfe, 25, began their crime spree May 28. The two men allegedly broke into 10 cars, vandalized four businesses and stole a car on their first night. Police gave chase when the two allegedly stole the car, but the men escaped on foot and abandoned the vehicle.

"I was processing the stolen truck when I noticed a digital camera behind the driver's seat," Spalding said. "I turned it on and there he was driving the truck," the detective said, referring to Michael Wolfe.

Spalding said a second car chase in which the two men again escaped and abandoned another stolen car yielded a video camera. There, police found a 10-second clip, with Wolfe as the cameraman, of Marqus Stahl walking toward the car they were about to steal.

"Criminals do stupid things," Spalding said. "I guess this was these guys' day to be really dumb."

Stahl and Wolfe allegedly hit other towns in Cumberland and Perry counties. Police began an aggressive search with the help of local television stations and newspapers.

Police got a break when they were called to another burglary where they confronted Stahl and Wolfe. Stahl was apprehended, but Wolfe escaped. The police received an anonymous tip the next day and arrested Wolfe at his former home.

Spaulding said both men have no previous arrest records but that drug use seemed to be a factor in their crime spree.

Stahl and Wolfe are facing a long list of burglary and theft charges. They are both being held at the Cumberland County jail.

[TexasStooge]

Thief Takes Sweets After Needle Holdup Fails

MUNICH, Germany (Reuters) - A man who tried to hold up a pharmacy with a needle he said was contaminated with AIDS gave up after the nervous clerk struggled to open the cash register, and he fled with just a chocolate bar, police said.

A spokesman for the Munich police department said on Tuesday that the thief, aged about 18, waved the syringe at the clerk and demanded she turn over the money in her cash drawer.

Police said the woman was so frightened that she fumbled with the cash drawer.

"It was all too slow for the thief so he just grabbed a chocolate bar and fled," the spokesman added.

[TexasStooge]

Man Fined for Near-Naked Jig at Super Bowl

HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) - A Briton who surprised 70,000 spectators at the Super Bowl, America's top football game, by running onto the field wearing only a thong and dancing a jig was fined $1,000 by a Texas jury on Tuesday.

Mark Roberts, 39, kissed his lawyer and gestured happily to court spectators when the punishment was read. He had faced a possible maximum sentence of six months and a $2,000 fine.

Roberts, found guilty of misdemeanor trespassing for the Feb. 1 incident at Houston's Reliant Stadium, has performed similar stunts at events around the world.

He said he had never before been convicted of a crime and his aim had only been "to entertain people in America."

Prosecutor Kristin Guiney had demanded Roberts be jailed because he had upset stadium spectators and disrupted security plans. "Seventy thousand - that's how many people had to see that man's nearly naked butt," she told the jury.

In the halftime show at the same game, singer Janet Jackson bared her breast during a duet with Justin Timberlake, a scene broadcast on television around the world. Roberts' exposure was limited to the viewers in the stadium.