Tag: News of the Weird

Creme de la Weird

Stick with me here. In 1899 in Peshawar, Pakistan, James Squid, a drunken British officer, arrested a … tree because he thought it was a fugitive trying to get away from him. He ordered the tree chained to the ground, Oddity Central reported, and the chains have remained for 125 years, along with a plaque explaining them. While tourists are tickled by the strange restraints, locals see the chains as a symbol of British oppression. “Through this act, the British basically implied to the tribesmen that if they dared act against the Raj, they too would be punished in a similar fashion,” one local man said. Others call it a living history. [Oddity Central, 1/4/2024]

Recurring Theme

• Authorities are still fishing for a man who entered a Bass Pro Shops store in Fort Myers, Florida, on Dec. 20 and dipped a net into the indoor fishpond, capturing a 50-pound tarpon. USA Today reported that the suspect left the store with the dripping catch, and despite a cash reward and social media posts, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has not been able to identify or find him. [USA Today, 12/27/2023]

• Authorities were called to the Leeds, Alabama, Bass Pro Shops on Jan. 4 after 42-year-old George Owens of Sterrett drove a car into a pole in the parking lot, then exited the car, stripped off all his clothes and ran inside, where he did a cannonball into the aquarium. AL.com reported that Owens yelled at two police officers, then climbed over the edge of the aquarium, where he fell to the concrete floor and knocked himself out. He was charged with public lewdness among other offenses. [AL.com, 1/5/2024]

Super Freak

On Dec. 13, as a family in Arlington, Virginia, sat down to dinner, a Ring doorbell notification alerted them to someone at the door, WUSA-TV reported. The woman told her husband, “There’s this guy; he didn’t ring the doorbell. He’s just standing there and he’s in a gingerbread man costume.” The husband called the police non-emergency line to report the creepy visit, and about an hour later, another neighbor, Lindsey Churchill, spotted the gingerbread man. “All of a sudden my dogs were going crazy … and there was a giant blow-up gingerbread man costume out on the sidewalk,” she said. “We kind of locked eyes and the gingerbread man went on his way. It was not holly jolly.” Police never actually caught up with the subject, who was not identified. [WUSA, 12/21/2023]

Getting Away From It All

• Three armed suspects were busy robbing a check-cashing business in Commerce City, Colorado, on Dec. 16 when another thief mucked up their getaway plans, 9News-TV reported. The robbers’ vehicle, which was probably stolen, was outside when a woman jumped in and took off with it, leaving the teenage suspects to try to escape on foot. Police were able to capture two of them, along with loaded firearms, and arrest them. The car thief is still at large. [9News, 12/19/2023]

• In Wheat Ridge, Colorado, police caught up with a burglar on Dec. 28 who had hired an Uber for use as a getaway car, 14News-TV reported. Jose Guadalupe Perez-Gallardo was taken into custody as he approached his hired ride, carrying a backpack with $8,600 worth of stolen Milwaukee-brand tools inside. “Ordering an Uber as your getaway driver makes it that much easier for us to find you,” the Wheat Ridge Police Department posted online. [14News, 1/3/2024]

Questionable Judgment

Dr. Kevin Molldrem of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is the subject of a malpractice lawsuit filed in late December by his patient Kathleen Wilson, USA Today reported. Wilson alleges in the suit that Molldrem, during a single visit in July 2020, performed more than 30 procedures on Wilson’s mouth — eight crowns, four root canals, and 20 fillings — and that the work was done “improperly,” resulting in her disfiguration. The lawsuit also alleges that Molldrem used twice the amount of anesthesia allowed and then falsified records to cover that dosage. Wilson is seeking more than $50,000 in damages. [USA Today, 12/28/2023]

Not on My Watch

Vancouver, British Columbia, police revealed that on Dec. 19, a 72-year-old woman successfully chased an intruder from her home with a shovel, Vancouver City News reported. A naked man broke into the victim’s home with a pointed metal rod, which he swung toward her throughout the encounter. She fought back with a shovel, and “chased him out of the house and cornered him until officers arrived,” police said. “Kudos to her, it was pretty badass of her, I would say,” said Constable Tania Visintin. No one was injured during the incident. [Vancouver City News, 12/20/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication. Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Least Competent Criminal

• On Dec. 9, as first responders were assisting a person “experiencing an altered mental state” in Columbia County, Florida, Stanley Williams, 35, hopped into the waiting ambulance and drove away, ClickOrlando reported. But officers didn’t have to chase him down — Williams drove to the sheriff’s office operations center and stopped near the main entrance, where he was arrested and taken to a hospital for examination. Williams faces grand theft and evading law enforcement charges. [ClickOrlando, 12/12/2023]

• Leonard Thuo Mwithiga, 52, a Kenyan executive, followed his wife of 22 years to the United States, hoping to convince her to return home to him, Oddity Central reported. But when she refused, Mwithiga allegedly decided she must die. During an Uber ride, Mwithiga told the driver he was “very, very mad” and needed a hit man. The Uber driver got in touch with Connecticut State Police, who enlisted him as an informant. Between September and December, the two engaged in multiple conversations about the plot, all of which were shared with authorities. Mwithiga wanted his wife “injected with something to make her very sick, ‘like a cancer,’” and he wanted her to die a slow death. Finally, on Dec. 4, the informant introduced Mwithiga to a “hit man,” i.e., undercover cop, who was paid an advance on the job. Mwithiga asked that she be killed while he was away in Kenya, so he would have an alibi. Instead, he was arrested and held on $5 million bond. [Oddity Central, 12/13/2023]

Saw That Coming

Kathryn Tunison Smith, 67, of Midvale, Utah, already had five outstanding arrest warrants against her, two involving her neighbors, when she sealed her own fate, ABC4-TV reported. On Dec. 12, she was arrested after a TikTok video came to light depicting Smith making racist and crass comments to a neighbor. In one interaction, Smith came onto the neighbor’s property and “began ripping up [the neighbor’s] garden and continued … until the neighbor chased her away with a stick,” the charges allege. Mayor Marcus Stevenson posted on X, “I’m hopeful that this is a positive step for the healing of the targeted family, the affected neighborhood, Ms. Smith, and our entire community.” She was booked and released on her own recognizance, so … [ABC4, 12/13/2023]

Wait, What?

Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava was arraigned on Dec. 5 in Los Angeles federal court after a bizarrely uninterrupted trip from Denmark to L.A., the Associated Press reported. The Russian flew in November without a ticket, passport, visa, or seat assignment. Flight crew members told investigators that he wandered around the plane and switched seats while talking with other passengers. When U.S. Customs and Border Patrol searched his belongings, they found “Russian identification cards and an Israeli identification card,” court documents outlined. Ochigava gave a variety of explanations, including that he hadn’t slept in three days and wasn’t sure how he got through security in Copenhagen. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 26. [AP, 12/13/2023]

Our Litigious Society

• Cynthia Kelly, 18, of Hillsborough County, Florida, has sued The Hershey Co. for $5 million because the Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins she bought in October didn’t have a jack-o’-lantern face on them as shown on the packaging. ClickOrlando reported on Dec. 29 that Kelly accused the company of “false and deceptive advertising,” and she “would not have purchased the Reese’s Peanut Butter Pumpkins product if she knew that it did not have the detailed carvings of the mouth and/or eyes as pictured on the product label,” the suit reads. She also pointed out that the White Ghost and Football candies were missing their own key details. One reviewer called the pumpkin a “monstrosity.” [ClickOrlando, 12/29/2023]

• Two years ago, Paul Kerouac stopped at a Dunkin’ Donuts in Winter Park, Florida, where he used the restroom, the New York Post reported. While he was indisposed, the toilet he was occupying exploded, leaving him “covered with debris, including human feces and urine,” according to a lawsuit filed on Jan. 3 in Florida’s 9th Judicial District. Kerouac claims the Dunkin’ workers knew there was a “problem with the toilet” and says he now “requires mental health care and counseling as a direct result of the trauma he experienced in the restroom.” [NY Post, 1/4/2024]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Creme de la Weird

The Kyiv Post reported on Dec. 13 that Russia’s security service, the FSB, has released its 2024 propaganda fundraising calendar, and it’s a doozy! The front cover features “art” of an improbably ripped Vladimir Putin giving his best sultry stare while leaning on a big, black compensator vehicle. Meanwhile, the apocalyptic November image depicts an FSB special forces soldier standing before the U.S. Capitol while drones and helicopters attack it. Is this a popular holiday gift in Russia? Who knows. The bigger question: Why does the FSB need to fundraise? [Kyiv Post, 12/13/2023]

Weird Science

• Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, can boast a fascinating new resident: a leucistic white alligator, born on Dec. 7, CNN reported. The female gator is believed to be one of only eight in the world and the only one born in human care. She was hatched along with a normal-colored brother of the same size (about 19 inches long). “Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator,” the park said. They have bright blue eyes, as opposed to albino gators, which have pink eyes. The public is invited to vote on a name on the park’s social media sites. [CNN, 12/7/2023]

• Scientists at Northwestern University in Chicago have created teeny-tiny VR headsets for laboratory mice, Sky News reported on Dec. 8, so that they can experience the freedom they will never have. The Miniature Rodent Stereo Illumination VR has two lenses and two screens to give the little dudes a realistic 3D picture of … aerial threats, like an owl coming in for a meal. The goggles help the mice “engage with the environment in a more natural way,” said lead scientist Daniel Dombeck. [Sky News, 12/8/2023]

Crime Report

In Louisville, Kentucky, a bronze statue of President Abraham Lincoln has been seated on a rock, overlooking the Ohio River, since 2009, the Louisville Courier Journal reported. But Lincoln’s top hat, which rested at his side on the rock, disappeared sometime at the beginning of December. The sculptor, Ed Hamilton, suspects the hat was stolen: “It was anchored down into that monolith rock,” he said. “I don’t know what they could have used, maybe some more manpower or some crowbars. Bring the hat back because you can’t wear it,” he warned potential thieves. Police and park officials are investigating. [Louisville Courier Journal, 12/10/2023]

Bright Idea

An unnamed 22-year-old man from Taiwan was detained on Dec. 5 at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok after he was found to be transporting two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog, Metro News reported. The man had the animals stuffed into three separate socks and taped into his boxer shorts; security officers became suspicious about the large bulge below the man’s waistband. They believe he purchased them at a market in the city. The animals were taken to the Wildlife Conservation Office; the smuggler was arrested. “We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes,” a Thai customs department spokesperson said. [Metro News, 12/8/2023]

Suspicions Confirmed

Cops in Genoa, Italy, were stumped by a drug-trafficking case in their city, BNN reported on Dec. 1 — that is, until they noticed a large number of bald and beardless men visiting a local barbershop. Investigators initiated surveillance and searched the shop, where they found 100 grams of cocaine, precision scales, and packaging materials. They also found hashish at the barber’s home and evidence of ongoing communication with inmates in a Genoa prison. The 55-year-old barber is awaiting sentencing at the Marassi prison. [BNN, 12/1/2023]

Awesome!

The Burnside Shelter in Portland, Oregon, hit the jackpot earlier in the year when workers discovered a pair of gold sneakers at the bottom of a donation bin, United Press International reported. Turns out, the Air Jordan 3 kicks were commissioned by Spike Lee for him to wear at the 2019 Academy Awards — and they’re valued at more than $10,000, according to Sotheby’s. The auction house were to donate 100 percent of the proceeds, expected to be as much as $20,000, to the Portland Rescue Mission, which operates the shelter. Bidding continued through Dec. 18. [UPI, 12/13/2023]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

The Golden Age of Air Travel

Yeah, yeah, another flight diverted because of unruly passengers. This story gets bonus points: On Dec. 5, just before a Breeze Airways flight took off from Orlando, headed to Providence, Rhode Island, a couple on board got into a heated argument, News4Jax-TV reported. It seems the man was unhappy because he wanted to get off the plane — which wouldn’t have been such a big deal, but during the discussion, the word “bomb” came up. Passenger Rachael Corrigan said, “The people were talking about or claiming the other person had a bomb. … The people around them … reported it to the airline, and they’re obligated to land the plane.” The pilot diverted to Jacksonville, Florida, where the man and woman were met by FBI agents and arrested. Breeze Airways canceled the flight. [News4Jax, 12/6/2023]

News You Can Use

In Stenlille, Denmark, a vehicle fire damaged a nearby house on Dec. 2, InShort reported. Police issued a warning to the community after the fire, cautioning people against using toasters under the front of cars to keep EV batteries warm. While there were no injuries, the car was heavily damaged, and the owner likely will have to pay a fine. [InShort, 12/5/2023]

Least Competent Criminal

A 62-year-old woman from Haslett, Michigan, picked a poor time to dash through the self-checkout at Walmart with $700 worth of merchandise in her cart, WJRT-TV reported. On Dec. 2, as the store participated in a Shop with a Cop event in Genoa Township, a clerk notified one of about 75 police officers on hand about the shoplifter. “I do have to say it surprised me,” said Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez. “When you see 75 cops in the store, I mean, I don’t know if maybe they thought we were too busy.” The alleged thief was detained in the parking lot and taken to jail. [WJRT, 12/5/2023]

Nah, I’m Done

Joshua James Pinquet, 21, of Orlando, Florida, made an apparent sudden decision on Nov. 28 to quit his job, Iredell Free News reported. As he was driving a van with four prison inmates locked in the cargo area, Pinquet contacted his boss at the inmate transport company and said he was done. He was supposed to deliver the inmates to Hickory, North Carolina, but instead he kept going; when Iredell County sheriff’s officers caught up with him, he was arrested and charged with second-degree kidnapping and larceny. [Iredell Free News, 12/3/2023]

Saw That Coming

In Venice, Italy, on Dec. 3, tourists once again behaved badly — and this time they ended up all wet. The Guardian reported that travelers from China were riding in a gondola through the city’s canals, shifting around and standing to take selfies, when the gondola capsized, dumping them in the cold water. The gondolier had repeatedly asked them to stay seated, but as he maneuvered under a bridge, the vessel became unbalanced. He, too, ended up in the water, where he assisted his passengers to safety. [Guardian, 12/6/2023]

Compelling Explanation

Michael Green, 50, and Byron Bolden, 37, were sentenced in December in Colorado’s 18th Judicial District for felony theft after they shoplifted about $2,100 worth of items from a Kohl’s store, The Denver Gazette reported. In Colorado, theft under $2,000 is a misdemeanor, which is why their defense counsel creatively argued that the store was having a sale, and the men had coupons, which brought the value of the items down below the threshold for felony theft. The DA wasn’t having it: “Just because an item is on sale doesn’t mean it’s free to steal,” said John Kellner. “Retailers in our community are fed up with theft, and my office will actively prosecute these offenders.” [Denver Gazette, 12/12/2023]

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

News of the Weird is now a podcast on all major platforms! To find out more, visit newsoftheweirdpodcast.com.

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2024 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.

Police Report

Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman accompanied the mayor on Nov. 6 at a news conference where they presented a resolution to help curb reckless driving in the city, The Washington Post reported, saying the city needs to “change the daily behavior” of dangerous drivers. But after the event, as soon as Norman hit the road in his SUV, a dump truck rear-ended him, injuring both Norman and another officer. “We did not need this type of reminder that all drivers need to slow down and increase caution on our roadways,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said. [Washington Post, 11/7/2023]

Surprise, Surprise!

When antique dealer Beth Meyer bought the contents of a storage unit in September 2022, she was disappointed that there were no rocks inside; rocks are her specialty. However, The Washington Post reported, she did find a human skull among the items. This October, she put a $4,000 price tag on the skull and used it in a Halloween display in the store she helps run in North Fort Myers, Florida — until an anthropologist walked through and saw it. While Meyer already knew the skull was real, the scientist thought it was very old and possibly from a Native American person, making it subject to certain federal laws. So they contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies deposited the skull with the medical examiner’s office, and while Florida law prohibits selling human remains, they don’t believe Meyer did anything wrong. She said she was “unaware of the skull being a Native American. I put such a high price on it that I figured no one would buy it.” [Washington Post, 11/6/2023]

The Tech Revolution

The BBC reported on Nov. 8 that a man in South Korea lost his life after a robot he was working on in a factory grabbed him and crushed his face and chest onto a conveyor belt. The employee of the robotics company, in his 40s, was working late on the robotic arm when it mistook him for a box of vegetables, which it was supposed to lift and transfer onto a pallet. The man was taken to the hospital but later died of his injuries. [BBC, 11/8/2023]

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

In the Chinese province of Hunan, the Shiniuzhai Scenic Area offers stunning landscapes of sheer cliffs — perfect for climbers. And who doesn’t get a little thirsty on the way up a grueling vertical mountain face? CNN reported that perched at 394 feet above the ground, a 2-square-meter “convenience store” offers free water bottles and other sustenance to hungry and parched climbers. The general manager of Shiniuzhai, Song Huizhou, said staff members are tasked with hauling goods up to the store every day in their backpacks. And you thought your commute was brutal. [CNN, 11/5/2023]

Meanwhile, at the Mall …

A man who had been living in a Shanghai shopping center stairwell for about six months was finally evicted on Oct. 30, the Daily Star reported. One security guard discovered his cozy setup, which included a tent, an ergonomic chair, a desk, and a computer, but allowed him to stay while he studied for exams — until a second guard found the makeshift home. The unnamed man used the mall’s electrical outlets to charge his devices. [Daily Star, 11/7/2023]

Great Art

Washington native Ben Miller is a painter of landscapes, focusing on river scenes to raise awareness about conservation. Oddity Central reported that it’s his painting method that makes him stand alone: He applies paint to fishing flies that he makes himself, then flings them at a piece of plexiglass positioned several feet away. Having learned fly fishing from his dad, Miller hits the precise mark he’s aiming for every time. He said he sometimes gets approached by police because people assume he’s fishing out of season, but they’ve always been understanding. [Oddity Central, 11/8/2023]

Wait, What?

Fashion icon Dior has launched a new scent made for babies, the Mirror reported. Bonne Etoile, priced at 230 British pounds (about $281), will provide a “gentle reminder of sweet memories of early childhood,” the brand gushed, with its “light notes of fruit, pillowy cotton and velvety petals.” (Do I detect a hint of spit-up?) It contains 98 percent natural-original ingredients. Parents can also indulge in hydrating body milks and bath cleansing foams. But everybody knows that babies smell amazing without the pricey perfumes! [Mirror, 11/9/2023]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Inexplicable

Two unsuspecting visitors to Wortham Park in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 26 were the victims of a teenager’s scream for attention, KHOU-TV reported. Alford Lasean Lewis, 19, and 18-year-old Kingston Miker cooked up a scheme wherein Lewis first tried to rob a man, and then sucker-punched another man in the back of the head, as Miker filmed the actions. “They did this for fun and posted it on social media, which is simply unacceptable,” said Ashlea Sheridan, a prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s office. Lewis was contrite: “You know, I just made a mistake, and everybody makes mistakes,” he told KHOU. “What people don’t see is that I shook his hand after and gave the man a hug.” Oh well, then. Case closed. [KHOU, 10/30/2023]

Buried the Lede

Joshua Dillon, 37, went on a drug-fueled rampage early on Oct. 29, forcing his way into two homes in Rush Township, Pennsylvania, WTAJ-TV reported. Dillon told homeowners he had been shot and was in danger. After barging in at the last house, he threw a television to the ground, dumped a CD rack, threw a lamp, BROKE THE HANDLE OFF A CAST IRON SKILLET (our emphasis), and rubbed frozen meat on his chest. Dillon had allegedly consumed a quarter-ounce of hallucinogenic mushrooms and now faces felony charges of burglary and criminal trespassing. But let’s talk about that skillet handle! [WTAJ, 11/1/2023]

Recent Alarming Headlines

• On Nov. 7, David Lassiter, 74, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, left his wallet behind when he voted, PennLive.com reported. Lassiter returned to the polling place and found his wallet, but $100 was missing. Police said he “made a scene inside … [and] made threats to come back with a firearm.” At home, he called police to report the alleged theft, but then said he would get a gun and handle it on his own. Officers arrived at the polling station before Lassiter arrived; in his car, they found seven firearms with ammunition. “Mr. Lassiter became aggressive and hostile toward the officers on scene,” police said. “He was detained for his safety as well as that of everyone on the scene.” [PennLive.com, 11/8/2023]

• Well, this escalated quickly. A man in Malaga, Spain, called a plumber on Nov. 4 to fix a broken pipe in his home, Oddity Central reported. After assessing the project, the plumber gave the homeowner an estimate, which sent the homeowner into a rage. He produced a firearm and threatened to kill the plumber; neighbors heard the disturbance and called police, but when they arrived, the homeowner would not release his hostage. Police got a glimpse of him and the plumber/hostage through a window and began negotiations; they asked the man to slightly open the front door so they could see that the plumber was all right. That’s when special forces stormed in and rescued the hostage. The homeowner is in police custody. [Oddity Central, 11/8/2023]

It Doesn’t Work That Way

On Nov. 1, at Canberra Airport in Australia, a woman who seemingly missed her flight ran past security and onto the tarmac, trying to attract the attention of the pilot, 9News reported. The QantasLink flight was headed to Adelaide. Witness Dennis Bilic said it was “weird” that no one stopped her: “People were a bit flat-footed … that was the weird part.” Another witness said the pilot was “warned or spotted her and killed the engine.” Flights were delayed for about 10 minutes after the incident. [9News, 11/2/2023]

Bright Idea

Workers at Arlington Auto Wrecking in Akron, Ohio, had had enough of 26-year-old Alexander Funk, who had broken into the facility three times, Fox News reported on Nov. 5. In the most recent incident in October, Funk broke into an SUV on the lot, but before he could drive away, a forklift driver hoisted the car about 20 feet off the ground with Funk inside. When they explained the situation to the 911 operator, they said, “Wonderful, that is the greatest thing I’ve ever heard.” Officers arrived and Funk was lowered to the ground and handcuffed. He was charged with criminal trespassing and possessing criminal tools. [Fox News, 11/5/2023]

NEWS OF THE WEIRD
© 2023 Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Reprinted with permission.
All rights reserved.