The Stupid Crimes & Misdemeanors Thread

[TexasStooge]

Man microwaves can of gasoline

CHARLESTON, Va. (Court TV) - Vereen Taylor's domestic drama turned explosive when the West Virginia man microwaved a can of gasoline after an argument.

According to Detective Robert Eggleton of the Charleston Police Department, Taylor, 32, began arguing over custody with the mother of his two children on April 1. The woman, who had legal custody of the children, contacted police. When they arrived, they assisted her with removing the children from Taylor's home.

After the woman and children left, Taylor reportedly became depressed and decided to kill himself. At about 2 a.m., he placed a one-gallon can of gasoline in the microwave, set the timer for one minute and waited in the kitchen as the microwave caught fire.

Eggleton said smoke from the flames woke a friend of Taylor's, who was sleeping on the front porch. The man rushed into the kitchen and pulled Taylor out of the burning room. The man returned and attempted to extinguish the flames, but was unsuccessful.

Taylor, who was uninjured, later told Charleston authorities that he had been suicidal over the loss of his children and had started the fire.

The two-story wood-frame house was completely destroyed. Taylor was arrested and charged with first-degree arson. He is being held at South Central Regional Jail on $25,000 bond.

[TexasStooge]

Woman Allegedly Steals Pups, Dyes Them

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) - Two puppies stolen from a Moorhead pet store turned up safe — but their fur had been dyed purple and blue. Sheila Hoffart, 19, faces two counts of theft for swiping a Shih Tzu and a sheltie from the pet store. Hoffart, of West Fargo, N.D., said she took the dogs and colored their fur to make them more unique.

It isn't the first time Hoffart has dyed a pet's fur. She gave two cats red fur, using the same dye her roommate used to dye his hair. "It doesn't hurt them," she said.

Hoffart tried to sell the purple sheltie after it started making messes in her apartment. Paula Harland agreed to buy the sheltie from Hoffart but soon heard about the pet store thefts and returned the dog. Hoffart's roommate returned the other dog.

Bridget Nolte, a K-9 Country Club and Pet Store employee, said both dogs have since been sold and are back to their normal color.

Hoffart, who said she took the dogs because she felt sorry for them, will appear in court April 18.

"I guess I wasn't really thinking," she said.

[TexasStooge]

Teacher Allegedly Smokes Pot With Students

VENICE, Fla. (AP) - A 34-year-old high school math teacher was arrested after two female students said he served them vodka drinks and smoked marijuana with them at his house, officials said.

Michael B. Ziemian also showed the girls how he was growing marijuana in his garage, a Sarasota County sheriff's report said.

He was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of more than 20 grams of marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, delivery of a controlled substance to a person under 18 years old and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The school district put Ziemian and his wife, an elementary school teacher in the district, on administrative leave. His wife has not been charged.

The Venice High School students told investigators they went to Ziemian's home in March to make up some school work. He gave them vodka-and-tonic drinks and smoked marijuana with them from a glass pipe, the report said.

He also took the girls into the garage and showed them a cabinet that containing marijuana plants, telling them he got his seeds via the Internet from another country, the report said.

Ziemian admitted giving the girls vodka and marijuana, the report said.

He was released from jail Wednesday after posting $40,000 bail. It was unknown whether he has an attorney, and a phone message left at his home Thursday was not immediately returned.

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Information from: Sarasota Herald-Tribune

[TexasStooge]

School Kids Caught Counterfeiting Dollars

SEATTLE, Wash. (Reuters) - A 12-year-old Seattle school student and his buddies were caught after counterfeiting $20 in one-dollar bills that were circulated among the students and used in the cafeteria to buy food, school officials said on Friday.

"On Monday, our lunchroom staff was counting the till at the end of the day and noticed that there was a dollar bill that looked a little bit different," said Seattle School District spokeswoman Patti Spencer.

The next day, a sixth-grade student who offered a fake dollar to buy beef jerky led school officials to a fellow sixth-grader who had made the money using a computer and a printer. Those two and another friend had also passed the counterfeit dollar bills onto other students.

The school's assistant principal notified the Seattle Police Department, which recovered eight of the counterfeit bills, said Seattle Police Department spokeswoman Deborah Brown.

Police are still investigating and will forward the results to a local prosecutor, Brown said.

The three boys received a stern lecture and were suspended for five days, Spencer said.

The U.S. Secret Service, which is responsible for investigating counterfeit crimes, said on its Web site that counterfeiting U.S. currency is a crime punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to 15 years, or both.

[TexasStooge]

Cops: Drug Suspect Burns Fingers With Acid

SALEM, Mass. (AP) - A man charged with trafficking in cocaine in Salem burned his fingertips with acid to obliterate his fingerprints and hide his identity, police say.

The man, who gave the name Jorge Lopez when arrested, was ordered held on $250,000 cash bail after pleading innocent at his arraignment Friday while authorities try to figure out who he is.

Salem police Lt. Brian Gilligan told a judge that when they took fingerprints of Lopez after his arrest Wednesday, they were surprised to find that there were no prints. Police do not think he gave his true identity and asked that he be held without bail.

Police think he burned his fingers deliberately, noting there were no other scars or burn marks on his hands.

Lopez claims he burned his fingertips while working as a mechanic and grabbing hot exhaust parts, his court-appointed lawyer said.

Police arrested Lopez after receiving a tip that a man was selling cocaine from a car that traveled around the city. Police allegedly found a tin stuffed with 23 bags of cocaine hidden under the passenger seat of the suspect's vehicle.

The roughly 14 grams of cocaine has a street value of about $1,100, police said.

Lopez is scheduled back in court on Wednesday.

[TexasStooge]

Obsessed train joyrider gets three years

NEW YORK (AFP) - A New York man, who has spent one third of his life in prison for joyriding on trains, has been sentenced to three years behind bars for his latest crack at locomotive larceny.

Darius McCollum was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to trying to drive away a Long Island Rail Road M-7 locomotive and train from a railyard in Queens last June.

McCollum, 39, has become something of a legend, having been arrested 20 times in as many years for taking or attempting to take subway cars, railroad trains and even buses on joyrides.

"I just love trains," he explained after he was arrested for the June incident.

McCollum had admitted wearing a hard hat and reflector vest and posing as a railway safety consultant in order to gain access to the locomotive.

His family blames his train obsession on Asperger's syndrome.

McCollum's lawyer, Stephen Jackson, told the New York Post that the family plans to move to North Carolina ... where there are no subways.

[TexasStooge]

Woman Arrested for Blasting Rock Music

TOKYO, Japan (AP) - Japanese police arrested a 58-year-old woman for triggering insomnia and headaches in her next door neighbor by blasting rock music at her almost continuously for over two years.

Miyoko Kawahara was arrested on suspicion of inflicting injury on the 64-year-old woman by playing loud, fast-paced dance music almost 24 hours a day on a portable stereo she had pointed at her neighbor's house 20 feet away.

Police launched their investigation after doctors diagnosed the neighbor with insomnia and headaches they attributed to the noise, a local police spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The police said Kawahara started blasting the sounds in November 2002. The police haven't pinpointed a motive for the alleged prolonged harassment, but the spokesman said the two women had spats over minor issues he declined to identify.

Under Japanese law, those convicted of inflicting injury on another person face up to 10 years in prison or a fine of up to $2,800.

[TexasStooge]

Teens Bust Limo Driver for Wild Prom Ride

WINTER SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) - Ten teens hired a limo so they'd get to their prom all in one piece — but ended up helping bust their chauffeur on drunken driving charges.

Patrick Curley, a senior at Winter Springs High School, used his cell phone to call home Saturday and told his parents the driver had ignored stop signs, cut off other vehicles and veered onto the wrong side of the road.

Robert Curley told his son to tell the driver to pull over. When she stopped, the students grabbed the keys out of the ignition.

"This is unbelievable," Robert Curley told Seminole County dispatchers when he reported the incident. "We rented the limo so you're obviously going to be safe."

The students got to the prom 90 minutes late.

Christina Tomacelli, 49, was charged with driving under the influence and refusing to submit to a blood-alcohol test. Deputies said they found a half-empty bottle of vodka next to the driver's seat. They said she also acknowledged drinking wine.

Tomacelli did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

[TexasStooge]

Tornado Uncovers Pot Operation in Florida

PALM BAY, Fl. (AP) - A tornado that ripped through Geoffrey Crook's home didn't just tear away his roof. Authorities say it exposed his elaborate marijuana-growing operation.

Crook, 41, was charged Tuesday with possession and manufacturing of cannabis after police officers served him with an arrest warrant at his job. He was released on $1,000 bond Tuesday night.

The operation had lamps, hydroponic equipment and log books. Fifty-four marijuana plants neatly arranged in the master bedroom had a street value of about $8,000, authorities said.

The operation was uncovered in February after a twister, with winds whipping up to 112 mph, tore away Crook's roof.

Palm Bay police and other emergency crews were searching through the debris for injured victims when they came across the 2- to 3-foot plants. Crook was not at home during the storm.

Crook had a disconnected telephone number and couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

[TexasStooge]

Man Accused in Robbery Says He Was Joking

CHALMETTE, La. (AP) - A man wearing a hooded sweat shirt and a handkerchief over his face entered an all-night diner through a rear door carrying what appeared to be a gun, announced a robbery, then said he was only joking when an employee quickly recognized him. The female employee called Chad Caron, 22, by his first name, authorities said.

Caron told her to relax, then removed his handkerchief and hood and said he was only kidding. He said the gun was a toy, then sat down and stayed for a while and talked to the employee, a St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's report said.

None of the employees called the Sheriff's Office, even though they later learned the phone line to the business had been cut.

But when the restaurant's operators learned what happened, they alerted authorities, who were suspicious of Caron's explanation and booked him with attempted robbery.

Caron, being held in the parish jail Thursday in lieu of $50,000 bond, gave a statement to sheriff's detectives in which he said he "only did this as a joke and didn't mean to scare anyone," the sheriff's report said.

However, authorities said Caron couldn't produce the gun he had said was a toy.

The sheriff's report said a customer, who was outside and saw the early Tuesday morning incident through a window, told the restaurant operators about what he saw.

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Information from: The Times-Picayune

[TexasStooge]

Blind Man Charged in Police Knife Threat

SHERIDAN, Wyom. (AP) - A blind man has been charged with threatening police with a knife. Rob Jerome Rehfeld, 60, is accused of lunging after one officer with the knife and taking a swing at another on Sunday.

"This gentleman had called here and made threats. He said there was going to be a bloody massacre in Sheridan and he needed an officer down there," acting Police Chief Suzan Guilford said. "He had a knife, a hunting knife. He would not drop the knife."

"It doesn't matter sometimes what the physical capacity is. He obviously had the capacity to make some threats, and he came after an officer," she said.

The man was eventually subdued.

On Monday, Rehfeld appeared in court on a charge of felony interference with a police officer. He posted bail of $2,500 and was released from jail Tuesday.

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Information from: (Sheridan) Press, http://www.thesheridanpress.com

[TexasStooge]

Man Upset With Penile Surgery Mails Bomb

BLOOMFIELD, Ohio (AP) - A man allegedly unhappy with penile-enlargement surgery he underwent mailed explosives to a Chicago plastic surgeon, according to a federal grand jury indictment.

Blake R. Steidler, 24, allegedly made an explosive device that included a model-rocket engine igniter inside a jewelry box, the federal indictment said.

Steidler drove to North Bloomfield, Ohio, on Feb. 10 and mailed the box, but then drive home to Lancaster County, called 911, and turned himself in, according to the indictment.

East Cocalico Township Police, who received the 911 call, apprehended Steidler and turned him over to federal authorities, who were holding him in Philadelphia, officials said.

Authorities called police in Ohio, who recovered the box from the mail and destroyed it. Special Agent John Hageman, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms office in Philadelphia, said the device "should have functioned and produced an explosion. ... There may have been shrapnel."

The federal grand jury indictment charged Steidler with using a weapon of mass destruction, sending explosives through the mail, interstate transport of an explosive, and related offenses.

[TexasStooge]

Man Accused of Being I-65 Flasher Caught

EVERGREEN, Ala. (AP) A man who allegedly has been flashing motorists on Interstate 65 for months was caught in a police chase when a tire blew out on his getaway vehicle. He was wearing only tennis shoes.

Mark D. Estis, 45, was arrested after motorists reported seeing a naked man just before 10 a.m. Thursday on the interstate, about 9 miles southwest of Evergreen.

Alabama Bureau of Investigation Agent Doug Darby spotted a suspicious vehicle. Conecuh County Sheriff's Investigator Tyrone Boykin said he arrived to help Darby just as Estis, wearing only tennis shoes, emerged from woods and got into the vehicle.

Estis sped off, Boykin said, but was caught after one of his tires blew out.

Estis was charged with resisting arrest, attempting to elude, reckless endangerment and three counts of indecent exposure.

Officers said Estis is responsible for the incident reported Thursday and two others at the same location earlier this month. Investigators also believe he is the same man flashing motorists along I-65 in north Baldwin County for months.

"He told us he had been doing this about a year, and said he had problems and wanted help. He didn't say what made him start," Boykin said.

[TexasStooge]

Thief's cellphone bungles robbery plan

HAWKINS, COUNTY, Tenn. (Court TV) - Authorities in Hawkins County, Tenn., were more than happy to keep Jason Anthony Arnold and James Keith Benton in the dark about how deputies got wind of the duo's robbery plan.

Arnold became an unintentional snitch thanks to his outdated cellphone.

According to Hawkins County Detective Jeff Greer, Arnold, 30, owned an old cellphone that automatically dialed 911 if the user pushed the 9 button for more than a few seconds.

Arnold, Benton, 38, and a third accomplice were driving to an RV dealership, where they planned to break into the mobile homes parked in the dealer's lot. Greer said that at some point during the trip, something must have accidentally pressed the phone's exposed keypad and activated the 9 button. The phone then automatically dialed 911.

The 911 dispatcher who picked up the call reportedly listened as Arnold and his partners discussed their robbery plans. The dispatcher then contacted authorities, who stationed deputies at the dealership.

Deputies watched the men arrive at the business, where Arnold and Benton broke into the mobile homes and carried out refrigerators. The duo fled when deputies moved in to arrest them and were caught after a short chase. The unidentified third man escaped in a truck and has yet to be caught.

Greer said Arnold and Benton were puzzled that investigators were able to repeat details of the robbery plans.

"They just didn't understand how we knew about their conversation," Greer said. "We didn't tell them. We let them find out on the news."

The two men were charged with burglary and theft of property over $500. They were both released on bond.

[TexasStooge]

'Mad Max' Fans Arrested for Recreation

SAN ANTONIO, Texas (AP) - Eleven "Mad Max" fans armed with fake machine guns were arrested after they surrounded a tanker truck while making their way to a movie marathon in a theatrical convoy.

As the group headed to San Antonio on Saturday, police received several calls from drivers who reported a "militia" surrounding a tanker truck.

Police charged nine people with obstruction of a highway and two others with possession of prohibited knives in addition to the obstruction charge.

One of the organizers, Chris Fenner, said the arrests were unfair. He said he didn't know why anyone would have confused the costumed crew recreating a scene from "Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" — set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland — with a real threat.

"I honestly don't know how that could be, because 'Road Warrior' was so over the top," he said.

[TexasStooge]

Fla. Gunman Puts Car 'Out of Its Misery'

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, Fla. (AP) - A man with car trouble is in trouble after shooting five rounds into the hood of his Chrysler "to put my car out of its misery."

John McGivney, 64, shot his 1994 LeBaron with a .380-caliber semiautomatic, Broward County sheriff's deputies said.

When the property manager at his apartment complex asked what he was doing, McGivney said, "I'm putting my car out of its misery." He tucked his gun in a pocket and went back inside.

He was arrested Friday on a misdemeanor charge of discharging a firearm in public. He posted $100 bail Saturday.

McGivney said the car has been giving him trouble for years and had "outlived its usefulness." He called the shooting "dumb" and worries he will be evicted. But he doesn't regret it.

"I think every guy in the universe has wanted to do it," McGivney told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "It was worth every damn minute in that jail."

[TexasStooge]

That Was No Lady, That Was a Bank Robber!

LOUDON COUNTY, Wash. (AP) - There are bank robbers. There are cross-dressers. A suspect being sought apparently fits both descriptions.

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday it is looking for a robber who walked into the Washington First Bank on Tuesday, handed a note to a teller and implied he had a weapon.

Investigators described the suspect as a 6-foot-3 man — wearing a flowery dress, a dark wig and white gloves.

He was also carrying a purse at the time of the robbery. But the purse was empty on the way out, because despite passing a note to the teller and implying he had a weapon, the robber left without taking any cash.

Loudoun County investigators say that a 6-foot-3 man — wearing a flowery dress, a dark wig and white gloves — handed a note to a bank teller on Wednesday and implied he had a weapon. The suspect also was carrying a purse, police said.

But the man's purse was still empty when he walked out of the bank. The teller refused to give him any money and he walked away.

[TexasStooge]

Cops: Woman Robs Stylist, Shoots at Car

RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - A woman apparently dissatisfied with a haircut robbed a hair salon at gunpoint, shot at her stylist's car, then used part of the money to pay for a trim at another shop, police said. Julie A. Anderson, 48, was booked for investigation of first-degree robbery and second-degree malicious mischief.

Employees told police the woman showed up Wednesday at Stage 1, a salon she had patronized for years, and asked to speak with her regular stylist, who was not in, police Capt. Mike Cobb said.

The woman waited in the parking lot and pulled a gun on the stylist when she arrived. She then walked back into the salon and demanded $100.

Employees gave her the money, then locked the door after she left and called police.

The woman got into her car and started to drive away but stopped, got out and fired at least one round into the back window of the stylist's car, Cobb said. She then threw the gun through the shattered glass and fled, he said.

She was arrested about 45 minutes later as she left another hair salon nearby.

The woman paid with a $20 bill, apparently from Stage 1, and then walked out to her car, where she was arrested, Cobb said. The woman told stylists she had received a bad hair cut some time ago.

"She said she was a dissatisfied customer," Cobb said.

[TexasStooge]

Lack of Rowing Skills Sinks Two Thieves

ASKVOLL, Norway (AP) - The two Norwegians thought they had the perfect escape vehicle for their heist — a rowboat. They overlooked one thing: Neither knew how to row a boat.

Police said Thursday the men had broken into an ambulance boat near the small western town of Askvoll, and likely were looking for drugs or cash.

The boat's burglar alarm alerted the ambulance crew members, who quickly arrived and saw the two men trying to flee in the small rowboat just before midnight Wednesday.

Their paddling attempts were hopeless, police said.

"They didn't have much of a chance," Deputy Sheriff Arnt Johnny Langeland said on the state radio network NRK. "They were rowing in opposite directions."

The ambulance boat then gave chase, turning its powerful spotlights on the pair rowing in tiny circles. A local ferry joined the slow-speed pursuit, beaming its spotlights on the rowboat as well.

The two men managed to get their rowboat to land, where they immediately were taken into police custody. They would likely face charges of breaking and entering, as well as theft, Langeland said, but he did not say if the two had managed to steal anything.

[TexasStooge]

Burglar Gets Stuck in Chimney at Nev. Home

By SCOTT SONNER, Associated Press Writer

KINGS BEACH, Calif. - A burglar was busted because he made such a clatter and got stuck — in the chimney of a Lake Tahoe home. A neighbor on the lake's north shore in Kings Beach, Calif., telephoned the sheriff about 10 p.m. Wednesday when he heard screams coming from next door where the residents were away on vacation.

Sheriff's deputies and a fire rescue team found Jose Francisco Martinez, 19, wedged halfway down the chimney. He apparently had been stuck there for about two hours, Placer County Sheriff's Sgt. Brian Whigam said Thursday.

"We've had bears stuck in chimneys before but we haven't had people," Whigam told The Associated Press.

"It's crazy. The video we took is funny," he said.

Authorities were forced to dismantle half the chimney brick by brick to free Martinez, doing about $20,000 damage in the process, Whigam said.

Investigators determined Martinez was aware the residents were out of town. He attempted to enter the house through doors and windows unsuccessfully, Whigam said.

He apparently found a ladder and climbed on the roof, where he attached a cable and lowered his 5-foot-4, 115-pound frame down the chimney before he became stuck and started to yell for help, Whigam said.

Martinez suffered only minor scrapes and bruises and did not require medical attention, Whigam said.

He was booked into the Placer County Jail on a charge of residential burglary and was being held Thursday night in lieu of $25,000 bail.