The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Someone Breaks Into House, Turns Up Heat

HARBORCREEK, Pa. (AP) - An Erie County homeowner returned from a Florida visit to even warmer climes — his house, where police say someone had broken in and had turned up the man's thermostat all the way.

Whoever broke into Paul Rogala's Harborcreek Township home did so by forcing open a basement window. The person then used duct tape to cover a hole in the window — but before leaving, turned up the thermostat and turned on the furnace fan so it was running constantly, state police said.

Rogala turned the thermostat down to 50 degrees when he left Nov. 20 for the visit to 80-degree Florida. He and his family returned Monday, police said.

The house was not otherwise ransacked or disturbed, and nothing appeared to be stolen, Rogala said Wednesday.

[TexasStooge]

Man Leads Deputy on Bizarre Tractor Chase

MARISSA, Ill. (AP) - A southern Illinois man led a sheriff's deputy on a bizarre tractor chase that ended with his arrest on a felony charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The case began when St. Clair County Deputy Scott Toth was called to investigate a blue 1996 Chevrolet that was in a ditch. Authorities said the car had severe front-end damage but no driver.

Toth left the vehicle to try to locate the car's owner, then returned to find a man on a tractor trying to pull the car from the ditch, according to St. Clair County Sheriff's Master Sgt. Steve Johnson.

The man, 39-year-old Randall C. Jenkins of Marissa, denied he had been driving the car but began driving away in the tractor as Toth ran his name through a computer and found out his license was revoked, Johnson said.

Jenkins drove the tractor to a neighbor's home with Toth in pursuit, then ran and hid behind a grain bin, Johnson said. Toth arrested him for driving under the influence.

During his search of Jenkins, Toth also found an injured kitten in his shirt pocket. Jenkins said the kitten had been inside the Chevrolet and was injured when the car hit a power pole, and he put it in his pocket to keep it warm, Johnson said. Johnson did not know if the kitten survived.

"It's certainly a weird case," Johnson said.

Jenkins has been convicted of driving on a revoked or suspended driver's license six times and for driving under the influence of alcohol four times.

He also was charged with criminal trespass to a vehicle in the Nov. 24 incident because authorities said he did not have permission from his roommate, the car's owner, to drive the car.

[TexasStooge]

Robbery prank on mom turns into drug bust

LA VISTA, Neb. (Court TV) - A Nebraska man may have amused his mother with his fake robbery attempt, but her customers failed to get the joke.

Jamar Adams, 22, allegedly walked up to his mother at a gas station convenience store, where she worked as a clerk, and told her that he had a gun.

According to La Vista Police spokesperson Lt. Kevin Pokorny, the prank backfired when customers who overheard the statement fled the store and called police.

Officers arrived at the scene and apprehended Adams and his friend George Hudson, 25, as the two were leaving the store. Police found a large bag of marijuana and hundreds of dollars in cash when they searched the men's vehicle.

Although the officers were able to confirm with Adams' mother that the holdup attempt was a prank, the two men were charged with drug possession, Pokorny said.

The duo's troubles continued in jail, when Hudson allegedly called his girlfriend from jail and convinced her to confess to police that the drugs belonged to her.

"He and Adams were on parole, and a drug conviction would mean a trip back to prison," Pokorny said. "He told her that since she had no prior record, the most she would get was a night in jail. He promised to pay her legal fees."

The woman reportedly agreed to the scheme. However, neither she nor Hudson was aware that all calls made from the jail were recorded.

Pokorny said the suspect's girlfriend showed up at the station and claimed that the marijuana belonged to her. When police confronted her with the recorded conversation, she admitted to the lie. She was charged with making a false report.

Adams and Hudson were charged with drug possession with intent to distribute. They are being held in the Sarpy County Jail.

[TexasStooge]

Woman trying to get revenge on ex-boyfriend rams wrong vehicle

CHEHALIS, Wash. (Court TV) - Authorities say Theresa Wilson was so mad she saw red and mistook it for maroon.

The 43-year-old woman was arrested after she rammed her car into another vehicle she thought belonged to her ex-boyfriend.

Washington State Trooper Garvin March said Wilson, who had recently broken up with her boyfriend, returned to the man's house at about 5 a.m. on Nov. 9, allegedly to retrieve the rest of her belongings.

"She thought he'd be asleep at the time and she could get her things," March said.

The man was sleeping, but not alone.

March said when Wilson found another woman in bed with her former boyfriend, she got upset. The couple had a verbal confrontation and she was ejected from the house.

Wilson then drove around the area until she spotted what she thought was her former boyfriend's 1988 maroon Chevrolet Spectrum heading towards the highway.

She allegedly gave pursuit and rammed her car into the other vehicle three times. The third collision pushed both cars off the road, March said.

When both occupants exited their damaged vehicles, Wilson discovered that she had both the wrong man and the wrong car.

"The man was driving a 1987 red Chevrolet Sprint," March said. "They [don't look like] similar-looking cars, but in her angered state they did."

Wilson allegedly begged the man not to tell police, but he refused. She attempted to get away but the damaged car stalled after a few blocks.

Troopers arrived at the scene, arrested Wilson, and charged her with second degree assault with a deadly weapon.

[TexasStooge]

Serial Toilet Tipper Still on the Loose

DOTHAN, Ala. (AP) - A portable bathroom prankster has plagued building sites in Dothan, tipping over about 50 of the unsecured toilets, police said.

The tipper has struck at construction sites in upscale subdivisions around Dothan, leaving portable toilet vendors to clean up the mess.

"It's not funny at all," said Kelly Powell, co-owner of Portable Toilet Services in Dothan, which has 400 rental toilets and three people to service them. "It's pretty cut and dried: They turn them over and we have to go clean it up. It's very time-consuming."

Dothan Police Capt. John Givens admitted that he chuckled at the first few tippings, until the pranks became a more disgusting problem.

"There are additional problems if it lands door-down," Given said. "If it leaks out, there is no ventilation. It gets really nasty in there."

Police have stepped up patrols around the building sites, which seems to be helping; only two tippings were reported since last weekend, when the bulk of them occurred. Authorities suspect a teenager or group of kids may be responsible, since a portable toilet can weigh between 220 and 400 pounds.

Powell and Givens estimated each damaged toilet costs $150 in time, energy and repairs, plus the drain on police resources.
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Information from: The Birmingham News

[TexasStooge]

Police: Man Sets Blaze to Delay Hearing

SENECA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - A suspected drunken driver found a way to delay his court appearance: He torched the building, police said.

Christopher Chianese, 26, set the new municipal offices on fire on Nov. 19, causing at least $300,000 in damages, just hours before he was scheduled to answer a felony charge of driving while intoxicated, village authorities alleged.

Chianese, a student at the New York Chiropractic College, was charged Tuesday night with third-degree arson and ordered held on $200,000 cash bail. If convicted, he could get up to 15 years in prison.

The fire destroyed court documents, computers and other equipment in the building, which houses the court and various municipal offices in this village in central New York.

Chianese was convicted in May 2003 of a misdemeanor count of DWI and fined $500.

No one was hurt in the fire, which heavily damaged the ground floor of the two-story building. All court appearances were postponed while offices were being set up in a former library.

[TexasStooge]

Couple Allegedly Report Stolen Marijuana

CALLAWAY, Fla. (AP) - Help, police, someone stole my pot! A Panhandle couple is under arrest after notifying police Thursday that their quarter-pound stash of marijuana was stolen and that they needed the weed back, because they were going to later sell it.

"They're America's dumbest criminals," said Lt. Ricky Ramie, head of the Bay County Sheriff's Office narcotics task force.

Deputies arrested 18-year-old John Douglas Sheetz and 17-year-old Misty Ann Holmes and charged the duo with possession of marijuana with intent to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the police report, the couple returned to the home they share and found the home broken into and a quarter-pound of marijuana missing. They immediately called authorities to report the break-in and theft.

Police said the couple told them they were going to resell the marijuana and allowed the detectives to search the apartment. Investigators discovered several marijuana stems among other drug paraphernalia during the search, The News Herald in Panama City reported for Saturday editions.

They were taken to the Bay County Jail and are each being held on $17,500 bond.
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Information from: The News Herald

[TexasStooge]

Lawnmower-Riding Man Captured After Chase

DOVER, N.H. (AP) - It wasn't exactly the perfect getaway vehicle. A man took off on a lawnmower moments after he allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails at his ex-girlfriend's apartment building, police said. He was arrested Saturday night after a brief, slow-speed chase.

Police said the homemade bombs — two glass Budweiser bottles filled with gasoline and plugged with rags — did not burst into flames. One of them shattered, spilling gas and sending fumes into nearby apartments. Two residents were treated for breathing problems.

Steven Coleman, 37, was arraigned in Dover District Court on Monday on charges of criminal trespass, attempted arson, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. He could face up to 31 years in jail if convicted on all charges.

At one point during the chase, Coleman "turned around and looked directly at (a police cruiser)," Dover prosecutor George Wattendorf wrote in an affidavit. "Coleman appeared calm as he was smoking a cigarette."

Police eventually got out of their cars and walked toward Coleman. He turned himself in. Coleman said he was coming from a convenience store.

[TexasStooge]

Man Admits to Vaseline Vandalism in N.Y.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (AP) - A Virginia man admitted Monday to smearing 14 jars of petroleum jelly all over an upstate New York motel room.

Robert F. Chamberlain, 45, of McLean, gave no reason for his actions when he appeared in court to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal mischief.

A Broome County judge sentenced Chamberlain to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $3,886 in damages to the Motel 6 in Chenango.

Authorities said Chamberlain coated every object of the motel room with petroleum jelly in May. A cleaning crew discovered the mess after he checked out, and he was arrested at another motel covered in the greasy stuff.

Chamberlain declined comment after the proceedings.

[TexasStooge]

Cops Say Suspects Returned to Crime Scene

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Police say two suspects in a botched burglary were caught after they returned to the crime scene. Sgt. Kevin Volrath said the two men were confronted by owners of the home they allegedly tried to burglarize Monday night, and the suspects fled.

"A short while later, the same vehicle happens to drive by, at which point the resident was able to get into his vehicle and follow the car and made a phone call on his cell phone to law enforcement," Volrath said. Officers found the vehicle and pulled it over, he said.

The two suspects, both from Minnesota, face burglary and drug possession charges, Volrath said.

[alicia-w]

http://www.courttv.com/people/scm/

[alicia-w]

It was one of the classics, but it happened anew, in Bloomington, Ill., in October. Donald R. Hilger was arrested and charged with robbing 11 local businesses over the previous two weeks. He was picked up shortly after a robbery of a Jewel/Osco store, and police brought two of that robbery's witnesses by the arrest scene to see if they could identify him. According to police, however, as soon as the employees spotted Hilger, Hilger pointed at one of them and blurted out, "That's the one I robbed." [Pantagraph (Bloomington), 10-15-04]

[TexasStooge]

Man Allegedly Assaults Clerk With Burger

ROCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Tony Carr wanted to pay for his burger. Instead, police say, he ended up smooshing the microwaved patty in a store clerk's face. Police have issued an arrest warrant for Carr, 37, of Berwick, Maine. He's charged with simple assault and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors.

Investigators say Carr got angry on Nov. 28 when the clerk at a Cumberland Farms would not allow him to pay for a hamburger while it was heating in the store microwave. Police said the clerk, Scott Litzenberger, told Carr he had to bring the burger to the counter 15 feet away to pay for it.

After a sharp exchange of words, the man walked back to the microwave, removed the steaming burger and walked back to Litzenberger.

The two apparently exchanged a few brief words again, when the customer, "just lost it," according to another clerk. Instead of paying for it, Carr shoved it into the clerk's face, burning his face and eye, police Sgt. Anthony Triano said.

"That time of night, you tend to get people who are belligerent. They want things they can't have and we just try and do our job," said Bill Rollo, another clerk at the store.

Rollo said when he showed up to relieve Litzenberger, "he had a burned eye and eyeball. It was all red."

Rollo had gone on vacation later that week and was due back at the store Thursday.

"I'm sure he's fine now. I know he got it taken care of that night," Rollo said.
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Information from: Foster's Daily Democrat

[TexasStooge]

Police Pursue 10-Year-Old Truck Driver

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Ken Haynes was on his way to work Tuesday at St. Vincent Health System when he noticed who was at the wheel of a furniture truck traveling east on Interstate 630 in west Little Rock.

"I looked over and said, 'My God, it's a kid driving that truck,'" Haynes said. "I was scared to death he was going to hurt himself."

The driver was indeed quite young, police say — a 10-year-old boy with "emotional problems" who fled from a stopped school bus and stole the truck as it sat waiting to be loaded at an office-furniture store.

Haynes alerted a state trooper to the situation, and the officer began pursuing the truck as it looped back on a city street toward the site where it had been taken. Passing that spot, the boy at the wheel entered I-630 again, but heading west.

The pursuit never exceeded 40 mph.

"He wasn't driving really fast, but he was weaving," Haynes said.

Eventually, the truck slid off I-630 into the median and became mired in mud.

State Police Lt. Mike Foster said the boy was frightened and wouldn't open the truck's door, so the officer broke the door's window and turned off the ignition.

A woman listed in the police report as the boy's guardian said the youngster was fine after being treated at a hospital for some scratches from the broken glass.

Bradford Montgomery, director of transportation for the Little Rock School district, said the boy was the only passenger on a bus being driven by Raymond Gachot, 75. Montgomery said "the student bolted" after Gachot stopped the bus because the youngster was being unruly and wouldn't stay in his seat.

The bus was taking the boy to a facility that provides behavioral health services for children and their families, police said.

[TexasStooge]

Ex-Worker Sentenced for Spitting on Burger

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) - A former fast food restaurant worker has earned a 1 1/2-year jail sentence for spitting into a police officer's hamburger.

Marcus Calderon, 19, also received a 3-year sentence for conspiracy to commit an aggravated burglary in an unrelated case.

District Attorney Lemuel Martinez said all but 364 days of the jail time have been suspended. Calderon will serve 3 1/2 years on supervised probation when released and must pay restitution.

"He also has to write letters of apology to everyone he harmed," Martinez said. "Oh, he also can't work in the food service industry for two years after he leaves jail."

Calderon was sentenced Monday by District Judge George P. Eichwald.

Calderon pleaded guilty in October to battery on a Rio Rancho police officer for spitting into the officer's hamburger in March. The officer had ordered dinner at the restaurant's drive-through window and discovered the spit after biting into the burger.

Calderon had told police at the time that he was sick and may have accidentally coughed or spit on the burger.

Calderon was fired from the restaurant.

The burglary case stemmed from an incident in mid-January. Court records say Calderon threw a ball to keep a neighbor's dog distracted while other people used the pet door to break in. Several firearms and ammunition were stolen.

[TexasStooge]

Police Dog Bites Nude Man in the Genitals

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (AP) - A naked man was bit in the genitals by a police dog while being arrested for running nude and entering homes in a Minneapolis neighborhood. The man was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

According to police reports, a police canine unit found the nude suspect shortly after noon Tuesday in a house on the 5400 block of Park Avenue South.

While the officer was ordering the suspect out of the house, the suspect began hitting him, police said.

The dog, which was still leashed, bit the suspect to protect the officer.

Officer Ron Reier, a department spokesman, said police dogs are trained to bite if their partner is attacked. However, dogs are not trained to bite in the groin area. Reier said the dog likely just jumped and bit the man, who was moving around at the time.

"The dog did what the dog is trained to do, and that is protect his handler," Reier said.

After the man was bit, he continued to attack officers and police used a stun gun before eventually restraining him, police said.

The dog was removed from street duty while the incident is being reviewed, and the suspect is in police custody, Reier said.

[TexasStooge]

Couple steals phone they could have received for free

EUREKA, Calif. (Court TV) - It makes little sense to steal something that one could get for free. But that's exactly what Jeffrey Wayne Pemberton did.

Police in Eureka, Calif., say Pemberton, 36, and an accomplice, Tracy Lynn Bagley, visited a wireless phone store Dec. 1 and stole a cell phone they were eligible to receive for free.

Pemberton and Bagley told a sales associate that they were interested in purchasing wireless service. When the associate left the sales floor to run a credit check on the couple, they allegedly walked out of the store with a demo Audiovox camera phone.

According to police spokesperson Suzie Owsley, the duo inexplicably gave the store accurate personal information.

Not only were police able to circulate the couple's names and description, the result of the credit check qualified Pemberton and Bagley to receive the stolen phone for free.

"They would have been given a phone if they had just waited for the credit check," Owsley said.

But keeping a low profile proved to be difficult for the couple. Owsley said acquaintances called police with tips about the duo's whereabouts. Police found Pemberton and Bagley at home.

The couple initially told police that they had given the phone to a friend, but they offered to locate it when police told them they would face jail time for the theft. Owsley said the phone was returned and the store did not press charges.

However, Pemberton was arrested for outstanding drug warrants from another county.

[TexasStooge]

Man Charged With Sandwich Rage in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) - Road rage? Try restaurant rage. A 34-year-old man apparently angry that his $6 steak and cheese sandwich was too cold was arrested on a charge of threatening to kill the restaurant manager Wednesday.

Police said the manager offered to reheat Devlin B. Nelson's sandwich or make him a new one when he complained. Authorities allege he instead demanded a refund, threw the sandwich at the manager, then threatened to kill her and blow up the restaurant.

Nelson, a Houston public works employee, has been relieved of his duties pending the outcome of the investigation. He remained in custody Thursday.
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Information from: KPRC News and KTRH Radio.

[TexasStooge]

Inmate Charged in Pork Chop Stabbing

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - A prison inmate in Cleveland County is accused of stabbing another prisoner with a sharpened pork chop bone. Lexington Correctional Center inmate Erenesto Hernanced-Rosales, 39, was charged Wednesday with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

According to correctional officers, Hernandez-Rosales got into a fight with the other inmate on Nov. 28 and stabbed the man under the left eye with the bone. The bone had been sharpened and fashioned into a weapon.

Hernandez-Rosales admitted that he tried to stab the man's eye out, the correctional officers said.

Hernandez-Rosales is serving an eight-year sentence from Kay County for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

A spokeswoman for the Lexington Correctional Center said the inmate, who was not identified, was not seriously injured.

"It did break the skin, but it hit that cheek bone below the eye socket, so the injuries were not life-threatening," said spokeswoman Genese McCoy. "He was very lucky."
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Information from: The Norman Transcript

[TexasStooge]

Man Fined for Allegedly Using Foul Bills

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - A psychiatrist who police say smeared excrement on dollars bills used to pay a parking ticket has been fined $250.

Ronald Preston McPike, 52, of Bonaparte, was charged with harassment of a public official after officials received an envelop in July labeled "Foreign brown substance on bills." The envelope contained several dollar bills and a parking ticket made up to McPike, police said.

Tests indicated the brown substance was fecal matter that had been smeared on the bills.

McPike told police the money fell into a toilet and was retrieved to pay the $5 parking ticket, police said.

Assistant Des Moines County Attorney Heidi Van Winkle had sought the maximum $500 fine and 30 days in jail for McPike.

"Something this disgusting requires more from the court than a minimum fine. This was a snub at law enforcement officers who are just doing their job," Van Winkle said.

McPike's lawyer, Bryan Schulte, said his client had a "serious error in judgment."

"He was vexed at getting parking tickets left and right and didn't consider what he did a criminal act," Schulte said.

Associate Judge Gary Snyder said McPike demonstrated "immature behavior unbecoming a professional person."

"It's hard to put this case into perspective because people seem to get more riled up about parking tickets than anything else," Snyder said. "This is a public heath issue which shouldn't have happened."

McPike declined to comment.
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Information from: The Hawk Eye