Articles Posted in Odd Cases

The Juice enjoys skiing, but this is just nuts. A Colorado woman tried to pass herself off as her boyfriend so that she could use his ski pass! From The Aspen Times:

The trouble started when a woman was caught trying to use a man named Daniel’s ski pass at Keystone Resort. When asked for a date of birth, she complied but “was slow to recall it” according to a report from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman claimed to be in the middle of a sex change and couldn’t provide any personal information beyond the birthday and middle name.

“The female stated her parents knew of her sex change, and she stated they disowned her when she told them,” according to the report.

So if we call your parents …

[Daniel’s] father was “shocked” last weekend when a local deputy called asking whether his son was having a sex-change operation.

So shocked that he called the police back to make sure the call was legit. The jig was really up when …

An hour later, the Keystone scanning supervisor told the deputy there was a phone number on Daniel’s ski pass file. The deputy called the number and Daniel answered, informing the deputy that he had given the pass to his girlfriend, Wanda.

Doh! Time to come clean?

The woman spoke with Daniel then told the deputy that she was actually Wanda.

Case closed, the investigation anyway…

[Wanda] was arrested and booked on charges of theft of more than $500 and criminal impersonation.

I would bet that even troglodytes are aware of the depth and breadth of the Xbox craze. Even people in their – um – 40s are caught up in it. Even amidst this craze, I think it’s fair to say this guy overreacted. As reported by WXYZ (Troy, Michigan):

Clerks inside the Gamestop store at the Oakland Mall weren’t allowed to talk on the record [really?], but say it was a bizarre scene that played out inside the store Wednesday around noon.

They say one of their regular customers, whom they describe as odd, walked into the store wearing a blue fur coat. He was irate even before talking to the salesmen, cursing and demanding a refund for his Xbox.

One of the salesmen figured his behavior could spell trouble and, as trained, went into the mall to alert security.

Mall security came to the store and spoke with the 43-year-old customer from Detroit, his anger heightened as he threatened to kill someone.

That’s when security called Troy Police.

Admit it. You’re swept up in the story now… And then …

Store employees, knowing police were on their way, tried to stall the customer, and told him they needed his receipt. The customer went to his car and came back with the proof of purchase. Moments later, four police officers arrived, armed with rifles and clearing out the store. Officers say they frisked the man, and according to workers, they held a gun to his head and took him into custody.

That’s it? A proof of purchase and a stun gun? The charges? Making threats against mall workers. The Juice hopes the gent opts for a little more life, and a little less Xbox live.
 

Maybe it’s a good idea to give a prisoner at least a few bucks upon his release? And maybe it’s not such a good idea to try to rob somebody right after you are released from jail? Anyway, this guy definitely picked the wrong woman to try to rob. From China Daily:

[Mr.] Zhang, left for Qingyuan county soon after being released from the Xinbin Man autonomous county prison.

With no cash for food, Zhang barged into a 48-year-old woman’s house, hoping to steal some money. The woman, however, convinced Zhang that he looked very tired and should take a nap, promising him to give him some money once he woke up.

So much for TCB.

The woman tied the intruder with a rope as soon as he slept off and phoned the police.

Damn you, crafty, hypnotic lady! What kind of time do you get for a crime like this? In Qingyuan County, Liaoning Province in China, you get six years! Just a little bit more than you would get in the U.S….

And what exactly was this man referring to when he asked his neighbor if she “wanted a piece of this?” His penis! Brilliant! And of course his name is “Mr. Smart” – really. Here’s the skinny, per The Cairns Post:

A man taking a pee in his front yard waved his penis at the woman living next door then sprayed her car with urine during a neighbourhood row at White Rock, Cairns.

Father of four Stephen Charles Smart, 42, who pleaded guilty to wilful exposure in Cairns Magistrates’ Court recently, also asked the neighbour if she “wanted a piece of this”.

Yes, of course there’s a defense. Here it is:

Smart’s lawyer Tom Eckersley said … there had been an ongoing feud between the neighbours for some time during which [Mr. Smart’] roof had been rocked and stones thrown at his dog.

and …

Smart … had been having a barbecue in his front yard in Malibu Close and had gone to urinate against his own front fence when he called out to the neighbour, thinking he was semi-shielded.

Continued the lawyer:

But Mr Eckersley said the woman had walked further down her driveway than he thought and was able to see him clearly.

The time?

Magistrate Suzette Coates .. released Smart on a six-month good behaviour bond and did not record a conviction …

Seems just to the Juice.

No doubt there are many ways to smuggle things into a country. But check out this lizard-smuggling story from KTLA-TV:

A man was arrested at LAX for trying to smuggle 15 live lizards into the United States by strapping them to his chest.

Special agents with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife arrested Michael Plank, 40, of Lomita, as he tried to clear U.S. customs at the airport on a flight from Australia last week.

Agents say the lizards were concealed in a money belt that was strapped to Plank’s torso. Inspectors seized two geckos, eleven skinks, and two monitor lizards. Monitor lizards are a protected species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The lizards are valued at $8,500 according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Special Agent Mona Ianelli.

The crime and the time?

Federal law required that travelers declare items brought to the United States from abroad, including wildlife. Concealing the illegal import of wildlife into the United States is a felony. The maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Zoinks!

No doubt coffins are heavy. But it’s probably easier to carry them when you are sober! As reported by The Local:

Two sisters are claiming damages [20,000 kronor ($2,895 US] from a firm of funeral directors after their father’s coffin was plunged ungracefully into a grave by undertakers unsteady on their feet.

During the funeral, which took place in February 2008, they claim a number of undertakers were clearly drunk while being in charge of the coffin.

I think it’s fair to say that virtually every kid on earth is told not to play with fire. Many kids ignore it, and manage to escape unscathed. Such was not the case for an 11-year-old boy in Sweden. He was 9 on that fateful day. Per The Local (Sweden):

An 11-year-old boy has been ordered to pay 1.9 million kronor (US $276,000) in damages after causing smoke and water damage to a Stockholm home, the Aftonbladet newspaper writes.

The boy, who was nine at the time, was visiting another family in the suburb in southern Stockholm when he got hold of a cigarette lighter and proceeded to set light to some paper in a wardrobe with devastating consequences.

The insurance company agreed to meet the costs incurred by the family for the damages to their home – 1.9 million kronor – and then proceeded to sue the boy in court.

Well that should make for some really good public relations …

The court has now ruled that the boy is responsible for his actions – the debt can not be claimed from the other members of his family.

“According to Swedish law children can be liable for damages to the same extent as adults,” said Mårten Schultz, an expert in liability law, told the newspaper. “The debt is the child’s, it is the boy that has to pay up,” he confirmed.

Are they going to garnish his allowance? Here’s the source.

I would imagine that 911 operators get a lot of strange calls. Still, I’ll bet they don’t get calls like this too often. As reported by the St. Petersburg Times:

Joshua Basso said his cell phone ran out of minutes Wednesday, so he called the one number that he knew is always free — 911 — with an unusual request.

He wanted someone to have sex with him.

Is there [pardon the pun] stimulus money for that? [Oh!]

When 911 operators hung up on him, he called back four times, police said.

Fifteen minutes after his last call, police arrested Basso at his home, at 4202 N Nebraska Ave., on charges of making a false 911 call. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail, where he remains without bail.

No bail?

Basso has been arrested a dozen times in Hillsborough on charges including grand theft of a motor vehicle, violation of probation, domestic violence battery, possession of marijuana, trespassing and burglary, jail records show.

Add one more to that cornucopia of criminal charges. Here’s the source.

Did you know that eight is a very lucky number in China. Know why? Per the BBC:

The number eight is considered auspicious in China because it sounds similar to the word for “to make money”.

There are five Chinese guys who are most likely cursing the number eight right about now. Here’s why:

A Beijing court has jailed and fined five men for fighting over a “lucky” licence plate containing the auspicious number 8888, Chinese media report.

License plates are issued a little differently in China than they are in the States.

The men used knives and clubs to beat anyone who came near a machine issuing the number plates at a Beijing vehicle registration centre, Beijing News said.

The incident occurred in July last year as number plates ending with the numbers “8888” were about to be issued, the reports said.

Several people were injured, one of them seriously, it added.

That’s the crime. The time?

Three men were sentenced to one year in jail. All were ordered to pay $8,000 (£5,000) to compensate the victims.

The ringleader, identified only as Xu, had paid four accomplices 10,000 yuan ($1,500) to guard the machine.

How about this vanity plate: H8TE 8.

OMG, that is a sausage in your pants! A bunch of them, as it turns out. Per The Cairns Post:

A man has been caught stuffing sausages down his pants in a bizarre alleged theft at an Innisfail supermarket.

The 38-year-old Innisfail man was charged with stealing after he was seen leaving IGA Innisfail about 6.15pm on Friday.

Police allege he had items of meat concealed in his shorts and several other items in his pockets.

If you buy your sausage at the IGA Innisfail, you’ll be glad to hear that …

The items were not returned to sale …

Whew! Here’s the source.