The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Police Nab Napping Robber in Japan

TOKYO, Japan (AP) - A man allegedly broke in to a house in western Japan with the intention of robbing it, but was so drunk that he fell asleep in his victim's home without stealing a thing, police said Monday.

The occupant returned to his home in Kobe city Sunday afternoon to find the unemployed suspect, Tatsumi Okagawa, 52, asleep on the floor upstairs, a Hyogo prefecture (state) police spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

Okagawa told police he had intended to rob the home but instead just fell asleep.

Police caught him as he tried to flee the house and arrested him on suspicion of illegal entry, the spokesman said.

Kobe, a major port city, lies about 270 miles west of Tokyo.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man Chokes Police Dog After Chase

MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) - Police used a stun gun to subdue a man who started choking a police dog that found him after a chase on foot, authorities said.

Danny Cook, 38, of Muncie was being held Monday in Delaware County Jail on $17,500 bond on preliminary charges of cruelty to a law enforcement animal, resisting law enforcement and being a habitual traffic offender.

Authorities said Cook ran from police after an officer tried to stop him for running a stop sign about 3 a.m. Sunday. A police dog named Ronny found Cook about 45 minutes later near a tree beside a house, police said.

Cook grabbed the dog's lower jaw after it bit him to try to hold him in place, police said.

"I told the guy to get on the ground, but he backed away, so I sent my dog after him again," said Ronny's handler, Patrolman Mike Shaffer. "This time the guy grabbed my dog's collar and started choking him. I could hear him (the dog) gasping for breath."

By then, other officers had arrived and subdued Cook by shocking him with an electric stun gun, police said.

If convicted, Cook could face from six months to eight years in prison and fines totaling up to $25,000.

[alicia-w]

ooh, you dont screw with a cop dog. that's right up there with shooting a cop. they dont like that much.

[TexasStooge]

Naked Man Climbs Onto Moving Jet

LOS ANGELES, Ca. (Reuters) - A Canadian man, angry that he was refused a plane ticket to Australia at Los Angeles International Airport, stripped naked, sprinted across the tarmac and climbed into the wheel well of a moving jumbo jet, officials said on Wednesday.

Pilots of the Qantas Airways flight stopped the plane. The man was coaxed out of the wheel well and arrested for trespassing, said airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles.

"This was an extremely dangerous thing for him to do. If he had continued to cling in there with the aircraft taking off at over 200 miles (320 kph) per hour, he might have fallen out and could have been sucked up by an engine," she said.

"If he had survived that and was in the wheel well when the landing gear was retracted, he could have been crushed by the mechanism. And if not he very likely would have frozen to death during the 15 1/2 hour flight at 30,000 feet while wearing no clothes."

The man, Neil Melly, 31, tried to buy a one-way ticket on the Qantas flight on Monday evening, but was turned down because he could not supply a valid credit card, Castles said.

Later, he managed to climb over an airport fence, topped by three strands of barbed wire, without injury and was spotted by a ramp worker "running, naked, full-speed" toward the plane.

Castles said a check by authorities found that Melly had been reported missing to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and was suffering from bi-polar disorder, a manic-depressive illness.

[TexasStooge]

Police: Woman Seeks Directions After Heist

POWAY, Calif. (AP) - A woman robbed a credit union of at least $3,000 and then asked a teller for directions to another bank, authorities said.

Around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, the woman handed a note demanding money to a teller at the Great American Credit Union in Poway, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Department Lt. Rick Figueroa.

The note also asked for directions to a nearby San Diego County Credit Union branch in San Diego, the sheriff's department said.

Deputies searched the area around the Great American Credit Union but were unable to find the suspect. They notified the San Diego County Credit Union that the robber had asked for directions to that site.

The FBI is investigating.

[TexasStooge]

Cops: Teens Use Fake Bills for Fast Food

WEST BEND, Wis. (AP) - Four teens are accused of using fake $5 bills printed on a home computer to pay for fast-food restaurant meals, taxi rides and other purchases before the scam was discovered.

Police Sgt. Gus Unertl said Wednesday that the three 14-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy were caught after some merchants noticed the money wasn't legitimate and others deposited it with banks where it was discovered.

"If you looked at it real quick, it appeared to be legitimate money," Unertl said. "You might not notice anything wrong if you didn't hold it up to the light. ...

"But the question is, if you're doing a quick transaction at McDonald's, do you hold it up to the light?"

He said authorities filed state charges of forgery instead of seeking federal counterfeiting charges because of the teens' young ages and because of the small denomination of the bills.

Washington County juvenile authorities are to recommend whether the boys will face a delinquency hearing. The four have been released to custody of their parents.

Police confiscated computer equipment believed to have been used by one boy to print the bills, Unertl said.

The fake bills started to appear in West Bend Oct. 23.

Among other problems, the paper was nothing like the paper used for real currency, Unertl said.

Some people who received the bogus bills had some information about the teens, such as first names or other details, and provided it to investigators, he said.

Authorities notified the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates counterfeiting, on Wednesday of the boys' arrests. The Secret Service part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

___


Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man Tried to Rob Bank Being Built

KENNESAW, Ga. (AP) - There is little money to be gained from attempting to rob a bank that is still under construction, police say a Marietta man learned on Wednesday.

Michael Donald Marshall, 39, entered the Bank of America and demanded $500 from the tellers while threatening that he had a gun, according to the Kennesaw Police Department.

The employees then told him the bank wasn't open for business and there was no money. Kennesaw Police arrived as Marshall exited the building empty-handed, officers said.

The suspect is charged with armed robbery. During their investigation, police also learned that Marshall had an outstanding warrant for shoplifting in Cobb, Kennesaw Police spokesman officer Scott Luther said.

[TexasStooge]

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: During a high-speed chase involving a new SUV, police in Dearborn Heights, Mich., say they cornered the vehicle, but the driver intentionally rammed the police cruiser, then sped off again, going 60 mph through residential streets. A short time later, the driver rolled the vehicle four times, allowing officers to collar the determined delinquent. The 16-year-old driver had a statement to make: "I will be honest," the unidentified boy told the cops. "I stole the truck for my girlfriend's prom that is tomorrow." The boy then had a question for the speechless officers: "Since I told you the truth, can my mom come ... pick me up?" (Detroit Free Press) ...Sure, kid. In 6-8 years.

CATCH ME TOO: A sheriff deputy in Putnam County, W.Va., chasing a speeding vehicle, was surprised when it turned toward the county courthouse and skidded to a halt in its parking lot. The driver jumped out and was running for the door when Deputy John Hedrick caught up with him. "He was late for a court hearing," Hedrick said. He let the man make his court appointment, but notified the bailiff that the man could not leave until he talked to him again. After the hearing was over, Hedrick cited the unidentified man for speeding and driving with a suspended license. "It kind of worked out all right," Hedrick said. "He got to court, then he got the ticket." (Charleston Gazette-Mail) ...When it comes time to have the hearing on that ticket, Hedrick might want to wait for him outside.

CATCH ME III: Police in Bethel, Alaska, tried to stop a car for a burned out tail light, but the driver sped off instead. Officers weren't particularly worried the man would get away: Bethel is completely isolated -- the nearest state highway is 400 miles away. After an hour of going back and forth along the town's nine miles of roads, the man jumped out and ran across the tundra to get away. Police waited for him to walk back to town. John Smith, 23, was arrested and charged with failure to stop, driving with a revoked license, reckless driving and felony driving under the influence. (Anchorage Daily News) ...And the tail light? They'll get him for that later, when he drives himself home from jail.

[TexasStooge]

WOLF!: After more than a year of investigation by San Marino, Calif., police, the FBI, Postal inspectors, and other agencies, the case of who has been sending threatening letters to the vice principal of San Marino High School has been solved. The culprit? The supposed victim herself, Mary Andrea Mitchel, 41. Mitchel had claimed the 39 threatening letters had been sent by students, so detectives followed her to ensure she was not harmed. Then, police say, Mitchel finally admitted she had written the letters to get attention, leading to 123 criminal charges that could land her in prison for 30 years. The letters were simply "a cry for help," says her attorney, Michael Mayock. "Clearly she is absolutely stressed to the max." (Pasadena Star-News) ...Well yeah, she's been staying up late writing herself letters.

[TexasStooge]

Woman Sentenced to Jail for Filthy House

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - After ignoring six years of prodding from the city, a woman is going to jail for having a filthy house. A Douglas County judge Thursday sentenced Rosie Fellman to 45 days behind bars for littering, with breaks every 10 days to clean up her central Omaha home.

Trash and debris has been piled up to 5 feet deep in the house and garage, which are a health and fire hazard, the city's chief housing inspector Kevin Denker said.

Last month, inspectors found more than 100 garbage cans in the driveway.

City Prosecutor Marty Conboy said the city has spent six years trying to get Fellman to clean up. There was not much else the judge could do, Conboy said.

At the end of Fellman's sentence, the judge will decide if she has improved the home's condition. If not, she could be sentenced to another 45 days in jail.

The city has ordered the home demolished, but Fellman, who lives alone, is appealing the order.

"If she doesn't clean it out we'll just tear down everything," Denker said.

[TexasStooge]

Man could face jail time for distributing bogus Coca-Cola to restaurants

PITTSBURGH, Penn. (Court TV/AP) — Have a Coke and a crime.

An unknown number of restaurants unwittingly took part in a bogus Coca-Cola taste test, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

The indictment accuses a now-defunct distributor of shipping soft drinks to restaurants throughout southwest Pennsylvania with bogus labels promising Coca-Cola, Coke, Coca-Cola Classic, Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Ramblin Root Beer.

Joseph Stefancic Jr., 50, pleaded not guilty Thursday to trademark infringement, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Armed Food and Drug Administration inspectors visited a warehouse for his company, Pittsburgh Flavor Co., in August, Stefancic said.

"I don't understand it," he said. "Couldn't Coca-Cola have just approached me and said there might be a problem here? Instead, they went straight to the FDA."

The sales took place between January 2001 and Sept. 5, 2003, according to the indictment.

Neither the U.S. Attorney's office nor Coca-Cola would comment.

Pittsburgh Flavor closed this year because of poor sales, Stefancic said.

[TexasStooge]

Woman arrested for bareback horse riding

BILLINGS, Montana (Court TV) — The "Lady Godiva"-like sighting of a female horseback rider was hard to miss.

Dawnalee Ellis, 34, was arrested after residents in a Billings, Mont., neighborhood called police Oct. 28 to report sightings of a half-naked woman riding a horse.

Billings Police Lt. Joe Bryce said Ellis was riding near the stable where she kept her horse when the calls came in at about 12:49 p.m. The rider allegedly was wearing a blouse and a very short mini skirt that had hiked up to her waist and left little to the imagination.

"She wasn't wearing any underwear," Bryce said.

Ellis reportedly was drinking a can of beer as she rode her horse and allegedly ignored police when they approached her in their patrol cars.

Officers followed Ellis into an alleyway where the horse balked. She was arrested when she dismounted to lead the animal through a gate.

Police charged Ellis with disorderly conduct and released her on $100 bond. A friend of Ellis' returned her horse to the local corral.

The incident was the community's second "Lady Godiva" sighting.

A week earlier, police received reports of a nude woman on a horse. They were unable to locate the rider or the horse at the time, Bryce said. He could not confirm if Ellis was a suspect in that sighting.

[TexasStooge]

Cops: Would-be robber asks for open-door policy

MISSOULA, Montana (Court TV) — A Montana man's scheme for an easy store robbery turned into a convenient capture for authorities.

Missoula police arrested Michael Dean Bergman, 21, and John B. Demuary, 25, during a surveillance operation prompted by an ill-advised phone call one suspect made the day before.

According to Missoula Police Sgt. Travis Welsh, Bergman called an acquaintance who worked at a wireless phone store and asked the employee to leave the door unlocked at closing time so Bergman and Demuary could rob the store.

Bergman also allegedly requested that cash from the day's sales be made available for the duo. The employee contacted police.

Sgt. Welsh said seven officers were stationed around the store when the would-be robbers showed up at about 1:00 a.m. The door was left unlocked as Bergman requested and the pair entered the premise.

Police moved in, arrested both men and charged them with burglary.

Prosecutors set Bergman's bail at $50,000 and Demuary's bail at $20,000.

Bergman is scheduled to appear at a Nov. 9 hearing, while Demuary's trial has been slated for January. Both men face a maximum of 20 years in prison if found guilty.

[TexasStooge]

Sorry, wrong number

BAY COUNTY, Fla. (Court TV) - A slip of finger led to the biggest methamphetamine bust in Bay County, Fla., history.

Vicki Lynn Nunnery, 43, was trying to make a long-distance call Oct. 20 when she mistakenly dialed 911, according to Bay County Sheriff's spokesperson Ruth Sasser. Though the caller immediately hung up, police investigated the dropped call.

"We always send someone to investigate disconnected 911 calls," Sasser said.

When an officer arrived at the home where the call originated from, Nunnery and her roommate, Vito James Knowles, 44, came out into the yard and told him the call was an accident. But the officer detected a strong odor of the drug commonly known as "Crystal Meth" and contacted the Sheriff's narcotics unit.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Nunnery's residence and discovered a methamphetamine lab.

Sasser said the Sheriff's office had previously received tips about drug activity at Nunnery's home and had placed the location under surveillance, but authorities had yet to find probable cause for a search warrant until the misdial.

Nunnery and Knowles have been charged with drug trafficking. Both are being held in the Bay County jail.

[TexasStooge]

Come Back Tomorrow, Cops Tell Bank Robber

ALBANY, N.Y. (Reuters) - An Albany man turned himself into police after seeing himself on TV news robbing a bank but was turned away by officers who told him to come back the next day, police said on Tuesday.

Albany resident Darrell Lewis, 40, surrendered to police hours after his Nov. 1 holdup of a downtown bank but was told to come back the next day to be arrested.

Lewis went to a different station the following day and was charged with robbery, Albany police spokesman Jimmy Miller said.

The incident has prompted an internal investigation.

[TexasStooge]

Stage Sex Man Shocks Again in Court

OSLO, Norway (Reuters) - A couple who sparked outrage by having sex on stage in front of thousands of stunned rock concert goers in Norway shocked again on Tuesday when the man pulled down his trousers in court.

"Oops, I must have dropped my pants," Tommy Hol Ellingsen, 28, said as he stripped in front of reporters during a break at a local court in Kristiansand, southern Norway.

Hol Ellingsen and Petra Leona Johansson, 22, were in court after refusing to pay a fine of 10,000 crowns ($1,574) each for copulating on stage during a concert in July.

The two, who are members of an environmental group, said their sex stunt was meant to draw attention to a campaign to save the rain forest. Their attorney argued that they were protected under freedom of expression law.

[TexasStooge]

Women Allege Boss Spanked Them for Errors

By BILL POOVEY, Associated Press Writer

RED BANK, Tenn. - Two young women complained to police that they were spanked by their 57-year-old employer for mistakes on the job, and the boss now faces criminal charges.

One of the women told police that on her first day at the Tasty Flavors Sno Biz, before any spanking, owner Paul Eugene Levengood made her sign a statement that said: "I give Gene permission to bust my behind any way he sees fit."

The separate complaints prompted two sexual battery charges against Levengood of Cleveland, who was freed on a $2,000 bond pending a Nov. 16 court hearing.

Levengood could not be reached for comment Tuesday, and his Tasty Flavors Sno Biz shaved ice business in this Chattanooga suburb was closed.

Police Sgt. Jay LaMance said the two 19-year-old women likely accepted the spankings instead of leaving immediately because they were "brought up to respect anybody who is an authority figure."

One of the women told police Nov. 1 that she "was shocked at the incident but could not leave because she had no transportation." The other woman said she continued to work for Levengood more than a year after she was spanked and reported to police that he told her "either she could be spanked or be fired."

The Associated Press is not identifying the women because they may be victims of a sexual crime.

According to police documents, one of the women reported that on Oct. 30, her fourth day on the job, Levengood called her "into the back room of the store" after she forgot to put a banana in a smoothie drink.

She said that as punishment Levengood "bent her over his knee and spanked her behind 20 times."

She said that was one day after he "snapped a photograph of her behind" as she reached for a flavor bottle on a shelf.

LaMance said one of the women showed him photographs that had been kept at the store. The photos of women were shot from behind and in some cases do not show faces but "all you see are their behinds," he said.

"These photos are not sexually explicit," he said. "They are clothed."

At the company headquarters in Minneapolis, sales manager Tom Novetzke described Levengood as a "very Christian person." He said the company's toll-free number is very visible for employees and customers.

"We've never had a complaint," Novetzke said.

He said Levengood opened the store about two years ago and is "an independent operator using our products."

[TexasStooge]

Suspect Escapes After Asking About Stove

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A handcuffed burglary suspect escaped from police custody at his home in Puerto Rico after asking an officer if he could turn off his stove, officials said Tuesday.

The incident occurred Monday in the central mountain town of Utuado when Officer Luis Rios Rodriguez arrested 36-year-old Serrail Vega Villafane at his home, police spokeswoman Marisely Zambrana said.

Rios took Vega to the town's courthouse where he was charged with aggravated burglary and weapons possession, Zambrana said. But a prosecutor asked for the keys of the car allegedly used to commit the burglary.

The judge permitted Rios to take Vega back to his home to retrieve the keys, police said. Before leaving the house, Vega asked the officer if he could check his stove to make sure it was turned off.

Taking advantage of the officer's trust, Vega jumped from a second-floor deck and disappeared into surrounding woods, Zambrana said. He remained at large on Tuesday.

A judge fined Vega $36,000 for failing to reappear at the courthouse.

Rios, a 36-year-old officer with about 10 years on the force, was scheduled to go before a police review board to determine whether his actions were negligent.

[TexasStooge]

Man Allegedly Tries to Swap Pot for Tires

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A man who unsuccessfully tried to barter with marijuana was arrested for stealing two auto tires after the deal was rejected, Roseville police said.

Joshua Dean Williams, 20, and another man allegedly tried the pot-for-tires swap at a Sears Auto Center, said police spokeswoman Dee Dee Gunther.

When the sales clerk refused, one of the men swung at the worker with a baseball bat, Gunther said. The worker avoided being struck and threw a rock at the car, shattering a window.

The suspects grabbed two tires and drove off, Gunther said.

The duo returned to the store about an hour later looking for the worker who broke their window, said Tim Thompson, assistant manager of the tire shop.

The two fled after workers recognized them, but police were able to nab Williams and arrest him on suspicion of robbery, Gunther said.

Williams was being held in the Placer County jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. The second suspect was still at large.

[TexasStooge]

Man Acts As Child, Allegedly Gropes Nurses

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A man allegedly groped two home health care nurses while posing as a mentally retarded man who needed his diapers changed, according to criminal complaints. William Warren Mucklow, 38, was arrested Tuesday.

The complaints, filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court, allege that Mucklow posed as his mother to respond to ads for home health care workers and hire two nurses to care for a man who has the mind of a 2- or 3-year-old.

Mucklow then posed as a mentally retarded person, said Charleston Police Sgt. S.A. Cooper.

The nurses, who worked separately in February and March, said Mucklow grabbed their breasts while they cared for him, the complaints allege.

Mucklow, who was charged with two counts of battery, was released from the South Central Regional Jail on a $10,000 cash bond Tuesday afternoon.

Two civil lawsuits — filed by women against Mucklow for allegedly groping them while they cared for him as he acted like a child — are pending.

Deborah McCorey is seeking $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress.

"After several hours of the plaintiff providing care for the defendant, the defendant 'slipped up' and did act as a 40-year-old man which completely upset and traumatized" McCorey, the lawsuit states.

Three women have made similar accusations against Mucklow, with two wanting to press charges, Charleston police Detective S.A. Dempsey said.

Meanwhile, Mucklow had announced earlier this month he was chartering a bus for people wanting to get flu shots in Canada.

That trip was canceled prior to the arrest, Mucklow told the Charleston Gazette.

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Information from: The Charleston Gazette, http://www.wvgazette.com