Articles Posted in Odd Cases

Respected CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) Radio reporter Bob Keating was ticked off! Seems that Mr. Earl Hamilton, a health care activist, called Mr. Keating a government “toady” who was not to be trusted. Well sir, how would you like a box of chocolates smeared with raw chicken and dirt?

That’s just what reporter Keating sent to Mr. Hamilton. Keating blew the surprise, though, warning Mr. Hamilton about what he was about to receive. He then confessed to his employer, and got psychiatric help. And the ramifications? Should Keating have been fired? A labor arbitrator decided that a three-month suspension was appropriate. When the CBC appealed that, they won, with a three-member panel saying he should be fired. But then that was appealed, and the British Columbia Court of Appeal said that the chocolate surprise was not a firing offense.

Only one problem – Keating does not want his job back! (The case was pursued by his union, against his wishes.) He is now the manager of media and trade relations for Kootenay Rockies Tourism. Though he is happy with his new job, he has found the restrictions – staying 50 feet away from chocolate, raw chicken, and dirt – sometimes difficult to work around. [Okay – the restrictions are bogus.] In any event, said Keating, “I’ve moved on… I made a mistake. It cost me a career… I want to put it behind me.” Here’s hoping he has.

Per the Court, Ken Parks

attacked his parents‑in‑law, killing one and seriously injuring the other. The incident occurred at their home, some 23 km. [14 miles] from respondent’s [Parks’] residence, during the night while they were both asleep in bed. Respondent [Parks] had driven there by car. Immediately after the incident, the respondent went to a nearby police station, again driving his own car, and told them what he had done. Respondent claimed to have been sleepwalking throughout the incident.

Mr. Parks was charged with first degree murder and attempted murder. So how did the trial go? Per the Court:

Maybe you were not the best history student? The case of Richard Lance McLaren, and his wife Evelyn, demonstrates why it’s important to pay attention, at least just a little bit.

McLaren and his wife, residents of West Texas, apparently forgot that the Lone Star State was, in fact, a state. After appointing himself “Chief Ambassador and Consul General” of the “Republic of Texas,” Mr. McLaren decided the time was right to strike the final blow for independence.

On April 27, 1997, in the name of the Republic of Texas movement, the McLarens and their followers abducted a West Texas couple and held them hostage as “prisoners of war” for 13 hours in the Republic of Texas “embassy” near Fort Davis, Texas. This kidnapping incident led to a seven-day standoff between the Republic of Texas followers and approximately 300 law enforcement officers, and ended in the surrender of the McLarens and most of the Republic of Texas followers.

Said the judge: “It seems to me, despite your age and despite your infirmities, you have deliberately, for a period going on for 10 years, made life a misery for your neighbours.” So what exactly did 81 year-old Dorothy Evans do to her neighbors that got her 6 months in jail (a sentence that the judge said would have been much longer had she been younger)? Per the testimony of her neighbor, Angela Casa, Ms. Evans:

Drew a white chalk mark around Mrs Casa’s car, while she was sitting in the vehicle outside her home, and swore at her through the car window before hitting her with her walking stick;

Told their 13-year-old daughter she was a witch and would cast a spell on her family and kill her pet dog;

Dropped her trousers and mooned Mrs. Casa’s mother;

Displayed photographs of the Casa’s home in her garage window alongside a piece of paper with the word “scum” written on it;

Told Mr. Casa to “go back to Italy”

Called Mrs. Casa a prostitute; and

Tried to run Mrs. Casa off the road.

Per the judge, the Casas are “eminently reasonable people,” and “[Ms. Evans] made their lives a misery, as was apparent both at the trial and by the witness impact statements.” He told Ms. Evans that “It’s abundantly clear you will not change.” Well, at least the Casa family will have 6 months of peace and quiet. (You can read more on this story here.)

No, unfortunately for movie audio-video engineer and independent filmmaker Dwayne Buckle, it didn’t go down like that. Buckle was selling his DVDs on a New York City sidewalk, when things went really, really bad. Here’s Buckle’s version:

As a group of women walked by, he spoke to one of them because he found her attractive.

A heavyset woman in the group said something rude.”She started dogging me out, being loud and disrespectful. I think I called her an elephant [a common epithet on the streets of NYC – “you, you elephant!”] and told her I wasn’t talking to her.”

Per a police source, one of the women said “She’s my girl, and no one hits on my girl!” Buckle said they trashed his looks and his clothes, and one of them spit on him. The seven women surrounded him and attacked him and whipped him with belts.

Afterward, he began picking up his tapes, when he was attacked again. Per the Assistant District Attorney, a surveillance video shows that Patreese Johnson pulled a steak knife from her purse and stabbed Buckle with it.

Buckle was in the hospital for 5 days, and had surgery on his liver and stomach. Seven women were arrested and charged with assault, while Johnson was also charged with attempted murder.

What do the ladies say happened?

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Aram Berberian had been a Rhode Island lawyer for 31 years when he sent this letter to a member of the Kent County, Rhode Island Courthouse police:

Frank A. Carter, Jr., Esquire
Providence County Supreme Court
250 Benefit Street
Providence, R.I. 02903
Dear Brother Carter:

On 15 October 1980 I intend to present to the Security Officers at the Kent County Courthouse a hand grenade which I will have smuggled into the courthouse. Since you have evidenced an interest in the subject matter, would you care to be present when I make the presentation? If so, I would be pleased to telephone to you the proper time.

I have already informed Officer Keagan of my intention so that he would have ready appropriate medication for his heart.
Yours truly,
Aram K. Berberian

Brilliant! Berberian also sent the letter to several others, including the clerk of the Superior Court, posted it on the Courthouse bulletin board, and hand-delivered it to a courthouse police officer, who gave it to his superior, Officer Dodd (who Berberian had sued over … metal detectors in state courthouses!).

Come October 15th, while speaking with a court security officer in the cafeteria, Berberian said

Gee, today is the 15th, I forgot I was supposed to bring a hand grenade into the building today. Give me a few minutes, I will go and get it. I have some business in Judge DeCiantis’ courtroom.

Berberian then went back to the courtroom where he was trying a domestic matter. Soon thereafter, the Chief of the Courthouse Police (Captain Dodd) entered the courtroom. Per the court:

When defendant noticed that Dodd had entered the room, he interrupted the examination of a witness, turned to Justice DeCiantis, and said, “Your Honor, one moment. I have something I want to give Captain Dodd.” The defendant approached Dodd and removed from his clothing a metal [**5] object that appeared to be a hand grenade. As he did so, defendant said: “Be careful with it. Don’t pull the [*930] pin. It might explode.”

It didn’t. Remotely, the pin was pulled by the Fire Marshal, and nothing happened. The grenade “was filled with an inert metallic substance incapable of exploding.” What was Attorney Berberian’s fate?

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Defendant Howard Freeman sent two letters to the Judge. “On both of them the letterhead reads:

The Committee to Save the Judges From Hanging Even Though They Deserve It.

At the bottom of the stationery the following matter appears:

The Bible and history tell us that an oppressed people have never once regained their freedom until they had hung the `judges’ and stoned the tax collectors to death; it is the fervent wish of the Committee that we can reason with the `judges’ to quit interfering with our common law protections. Then we will have only the tax collectors to deal with. Redloh 2:25.

Shabang! And just what was Mr. Freeman convicted of, a conviction that he appealed to the Supreme Court of Wyoming? Driving the wrong way on a one-way street! Mr. Freeman claimed that the citation was defective, and that the law under which he was charged is unconstitutional.

Loser, on each claim! The Wyoming Supremes were not amused, nor were they put off by the threatening letters. Of the letters, the Court stated:

While these warnings are dire, it well may be that cases such as the one before us constitute a far more severe punishment. Our rules of appellate practice were designed, at least in part, to protect judges from such consequences.

And that was the final word in Freeman v. Town of Lusk, 717 P.2d 331 (WY 1986).

Some folks just don’t know when to say “when.” June Woo, age 82, died on November 15, 2002. More than 4 years later, she is still in the morgue because her family won’t take custody of her body! Why?

According to the children, their mother was poisoned, a victim of “involuntary euthanasia.” They will not take the body becasue they are demanding that an inquest be held to investigate the death further. I use the word “further” because here is what we know so far:

On November 14, 2002, Ms. Wu was admitted to the hospital due to acute respiratory and renal failure, along with other long-standing health problems (including end-stage lung disease);

Her family was told that she might not survive the night. Ms. Woo died the following day;

Her family insisted that she died due to being over-medicated;

An autopsy report revealed that Ms. Woo was not over-medicated, and that “this lady was frail, elderly and in a poor general state of health.”

The coroner’s office retained one of the country’s top toxicology experts to review the matter, who agreed with the results of the autopsy.

Ms. Woo’s family was told that, since their mother died of natural causes, there would not be an inquest.

Not good enough! To this day, the Woos still refuse to claim their mother’s body! Although the government could bury her under the Burial Assistance Scheme, they have decided not to do so after discussing it with the Woo family. So Ms. Woo’s remains remain in the morgue, almost 4 1/2 years after she died, with no resolution in sight. To read more about this story, click here.

Regular Juice readers may remember the Swedish transvestite who wanted to change his name to “Pia” but was not allowed to. Well, seems Mr. and Mrs. Tomaro want to name their daughter “Metallica.” Her mom says that the name “suits her” because “she’s decisive and knows what she wants.”

Unfortunately, the Swedish Tax Board is also decisive, and knows what it wants. Apparently the name is too close to the word “metal,” so the Tax Board refused to register it. The Tomaro’s appealed the decision and won. Now the Tax Board has decided to appeal, and 6 month-old Metallica Tomaro still does not have an official registered name. “So what,” you might ask? Well, without a registered name, Metallica can’t get a passport. So, the Tomaros have had to cancel several trips until this is all sorted out!

Now I like women’s shoes, but … Hell, I don’t even like men’s shoes. For me, shoes are purely functional. Not so with 26 year-old mechanical engineer Omar Adb-el-Gowd, who told police that he has been obsessed with ladies shoes since he was 12, and that he has taken shoes “for sexual purposes” for years.

For Mr. Adb-el-Gowd, moving to the big city (London) was a HUGE mistake. He was blown away by the incredibly fine footwear. He stole shoes from women in London for over a year before that fateful day when, while stealing a shoe, he allegedly “sexually caressed” the calf and ankle of his victim. For that, he is on trial for sexual assault. Said the prosecutor:

He found that fashionable — to him — and sexually attractive shoes were to be found in greater abundance in the capital. He told police this was the trigger for him to go beyond simply taking shoes.

So, does Mr. Adb-el-Gowd prefer women’s shoes over women? Per prosecutor Fitzgerald:

He said, although he was sexually attracted to women and had had a sexual relationship with a girlfriend as recently as November 2005, his past relationships with women had been somewhat complicated by the fact that he would find a particular girlfriend’s shoes more sexually attractive than the girl herself.

Note to prosecutor: Having sex 1 1/2 years ago is not “recent.” For more details, click here.