Legal Juice

You know those ideas that leave you asking yourself "why didn't I think of that? It's so simple." Well, this isn't one of them. The only simple thing about this scheme is the dude that tried to pull it off. From the South Florida Sun-Senitnel:

Add a zero to a $5 bill and it becomes a $50? Well, one would-be thief today tried to pass off a fake fifty at the Ace hardware store, 510 E. Boynton Beach Blvd., police said.

At about 8:08 a.m., an unidentified shopper brought a few items to the counter and handed over the money. When the clerk questioned another store employee about the authenticity of the bill the man ran out of the store, according to a police log.

"A closer examination of the bill revealed that it appeared to be a five dollar bill that the suspect attempted to transform into a fifty," the report stated.

Look at that fiver up there! How could you possibly turn that into a fifty?

The old saw remains true: if it's sounds too good to be true, it is. So how did former high school secretary Caroline McNeal allegedly assure that her daughter increased her grades and SAT scores? Per The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The first clue that something was amiss came when a high school guidance office employee in fall 2007 noticed that the SAT college entrance exam score in the school computer for Ms. McNeal's daughter was higher than the one sent by the College Board, 1730 vs. 1370.

Further investigation showed the girl's grades had been altered about 193 times in 24 courses between May 30, 2006 and July 12, 2007, covering school years from 2003-04 through 2006-07.

Many of the changes boosted grades that were already in the 90s, such as changing an accelerated social studies term grade from 94 to 95 and a family and consumer sciences final grade from 98 to 100.

In some cases, the increase was significant, such as raising an exam grade in advanced algebra from 69 to 94.

But that's not all. She's also charged with reducing the grades of two other girls!

The girls had higher class ranks than Ms. McNeal's daughter did before the grades were altered.

According to the affidavit, the grades of the two girls were changed by a couple of percentage points, such as reducing one's advanced algebra grade for one term from 96 to 94 and the other's accelerated English grade for a term from 96 to 93.

All very uncool, and felonious.

[Ms. McNeal] was charged with 29 counts of unlawful use of a computer and 29 counts of tampering with public records, all third-degree felonies.

Click here to read more.

How many? In Paul Kavanagh's case, 15,000! He's been at it since 1995. On one day in February of this year, he made 65 calls! After all these years, how did they catch a guy who used unregistered cell phones? He gave the police a huge clue when he told one of his victims that he "liked the way [her] hair is today." And, as reported in the Sunday Metro, he often called a gym that he had a clear view of from his home. Why did he get 2 1/2 years? Said the Judge:

It seems to me to simply have been the case that the defendant was taking drink and cocaine and making these calls for the purposes of sexual gratification and I must say to my mind for the purposes of cruelty.

For more (just a bit) click here.

What's a person to do when his boarding housemate's violin playing has been driving him insane for three years? Per The Courier Mail:

The man approached the violin player, snapped the bow and threw it out the window of the Lutwyche residence.

He said he had been listening to him play it badly for three years and finally had a "brain snap and couldn't listen to it any longer".

What do you get for something like that?

He was put on a good behaviour bond in Brisbane Magistrates Court and ordered to replace the bow.

And it begins again ...

An interesting question, and not an academic one, for identical twins Gavin and Rhys Higgins, and for the alleged victim, Darryl Churchill. Per the Daily Mail:

Darryl Churchill had claimed that one of the twins set upon him after a dispute over a game of pool which he had refereed.

He told the court he was 'punched and kicked' and needed an operation to fix his nose after the alleged attack, but could not tell which brother was responsible because they look so alike.

And this went to trial why? Was the Cardiff Crown Court Judge supposed to flip a coin? Shockingly, the Higgins brothers ...

... walked free today after a jury took less than a hour to acquit them over [the] rugby club altercation.

The jubilant pair were found not guilty of one charge each of assault causing actual bodily harm at a birthday party at their local rugby club.

What did the brothers have to say after the verdict?

Gavin said: 'Me and my brother always seem to get dragged into trouble because we look alike. People are always mixing us up.

Um, okay. So that would mean one of you gets into trouble, and you both get "dragged" into it because it's uncertain which one of you caused the trouble? Hmmm. That sounds familiar ... Here's the source, with photos of the brothers.

BFWI? Breast-feeding while intoxicated. And yes, at least in Grand Forks, North Dakota it is - and it's a felony. As reported by the Grand Forks Herald:

A Grand Forks mother who police say was “extremely intoxicated” while breast-feeding her 6-week-old pleaded guilty to child neglect Tuesday.

Officers responded to an unrelated call at a Grand Forks residence in the early morning of Feb. 13 and saw 26-year-old Stacey Anvarinia slurring her speech and breastfeeding, prosecutor Meredith Larson told the judge.

Citing a police report, Larson said officers were concerned about the infant’s welfare, so they called Altru Hospital and were told that breast-feeding while intoxicated was not good for the child.

“Ms. Anvarinia was notified of that, and she continued to make attempts to breast-feed,” Larson said.

Judge Juice's sentence: AA [probably], parenting classes [definitely], and community service [definitely]. (If you like bizarre breast-feeding stories, check out this very uncool multitasking post.)(And if you like wacky multitasking posts, check out this one.) And if you just want some more Legal Juice (as in, all of it), click here.

Timothy Paul Gatschet of Wichita, Kansas was not exactly a shining example of what a doctor should be. From The Hays Daily News:

[The Kansas State Board of Healing Arts] had taken away his license in 1993 for inappropriate conduct.

In 1996, he was convicted of three felony counts of attempted enticement of a child.

The board reinstated Gatschet's license in 1998, but limited his practice to geriatrics.

And finally ... ...

Gatschet ... was sentenced Monday in Ellis County court to three years and seven months in prison. He pleaded guilty in March to criminal use of an explosive device and attempted use of an explosive device.

And what about his physician's license, which appeared to be coated with teflon?

Gatschet gave [it] up in April rather than face disciplinary proceedings by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts.

I was starting to wonder what a doctor has to do in Kansas to lose his license for good. Here's the source.

You live in Pennsylvania, and you just want to pick up a six-pack of beer and be on your way. So you head down to the Sheetz convenience store, which has a license to sell beer. But, under Pennsylvania law, because Sheetz wouldn't allow folks to drink on the premises, they're not allowed to sell beer at all! Say what? Sheetz took this absurd law to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and ... lost. Per The Daily Review: ...

...state law allows stores to sell six-packs only if consumers also may consume beer on the premises.

The Sheetz store in question didn’t want to accommodate beer-drinking in the store, prompting the court to rule that state law then prohibited it from selling beer for takeout.

It all makes sense, right? We want people to drink, then drive, instead of going home and drinking! Brilliant!

Now, dear, don't be ... oh my! He is driving backwards - down the highway! As reported by tdn.com (Washington State):

Police arrested a driver Thursday night who was cruising along Interstate 5 — in reverse.

The 41-year-old man drove at least three miles backward on Interstate 5 before his arrest around 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputy Ryan Cruser said.

Holy shiznit! 3 miles in reverse? That's some serious talent right there.

Police said they saw the man laughing as they approached the vehicle, which came to a stop in the middle of three northbound lanes at milepost 55 — not far from a rest area by the Cowlitz County-Lewis County border, according to Cruser.

The man refused to roll down his windows when police approached his rented 2009 Dodge Avenger, Cruser said. Police broke the window to arrest him.

Wait. Don't ta ....zzzzzzzzzz

Deputies used a Taser to subdue the driver when he began to struggle during the arrest, said Sgt. Blair Schmidt with the Washington State Patrol.

Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor in the incident, Cruser said. Police plan to have the driver, a resident of Canada whose name wasn’t released, evaluated for possible mental problems.

Perhaps mad, definitely mad skills ... Here's the source.

Here's the defense: "It wasn't me. It was all the bear's idea." The crime? Per The Sydney Morning Herald:

Police said in April this year [22-year-old Russell] Hounslow's 21-year-old flatmate found a camera inside a teddy bear on her bedside table and discovered it was linked to a video cassette recorder.

Mr. Hounslow has been charged with "using an optical device to record a private activity and possessing an obscene article." Not cool. Here's the source.

Talk about a petty crime. Per newsok.com (The Oklahoman):

Roger Hamilton told police he was sitting on a bus station bench, preparing to put mayonnaise on his 76-cent bologna and cheese sandwich, when a man wearing headphones began staring at him. Hamilton, 24, told police he asked the man if he could help him, but the man punched him in the mouth and snatched his sandwich. When police arrived Wednesday at the Hudson Street bus station, they found Hamilton with a swollen lip and bloody face. Hamilton described him as a black man in his 30s.

Click here to see a one-minute news video.

On several occasions, I have put an envelope in my bike bag and arrived home, having forgotten to stop by the mailbox. Never, though, have I stopped by the mailbox, having forgotten to put on my clothes. Florida resident Marilyn Incigeri made that trip to the mailbox ... As reported by tbo.com:

A Brooksville woman was arrested Tuesday after she walked to her mailbox topless.

Neighbors' complaints brought a deputy to 834 Easy Street around noon, where he said he saw Marilyn Incigeri standing on the back porch of her house in the nude.

Snap!

When Incigeri, 46, spotted the cruiser she retreated back into her house and emerged wearing blue jean shorts and a white halter top. She was placed into custody while a deputy interviewed four neighbors.

Naked lady? I didn't see any naked lady?

[Neighbors] told the deputy Incigeri walked to her mailbox wearing only a pair of shorts. There had been an argument between them and the suspect earlier, according to a report.

Incigeri, who reportedly showed signs of intoxication, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure.

I feel safer.

Dude. Of all people to stalk, the police? That's what Thomas C. Massey of Traverse City, Michigan is accused of, per the Traverse City Record-Eagle:

Massey spent a good portion of Monday shouting at officers and making a profane gesture at them as he paced around the building, police said.

It wasn't an isolated incident. Police contend Massey heckled and harassed local officers since at least March, and he's often spotted around the law enforcement center.

Massey, of Traverse City, was arrested in March after he crept around the Grand Traverse County Jail property taking information from jail employees' license plates and peeping in their cars, Emerson said. Charges weren't approved in that incident.

On Monday afternoon, Massey -- who police said was clad in a Hawaiian shirt and a Christmas tie -- approached an officer who pulled into the lot behind the building. The officer asked Massey if he needed help, and he began to spew profanities.

Massey repeatedly refused to calm down, so officers arrested him. He allegedly struggled and "body checked" a patrol vehicle and broke a mirror during the arrest, Emerson said.

The charges? Two minutes in the box for body checking a police vehicle...

Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Al Schneider charged Massey with attempted malicious destruction of police property and disturbing the peace. He remained in custody Tuesday afternoon and is expected to be arraigned today.

Why the animosity toward the police? Not a clue.

"Nobody seems to know why he has a beef with us or what his problem is ... it's just bizarre," [Capt.] Emerson said.

To read more, click here.

If you are one of those folks who refuses to carry a cell phone, I seriously doubt that this story will change your mind. But for those who carry them religiously (me?), and feel strange if we don't have them, vindication! Check out this story from the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

The robber came in the door of the Beverage Mart liquor store in Roswell, waving a big, black hunting knife.

He wanted the money in the knapsack. Now!

He lunged at the clerk, Joseph Wescott, 59, who leaned back to get away from that 10-inch gleaming blade. The knife hit the cell phone in Wescott’s breast pocket instead.

That bought time. Time enough for Wescott to reach for the Glock .40 he kept under the counter.

It was Monday night, about 8:30 p.m., and that’s when accused robber, Carlos Jeanpierre, 24, of Atlanta, realized this might be the end.

He ran for the door, but not before Wescott got off a round, hitting him in the side. The bullet went in the right side and lodged in the left side of the abdomen.

I think Mr. Westcott owes his son a huge "thank you." Why?

Wescott ... is the father of a Roswell Police officer. The son had bought his dad both the gun and the phone, Wescott said.

Here's the source.

Perhaps you might feel otherwise, but despite receiving 77 parking tickets this year - all "unearned" - Illinois resident Tom Feddor would not dream of giving up his "0" license plate. His grandfather got it in 1971, and it's been in the family ever since. So why has Mr. Feddor been receiving so many tickets that he has to go to court about once every three weeks? Here's why, as reported by the Chicago Tribune:

It turned out that some city parking-enforcement aides punched in 0 when testing their electronic ticket-issuing devices, Revenue Department spokesman Ed Walsh said. Officials weren't aware there was a 0 plate or that Feddor was receiving tickets, Walsh said in response to the Tribune inquiry.

Doh! But that's not all ...

Adding to Feddor's headaches, the letter "O" Illinois license plates registered to convicted felon Lawrence Warner, a co-defendant in the corruption trial of former Gov. George Ryan, sometimes resulted in Feddor receiving ticket notices from the city that belonged to Warner, he said.

Turns out the "0" is much more trouble than the "O" ever was:

"Mr. Warner was always very nice about helping to straighten out the problem," Feddor said.

Warner is serving a prison sentence for his role in sweetheart deals when Ryan was secretary of state.

How can a judge's clerk make himself immortal? By cleverly inserting his name in an opinion. Props to the Southeast Texas Record's John Browning for sharing this story. And speaking of the story, here's how law clerk Bob Bragalone put his name in Judge Belew's published opinion: He started each paragraph of the opinion with a letter in his name. From Meridian Savings Assocation v. Sadler, et al., 759 F. Supp. 336 (USDC ND Tex 1990):

Before the Court is Defendant Sadler's Motion to Reconsider ...

On November 2, 1989, Intervenor, Resolution Trust Corporation ...

By this Court's Order entered February 20, 1990 ...

Before the RTC filed its Motion ...

Realizing the importance of the judgment ...

Arguing that the Court's February 20, 1990 Order ...

Given these facts, it is this Court's responsibility ...

As stated by the Fifth Circuit ...

Like many other areas of the law ...

Of these eight factors ...

No suggestion has been made that ...

Essentially, the Court's new order ...

Well done sir. Here's the source.

Pubic Hair! As reported by cbs4denver.com:

"According to the [police] complaint, a second kitchen worker told police [the cook] put a slit in the steak and pushed something inside, then stated, "These are my pubes," referring to pubic hair." [The cook said they were facial hairs. Huh?]

Why would a cook do this? He was pissed that the customer said the first steak was "medium," not "rare" per his order. What happened to Ryan Kropp, the cook?

Kropp, 24, of West Bend, was charged Wednesday with a felony of placing foreign objects in edibles, carrying up to 3 1/2 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He was released on a signature bond.

Damn! A felony? Up to 3 1/2 years?

Since this is a "best of" post, I can tell you what the sentence was: 6 months in jail! And the victim said that wasn't enough! You can read a fair amount more here.

[Sorry if this disappoints anyone, but that there is a costume.]

So wet t-shirt contests might not be your thing, but really, is it something you want to spend time prosecuting? In Mason City, Iowa, that would be a "yes," as reported by RadioIowa.com.

A magistrate court jury in Cerro Gordo County has found the owner of a Clear Lake tavern not guilty of violating that community's adult entertainment ordinance. The six-member panel returned the verdict after Alan Slater was charged last June after allegedly holding a wet t-shirt contest at The Marina.

Slater testified that he was planning to hold a wet t-shirt contest at the bar, but then backed out after thinking that he'd receive a citation from the city. He said he then let the public host the contest at the bar and directed his staff to keep things within the law.

Clever man, that Mr. Slater.

Texas Inmate George Morgan filed a habeas petition, which the state moved to dismiss. This didn't sit well with Mr. Morgan. So he wrote a note to assistant U.S. attorney Susan San Miguel on toilet paper. What did the note say? As reported by Courthouse News Service:

"Dear Susan, Please use this to wipe your ass, that argument was a bunch of shit! You[rs] Truly, George Morgan."

Ba da bing. Ba da boom.

One of Miguel's co-workers returned the note to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where Morgan is incarcerated.

And?

Morgan was charged with using vulgar language and was punished with a loss of 15 days of credit earned for good behavior.

Morgan appealed, arguing that the punishment violated his right to free speech. And he ... lost.

Judge Jolly acknowledged that prisoners have certain First Amendment rights, but said those rights are restricted by the state's interest in rehabilitating the prisoner.

"Morgan's note demonstrated a completely unjustified disrespect for authority, expressed in the most unacceptably vulgar form, which would be offensive in mainstream society," Jolly wrote.

"It would not be tolerated from a peer member of the bar, and would not be tolerated from a pro se litigant in the free setting."

Here's the source.

So this man and his son (the Estays) were cruising down an Idaho highway when they saw their car ... being driven by someone else. They say they thought it was stolen. Nope. Turns out it was being repossessed (by the Lyles). A car chase ensued. Per kpvi.com:

When the cars pulled over, Estay admits to slashing the tires so it couldn't get away. His son is said to have attacked Landon Lyle. Estay is said to have stabbed Amy Lyle, but today any actual "stabbing" was disputed. Estay says it was an accident when he was approached from behind while slashing the tires. And both parties today did agree the injury was more of a slight laceration.

The younger Estay got 5 days in jail and 2 days probation. His dad "will serve 20 days in jail, pay a $1,000 fine, go to anger management, and write a letter of apology." But wait. There's more - and it's not good for Mr. Lyle.

Peter Estay today called himself a victim, and in many ways, he now is. Because after a bizarre twist of revenge two months ago, Landon Lyle was arrested for shooting his gun into Estay's home, with Estay's wife inside.

So while this two-year saga could've drawn to a close with Monday's sentencing, it is still far from over. Lyle is now charged with second degree attempted murder.

Honestly, I'm not a Kohl's guy either. But some people get really excited about shopping there ...

A man from Oconomowoc, accused of fondling himself in a department store, was charged Monday with one count of Lewd and Lascivious Behavior.

According to the criminal complaint, Daniel Wagner, 38, was seen masturbating in a Kohl's Department store on St. Paul Ave. in April.

Wagner was also charged with Disorderly Conduct. If convicted, he faces up to a year in prison.

(The above is from a report by Wisconsin station TMJ4 at todaystmj4.com.)

There are folks who garden in more traditional garb (clothes), and then there are the Pierces of Boulder, Colorado. They were spotted gardening in front of their rental unit with very little on - Ms. Pierce was sporting pasties and a thong; Mr. Pierce was was just wearing a thong. Some uptight neighbors called the cops. As reported by the Daily Camera:

... the officers who responded confirmed what the Pierces already believed to be true: Their dress, though scanty, was legal.

As long as a person's genitalia are covered, no law has been broken, Boulder police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley said.

Yeah! Take that, you uptight, puritanical ... What's that? You say there's a nuisance clause in my lease? And I'm going to get kick out anyway?

... the Pierces received a letter form Annie Mount at Boulder Housing Partners, their landlord, warning that the behavior was a "nuisance" to the community and needed to be changed. A clause in the Pierces' lease prohibits "nuisance" behavior, and violating the lease agreement can be grounds for eviction.

Kind of a vague term, no? Yes.

Betsy Martens, executive director of the Boulder Housing Partners, which administers Boulder's affordable housing program, acknowledged that defining the word nuisance is one of the "most difficult concepts in the law."

If Boulder tries the nuclear option, the Pierce's won't go down without a fight.

"We want our freedom," Robert Pierce said. "We want exactly what the law gives you, and we don't want to be harassed about it."

Although he had examined the patient several times in 2002 and 2003, the doctor failed to notice that his patient had a 32 pound cyst! What did he tell her? Per the Otago [New Zealand] Daily Times online, that ...

...she was overweight and prescribed weight-loss pills.

Wrong. Very wrong.

The woman, a 44-year-old mother of three, was eventually was taken to Christchurch Hospital in severe pain where the cyst was removed. The woman told The Press yesterday the cyst was cancerous and she needed an operation to remove her womb, ovaries and fallopian tubes.

What happened to the doctor?

[He] was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal in 2006. He was censured and fined $22,500 but his name was suppressed to protect his practice and family.

Wow. That's it? I agree with the victim:

"I've lost my insides, but he's still practising," she said.

She felt ill that the doctor continued to treat patients who were unaware of the misconduct finding. The patient called for a radical change from the health system so the names of medical professionals found guilty of professional misconduct were made public.

Here's the source.

Oh no you didn't K-Mart. You didn't just charge Mary Bach tax on that toilet paper. Everybody knows that, unlike other paper goods, toilet paper is not taxed in Pennsylvania. No, Ms. Bach is not making a federal case out it - just a teeny, tiny $100 state court case. Now maybe you think a lawsuit over 14 cents is trivial. Perhaps you didn't know that Ms. Bach went back to the store just to see if they corrected the problem. They didn't. So she's owed 28 cents.

Why sue for $100? Because that's the amount allowed under Pennsylvania's Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law. And if you think I'm ridiculing Ms. Bach, you're wrong. I salute her. If nobody watches these little things, companies will get away with them. And if you multiply the little things by the number of purchases, they're not little things any more. To read about this and other dragons Ms. Bach has slayed in the past (and there have been a few) click here.

If you blamed your mom for severing your pinky, would you sue her? A contractor in New Jersey did. As reported at NorthJersey.com:

In 2006, John P. Garrity was installing hardwood floors for his mother, Nancy, when the accident occurred, according to court papers. While working with a miter saw in her garage, Nancy came up behind John and tapped him on his right shoulder. In depositions, John Garrity said that when he quickly turned around, his finger slipped into the saw’s path and severed his pinky.

Yikes. The case went to trial. The verdict? $95,500 for Mr. Garrity, plus $18,500 for medical expenses. The actual award was double that, but the jury found that Mr. Garrity was 50% responsible.

Sort of. A 17-year-old Washington student stood before his class and presented his essay on why marijuana should be legalized. And? Oh no you didn't... Per The News Tribune:

At the end of his speech ... [he] pulled out a joint, lit it and smoked away. Then he ate the remains.

Yes! Victory! He ate it, so you can't ... what's that?

For that he got a quick escort to the school office and then a ride to Remann Hall juvenile jail.

The boy ... was arrested on suspicion of unlawful drug possession, a misdemeanor.

In case you were wondering, he has a 3.7 GPA.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "helping." If you mean helping the possible jumper - who had been standing on the bridge for hours - make up his mind, then yes, Lai Jiansheng provided a helping hand to Chen Fuchao. Lai approached Chen and shook his hand, then pushed him off the bridge! Luckily for Chen, as reported by The China Post,

[he] fell 26 feet (8 meters) onto a partially inflated emergency air cushion laid out by authorities and survived, suffering spine and elbow injuries, the official Xinhua News Agency said Saturday.

Really? Only 26 feet? Why was Chen on the bridge?

According to Xinhua, Chen wanted to kill himself because he had accrued 2 million yuan (US$290,000) in debt from a failed construction project.

Okay, but the burning question is, why did Lai push him?

... Lai Jiansheng had been fed up with what he called Chen's "selfish activity," Xinhua said. Traffic around the Haizhu bridge in the city of Guangzhou had been backed up for five hours and police had cordoned off the area.

"I pushed him off because jumpers like Chen are very selfish. Their action violates a lot of public interest," Lai was quoted as saying by Xinhua. "They do not really dare to kill themselves. Instead, they just want to raise the relevant government authorities' attention to their appeals."

Photos in the Beijing Morning Post showed Lai, shoeless and in a T-shirt, saluting after Chen fell.

Cold. But, here's one more thing about Lai: it has been reported that "he had been on medication for "a mental illness" for decades and had been on his way to a hospital for his pills." So what happened to Lai?

A police officer who answered the telephone Saturday at a station close to the bridge confirmed the incident and said it was under investigation. He refused to give any other details and hung up.

You can read more here.

It should go without saying that every kid ought to hear "the talk" from his parents. But a 42-year-old British dad apparently wanted to go the extra mile for his 14-year-old son - by hooking him up (sorry) with a prostitute! Alas, the woman dad approached was ... a cop! And, of course, now dad is ashamed.

The father's barrister Matthew Smith said: "There is a thorough sense of shame the defendant feels.

Said the Judge, per the BBC News:

What you were doing that night was to expose your 14-year-old son to a prostitute because you didn't know she was a police officer.

You have a duty of care to your son and that is to look after his moral welfare not, as you might think, to break him into the ways of sex through a prostitute.

So dad pleaded guilty to attempting to solicit a woman to have sex with a minor. Jail time?

Judge Jonathan Teare said he was not sending the father to prison because of his previous excellent character and that he believed he did not mean any harm to his son.

Mr. Smith added that the boy would be allowed to continue to live with his father.

But ...

[dad] will be placed on the sex offenders register for five years.

Go figure. A man of "previous excellent character" who retains custody of his son is put on the sex offenders registry? Huh? Here's the source.

Here's a very good example, per WTHR.com:

It was a day that kept getting worse for a Terre Haute man who put his car in a ditch and then tried to get it out with a "borrowed" tractor.

When officers arrived, they discovered a large farm tractor and car in a ditch, apparently after falling from the bridge. The driver of the tractor had fled the scene.

Yeah, no chance the police would figure out it was him, what with his car being in the ditch ...

Troopers got a tip that the driver was hiding at a nearby farm house on Rio Grande Road. Officers went to the residence and took the driver into custody without incident.

Damn you tipster!

The driver was identified as Kevin Michael Whitesell, age 31, of Terre Haute, IN. Whitesell was taken to the Vigo County Jail. He faces charges of Driving While Intoxicated, Class A misdemeanor; and Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Crash, Class C misdemeanor. Additional charges may be filed.

The blow-by-blow:

Police say at around 5:00 am, Whitesell crashed his 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier on Bluejay Road just west of Eppert Road. He then walked to a farm house on Rio Grande Road, approximately two miles from the scene, and obtained a 1998 John Deere 9100 Series four-wheel driver tractor.

So after walking 2 miles, it still didn't dawn on him that this was a bad idea.

Whitesell then drove back to his car on Bluejay, hooked the overturned car to the tractor and began dragging the car (on its top) eastbound on Bluejay.

As Whitesell attempted to make a right turn onto Eppert, he lost control and drove the tractor over the west side of the bridge, dragging the car with it. The tractor was owned by Plant Farms and the owner of the car was Whitesell. Police say Whitesell was an employee of Plant Farms, but he took the tractor without his employer knowing about it.

Damn you Eppert Road!

Damage to the bridge was estimated at $10,000 to $20,000 and the tractor was valued at $150,000.

Zoinks! Here's the source, with multiple photographs of the scene.

Warning: Do not read this right before, or after, eating, because it's really, really gross. Okay, here it goes, per The Standard, "China's Business Newspaper"

A domestic helper has appeared in court accused of trying to injure her employer by mixing her menstrual blood in a pot of vegetables she was cooking.

I warned you ...

In some Southeast Asian cultures menstrual blood is thought to have special magical powers.

Prosecutor Vincent Lee gave a statement to the court in which the Indonesian maid admitted under caution to mixing the blood with the vegetables in the belief that it would make her employer, surnamed Mok, "more amicable and less picky."

Perhaps this is TMI, but here it is:

Mok [the employer] peered through the kitchen door and saw the helper acting suspiciously. She entered the kitchen and found the accused throwing something into the trash bin.

When Mok checked, she allegedly found blood clot-like substances mixed with the vegetables and water in the cooking pan.

She later discovered a used sanitary napkin in the bin and called the police.

I won't be eating for a few days. And just in case your appetite is not totally gone, The Standard also reports that:

Last year, a court in Saudi Arabia sentenced two Asian domestic helpers to four months in prison and 250 lashes each for contaminating the tea of their employer with urine and menstrual blood.

And ...

In December 2007, another Indonesian domestic helper in Hong Kong added urine to the drinking water of her employer and his family.

She believed it would make the family treat her better. It was discovered after the family noticed a difference in the taste of the water. The maid was jailed for three months on a charge of "administering poison or other destructive or noxious things with intent to injure."