Legal Juice

These women knew that they were virtually untouchable by the police. Why? Because they were pregnant (or suckling)! Per the Qianjiang Evening News (via ChinaDaily):

A group of 46 pregnant women were arrested and prosecuted for theft in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The women, who committed more than 400 thefts a month in the city, vary in ages from 20 to 40. They repeatedly got pregnant, because police will not usually arrest pregnant women or women suckling. One member in the group even got pregnant eight times in 10 years.

After they were arrested, the number of robberies in the city decreased noticeably.

If you know of a stranger gang, The Juice is all ears.

Regular Juice readers may remember this post about a law in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana that prohibited the sale of silly string within three hundred (300) feet of any parade route within the parish on any day a parade is scheduled.

So, no selling of silly string, only on parade days, and only within 300 feet of the parade route. Well sir, that kind of leniency toward the devil that is silly string will not be tolerated in the town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts! For in that town, you may not sell or use silly string EVER. To wit:

ARTICLE I

Plastic String and Streamers

[Adopted 6-11-1990 ATM, Art. 26]

~ 154-1. Sale and use prohibited.

No person shall sell or expose for sale, use or cause or permit to be used any product designed to project a string or streamer of plastic material.

HT to The Hopkinton Patch for this tidbit.

Why chase a non-violent suspect who is the subject of a "suspicious person" call when you can just Tase him? If you don't know that The Juice is opposed to the frequent overuse of Tasers, then you must be a new reader. When used appropriately, the Taser is a good law enforcement tool. So is a gun, but that doesn't mean you go all Wild West with it unless you have to. In yet another case of Taser overuse, check out this report out of Florida, per News-press.com:

Responding to a suspicious person call, an officer approached Martinez [who is homeless] as he was sleeping on a lawn chair by the pool around 1 p.m. at the complex at 4904 Vincennes St.

Clearly this suspicious man, who was SLEEPING on a lawn chair was a serious threat. Why wait until he runs to Tase him? Should have done it while he was sleeping. After all, he was trespassing.

While the officer was asking him questions, Martinez bolted across the pool deck.

Okay, now he's clearly a threat to [fill in the blank]. So ...

The officer deployed his Taser, hitting Martinez in the lower back.

In the process, Martinez rolled into the canal and swam across.

The officer then found Martinez hiding in an apartment rented by an acquaintance. When officers entered, Martinez escaped through the back door and was chased down by officers, who lost hold of him because he was still slippery from the swim.

Not a good day for the boys in blue, or Mr. Martinez.

Martinez was Tasered again but continued resisting and was Tasered several more times before being handcuffed.

So that's AT LEAST four times this suspicious man was Tasered. And lest you think he did nothing, other than trespass and run:

The tenants of the apartment also told police $8 was missing from a baby collection jar. The money was found in Martinez’s pocket and returned.

Whew. Cape Coral residents can now emerge from their closets and under their beds. The streets are safe again! And what of Mr. Martinez?

He was ... taken into custody and ... charged with burglary, petit theft, loitering and prowling and resisting arrest without violence.

Click here for the source, which includes a mug shot of Mr. Martinez.

Remember yesterday's post about the driver who brandished a gun during an argument with a cyclist? Turns out he was released on bail, and never showed up for his subsequent court appearance. Fast forward to November 2010 in Idaho, where deputies tried to bring him in. A shootout ensued, and Mr. Scrivner, who shot a deputy in the stomach and ankle, was killed. Here's the follow-up piece. HT to www.OhioBikeLawyer.com for bringing this to The Juice's attention.

Now maybe you don't have a cell phone tower in your back yard ... But if you did, you 'd probably be protective of it too, just like this fella in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. As reported by 4029tv.com:

Benton County officials said the man's wife knew the crew of four people were working on the tower in his back yard, but did not tell him. When the man saw the crew, he believed they were trespassers and shot at them with a .22 rifle, police said.

Just another example of harm caused by a failure to communicate ...

Police said he hit one man in the calf. The victim was recovering at Northwest Medical Center in Springdale with non-life-threatening injuries.

Non-life-threatening? I'm sure it hurt, but the dude got shot in the CALF, with a .22! Not exactly a powerful weapon, and the calf? Anyway, the charges?

Benton County officials said Dohle is charged with Second Degree Criminal Mischief and Second Degree Battery.

Click here for the source.

As a bicycle commuter who has been on the receiving end of many unkind words, The Juice can relate to this incident, up until the gun part anyway. From the "WTF Were You Thinking" category, as reported in the Colorado Springs Police Department Crime Blotter:

Incident Date: April 5, 2010 Time: 4:34:00 PM

Summary: Stetson Hills Officers were dispatched to a weapons brandishing stemming from a road rage situation occurring at the intersection of Old Farm Drive @ Old Farm Circle West. Officers spoke with an adult male victim who reported that he was riding his bike on Austin Bluffs Park Way when he was confronted by a motorist in a red Jeep Cherokee. The victim alleged that the suspect in the Cherokee yelled at him for being in the street on his bike. A short time later, the two came to a stop at an intersection and they engaged in a mutual discussion about the situation. The victim said at some point, the driver of the vehicle displayed what appeared to be a small caliber hand gun. The victim then used his cellular telephone to take a picture of the vehicles license plate. A robbery charge was attached because the victim said the suspect tried to take the phone away from him, so he drove away from the area and called the police. Officers used the license plate information to obtain the suspects address. They responded to 5220 Farm Ridge Place and spoke with 46 year old Curtis Scrivner. Scrivner was contacted in the back yard of his residence. Scrivner was not compliant with the officer’s requests and a brief stand-off occurred. A short time later Mr. Scrivner ran into his house. A short time later, officers made contact with the suspect by phone and successfully negotiated his surrender. Mr. Scrivner was arrested and booked into the criminal justice center for felony menacing and aggravated robbery.

You're probably thinking "oh, like you've never brandished?" A gun? No, The Juice has never brandished a gun. The same cannot be said for Ms. Shiquita D. Reed, whose recent trip to Brandishstan involved children at a bus stop! As reported by The Richmond Times-Dispatch:

A Chesterfield County mother with a history of disturbing, anti-social behavior was convicted Thursday of brandishing a gun [a .40-caliber semi-automatic pistol!] in front of three students at her daughter's bus stop and sent to jail for two years.

Declaring Shiquita D. Reed a "danger to society," Judge D. Gregory Carr of Chesterfield Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court convicted the 33-year-old mother of six on three misdemeanor counts of brandishing and sentenced her to a total of 36 months in jail with 12 months suspended.

What about her record?

Carr noted Reed's prior record, including at least three convictions for assault and battery, one for destruction of property and another for brandishing a gun when she was 18, in 1996.

A year ago last month, Reed was charged in Richmond with three counts of brandishing a firearm in the course of six days, including one incident involving a student walking to school. But all three charges eventually were withdrawn because the witnesses either didn't show up in court or refused to testify.

The Richmond commonwealth's attorney's office has dealt with Reed nearly a dozen times in recent years on a variety of charges, but most were dropped because of witness problems.

This may, or may not, explain why there has been such a problem with witnesses:

... Reed ... [said] it wasn't uncommon for her to walk her daughter to the bus stop and she had carried her gun there at least three times before...

"I always carry my gun," Reed testified, adding that she straps it on soon after she wakes up in the morning.

Yikes. You can read more - a fair amount - and see Ms. Reed's mugshot here.

Some people smoke weed. Some people believe god tells them to do things. Therefore, some people who smoke weed believe god tells them to do things. No? Of course not. You need not have taken formal logic to know that is complete BS. Nevertheless, there was a young man in West Hartford, who, after smoking weed said he was doing god's work... As reported by The Hartford Courant:

Police said a Middle Road resident arrived home Sunday and noticed the front door had been kicked in. [Levon T.]Sarkisyan [27], who identified himself as Leon Sark, then walked out the front door and told the homeowner "a light from above told him to do this," said Farmington police Sgt. Stephen Egan.

Sarkisyan then told the homeowner he'd broken into the house because "God wants me to help the world," Egan said. He then told the homeowner, "I mean you no harm."

While in the house, Sarkisyan used a fireplace poker to smash statues, including one of a Roman soldier, and a marble table, causing about $10,000 in damage, Egan said. Sarkisyan also rummaged through closets, took a shower, then dressed in the clothing of a deceased former resident, Egan said.

No harm to you, just your house and your stuff.

The homeowner told Sarkisyan to sit down, then fumbled with a phone trying to call 911, Egan said.

Sarkisyan said, "You see, God will not let you use the phone," Egan said.

Er, um, okay.

As they waited for police, the homeowner asked Sarkisyan how he broke into the home.

Sakisyan then stood up, "flexed his arm and said, "you see, super human strength," Egan said.

Officers arrived moments later and took him into custody without incident.

Why, Sark, why?

Later, Sarkisyan told officers he'd smoked "a strange strand of herb" that caused him to do what he did, Egan said.

The charges?

... third-degree burglary and first-degree criminal mischief ...

Sark clearly has problems, but lack of an education is not one of them. He graduated from UConn. Click here for the source, which includes one of the wackiest mug shots The Juice has seen in a while.

Your boat breaks down in the middle of nowhere. But wait, help is on the way ... or is it? Well, sort of. As reported by The Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Boynton Beach TowboatU.S. captain Timothy R. Pooler was dispatched to rescue two men in a disabled boat 25 miles off Delray Beach.

But the rescue operation Thursday evening suffered some irregularities, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Pooler, 63, arrived drunk, four hours after being dispatched, and for several hours towed the disabled boat around in circles.

Doh!

At dawn, he asked the men, Lionel Casey and Lewis Dames of Fort Lauderdale, to drive his tow boat, which then ran out of fuel. Casey and Dames took fuel from their boat, which regained power after the engine had cooled sufficiently.

And they lived happily ever ... um, not so fast.

So they towed Pooler's boat. Until they decided to cut him loose.

Well, that was cold. Maybe not unreasonable, but still cold. And then?

Then their boat broke down again.

Hmm. Karma?

About 12 hours after their initial breakdown, a second tow boat delivered the men to shore — in Jupiter, 30 miles north of their departure point. The FWC picked up Pooler, who admitted that he was drinking and should not have reported for duty as a tow boat operator, and charged him with drunken boating.

All arrived home safely. It could have been a lot worse, like if the Captain was a tow truck driver. Here's the source.

You sell cars. A prospective buyer tells you that he wants to test drive a particular car ... alone. Why alone, you might wonder? Wonder or not, this salesman agreed, and, as reported by the Oak Park (Illinois) Trib Local:

A man in his 40’s stole a gold 1996 Ford F150 truck valued at $3,500 from a car dealership on the 6100 block of Roosevelt Road ay 4:10 p.m. June 17.

The man requested to take the test drive alone while the salesperson followed in another vehicle. The man eluded the salesperson and fled.

Doh! Dude has bad judgment, and apparently isn't a very good driver either.

A convenience store clerk in Florida might as well have said "Hey fellas, want some money? Help yourself!" Here's how it went down, as reported by www.wpbf.com:

Boynton Beach police said two men entered the store [the aptly-named E-Z Market] and found the clerk asleep in the back.

Police said one of the men took between $300 and $400 from the register while the other man kept watch to make sure the clerk didn't wake up.

Both men then rode off on a bicycle, police said.

Fellow cyclists? Dagnabbit. Please, don't hold this against The Juice and the ever-increasing number of cyclists out there.

If you don't follow Legal Juice on Twitter (@LegalJuice), the bird gets it. And, you heard it here, rumor has it that Mr. Wile E. Coyote is ending his longstanding relationship with Acme for "a more reliable supplier." When asked if maybe he's the problem, not the equipment, Mr. Coyote maintained his characteristic silence.

And don't forget to like Legal Juice on Facebook.

So, you're telling me that if metal is exposed to the sun, it'll get hot? NFW! Who would have thought that? Not this woman, who had some wire in her bathing suit (guess where) and got burned. As reported by The New York Post:

A Long Island sun worshipper landed in the hospital with third-degree burns on her bust after the underwire in her two-piece bathing suit became superheated, she said.

Underwire? Oh, so that's how come this suit makes me feel so much younger! Who knew?!

The black Coco Reef swimsuit had been sitting in her drawer for a while before Robin Corrente, 50, of Yaphank, got the chance to try it out.

She wore it on a 90-degree afternoon in August 2008 to soak up some rays in her yard. "After about an hour, I was hurting," Corrente said. "I went up to take a shower and I realized . . . I had a lot of blisters."

A trip to the hospital confirmed she had serious burns, and doctors had to remove a piece of flesh "the size of a dime" from her right breast.

Yikes. That had to hurt. Now she's trying to take down the very folks who helped, um, prop her up.

Corrente is suing Coco Reef manufacturer Swimwear Anywhere in Manhattan Supreme Court. Swimwear Anywhere declined to comment.

And if you think The Juice is rooting against Ms. Corrente, think again. Although she could have thought of the scenario of the wire heating up during sunbathing, certainly the manufacturer should have foreseen it. Here's the source.

When you have a flat tire, you're already having a bad day. The next time you get a flat, remember this story, and know that it could have been a LOT worse.

It all started when this gent was just fixing his flat tire, and a police officer stopped to help him. As reported in The Post & Courier:

A man arrested for marijuana possession now faces a drug trafficking charge after officers and jailers found 14 grams of crack cocaine inside his body.

Derrick Andrew Guest, 24 of North Charleston is charged with simple possession of marijuana and trafficking crack cocaine.

You can probably guess where they found the crack ...

Officers found the cocaine in his rectum while conducting a strip search [while he was being booked] at the Charleston County Detention Center, according to an incident report.

Guest was initially arrested about 5 p.m. Monday after an officer who had stopped to assist him with a flat tire smelled marijuana on him.

Guest told police he didn’t have any marijuana on him but he agreed to let officers examine the contents of his pockets. They found two clear bags of marijuana, the report said.

Damn you flat tire!

It's never a good idea to leave the keys in the ignition. It's an especially bad idea under these circumstances, as reported by The Brooklyn Paper

A thief stole a $50,000 tractor trailer packed with $200,000 in beef on Grand Street on May 30.

The driver told police that she was making a delivery to Western Beef at 3:30 am, and parked her truck near Gardner Avenue with the key in its ignition. She returned 10 minutes later to suffer a bum steer.

$200,000? That's some seriously choice meat, or a helluva lot of it, or both.

You can allege anything. The question is, can you prove it? Check out the allegations in a lawsuit currently pending in Fairfax County (Virginia) Circuit Court, as reported in The Washington Post:

Paragraph 10. “At the time of the collision, Defendant was going 85 miles per hour.”

Paragraph 12. “At the time of the collision, Defendant was having sex with a female.”

Paragraph13. “At the time of the collision, Defendant was driving admittedly drunk.”

Paragraph 14. “At the time of the accident, Defendant was partially or totally in the backseat of the car.”

So those are the allegations. Said the defendant's lawyer ...

... there was “no statement by anyone that they were driving on the Beltway having sex” and “no facts on it.”

The Post also reports that ...

Records show the defendant, from Woodbridge, was convicted in Fairfax district court of drunken driving near Telegraph Road in May 2010. But now he denies he was driving. (What?) He was coming from his 21st birthday party in Baltimore, court records state. The woman involved has been dismissed from the case. There was someone ELSE in the car too, and HE denies driving as well.

Should be quite the trial. (It'll take place next week.) Here's the source.

Remember The Juice's post 2 days ago about the epic thermostat battle between 2 sisters? Well, this post involves 2 brothers who got into it over a bottle of shampoo! As reported by The Sheboygan Press:

Two brothers were charged Monday with disorderly conduct for fighting over a bottle of shampoo, according to a criminal complaint.

Jonathan R. Pippert, 32, and Jared J. Pippert, 27, came to blows Sunday at their home at 2728 S. 10th St., where both live with their mother. Jonathan Pippert faces up to two years behind bars due to prior offenses, while his brother face a maximum of 90 days.

2 years! Shazam!

According to a criminal complaint: Police called for a reported disturbance found Jonathan Pippert was on the lawn swearing at his mother. He and his brother both had scrapes and bruises throughout their upper bodies.

Both brothers said the fight began when Jonathan Pippert went into his brother’s bedroom and took a bottle of shampoo while Jared Pippert was in bed. Each claimed the other attacked him, forcing him to defend himself.

The Juice's call: offsetting fouls. Dismissed!

Well, it's certainly not the first place folks would look for missing property. Nevertheless, by her own admission, Ms. Jones hid the jewelry in her, uh, um ... you know. As reported by The Sandusky Register:

Erie County Sheriff's deputies arrested an Elyria roofer who told them she stole valuable jewelry from a Wakeman home and concealed it inside her body.

Elizabeth N. Jones, 19, is in the Erie County jail on charges that include theft, burglary, tampering with evidence and possession of drugs.

Michele Halliwell, 12000 block Ohio 113 East, told deputies Jones had been part of a crew working on her roof when she went inside to use the restroom and asked to use the bathtub to wash her legs. Shortly afterward, Halliwell noticed her husband's wedding ring and grandmother's diamond ring were missing.

Someone had also rifled through her purse and wallet.

... [Jones] also admitted she'd gone inside the Halliwell home looking for something to steal and had concealed the rings inside her vagina. Deputies asked a female nurse at the jail to recover the rings, which together had an estimated value of $5,000.

Yikes. Surely the nurse was thrilled to get that call. Here's the source, with a mug shot.

In probably every household, there is disagreement regarding the desirable thermostat temperature. In almost every household, a compromise is reached. In this household, not so much. These sisters, who share a home, got into it over one degree. As reported by The Chicago Tribune:

Ilona Sales and Wanda Lupina both say they ended up bruised in the tussle sparked when Sales turned the heat up to 68 degrees.

Lupina turned the heat down one degree, to 67, and that's when the trouble started ...

Lupina, claims Sales then punched her, pulled her hair and knocked her to the ground. Sales has been charged with misdemeanor battery and a court date was set for Monday afternoon in Joliet.

Hmm. Do you think Sales would agree with that version? Nope.

Sales alleges that Lupina started the fight and left her with bruised arms.

And if you think these ladies might have a hard time living together after this, you're right.

It apparently was the last straw. Now Sales wants to move out and has filed a civil lawsuit over their home.

Sales moved in with Lupina a couple of years ago and helped pay off Lupina's mortgage after selling her Arizona home. The idea was that they'd both save expenses by living together.

Sales wants to get her name off the house title, and has asked a judge to order Lupina to return her money, which could force Lupina to buy out Sales or sell the home, Haney said.

The Juice feels for the judge that ends up with this one. Here's the source.

Since The Juice is a bicycle commuter, he takes this personally.

You did NOT just pull a gun on the clerk for that amount of money. As reported by The Chicago Tribune:

A Cook County judge set bail at $50,000 today for a man charged with displaying a handgun to a convenience store clerk who refused to give him 99 cents.

According to court records, Christopher Tisley, 34, walked into a convenience store in the 2800 block of West Lawrence Avenue in the Ravenswood neighborhood around 3 a.m. Saturday and demanded the money. When the clerk refused, he displayed a gun.

Tisley, of the 5800 block of South Morgan Street, exited the store after a customer walked in, allowing the clerk to lock the door. Tisley then returned and repeatedly pounded on the windows of the store, court records state.

He returned to the store! But not for long ...

Police were notified and arrested Tisley a block away. The gun Tisley allegedly displayed was not recovered, but prosecutors say police found 3 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.

Tisley is charged with aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance.

Here's the source, including a mug shot.

In her wake, a woman from Lillington, North Carolina, left 2 injured men, one of them a police officer. Warning: Men, reading this will likely cause you to cringe. From The Daily Record:

Rebecca Arnold Dawson of Lillington was in court again on charges of assaulting Lillington Police Officer Ronnie Bass. Officer Bass tried to arrest Ms. Dawson after she allegedly attacked Kevin Russ, left him with one of his testicles partially removed, after a party shortly after Christmas in 2006. She recently pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault charges in the attack on Mr. Russ.

I'm not sure why the paper says "alleged" since she pleaded guilty. How did she "allegedly" partially castrate the man?

...with her bare hands ...

So it probably doesn't surprise you that her arrest did not go smoothly.

Assistant District Attorney Victoria Hardin said Officer Bass had his hands full when he tried to arrest Ms. Dawson. Ms. Hardin said Officer Bass used a flashlight to a detain Ms. Dawson because of an allergy to pepper spray. He repeatedly hit Ms. Dawson on her legs which Ms. Hardin said was necessity. "He used the flashlight because Ms. Dawson refused to put her legs in the car," Ms. Hardin said.

Officer Bass eventually had to put Ms. Dawson in leg irons to help control her.

She went on to describe a scene that resulted in Ms. Dawson kicking out the windshield of Officer Bass' vehicle once she was forced inside. She said Ms. Dawson made a clear effort to spit on the officer and did so, with a bloody mix going into his face. She also said Ms. Dawson used profane language during the entire arrest event.

And at the trial for assaulting the police officer, her defense was ... self-defense! How did that play?

"Self-defense is not available in this case," Judge Weeks told Ms. Dawson. "You are clearly not without fault in this case. It is also clear you were trying to do what you wanted and the officer was doing what was necessary to ascertain what was going on. Your injuries are clearly attributable to your conduct."

Tough talk indeed, but what was the result? No jail time! She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

This crew makes the Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists look great! I'm talking about the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. As reported in The Ledger:

It began in 2005, when Sydney Bacchus, who holds a master's degree in biology from Florida State University, spoke at a public hearing on behalf of opponents of a proposed sand-mining operation in Putnam County.

You see the problem, right? Of course you don't! But those pointy-headed bureacrats did.

Soon after the appearance, Bacchus received a "cease and desist" order from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Bacchus, the department claimed, was practicing geology without a license.

Would it surprise you to know that the complainant is a genuine state-licensed geologist (and supporter of the sand mine)? I didn't think so.

Then those geniuses on the Board tried to fine Ms. Bacchus up to $5,000, and have her reprimanded. So she sued the Board, and they caved, dropping the case against her. What do you think the Judge said when the Board asked that her suit [against the Board] be thrown out? Nope. Now the Board has offered her $100,000 to settle the case! To read more, click here.

(Pretty provocative title, right? The Juice is looking forward to the MADD emails.) Who is a better driver: a drunk 40-year-old or ... a 13-year-old boy? Unfortunately, the drunk guy did not give himself the choice of "none of the above." As reported by The Seattle Times, he went with ... the boy.

The jerky driving and constant braking was an indicator of an inexperienced driver, but when the trooper pulled the sedan over in SeaTac on Sunday he was more than surprised by who was behind the wheel.

The driver, a 13-year-old boy, told the trooper that it was his first time behind the wheel, according to the State Patrol. His father, 40, had apparently been drinking at a house and had his son drive them home, said Trooper Julie Startup, recalling the conversation she had with the colleague who stopped the Lincoln on Sunday afternoon.

Doh! How about a taxi?

According to Startup, the silver Lincoln was heading east on South 166th Street in SeaTac when the vehicle, which had a broken windshield, and its young driver caught the eye of the trooper.

The trooper had the boy's father step out of the car and noticed obvious signs of intoxication, she said. The man was booked in King County Jail for investigation of reckless endangerment and allowing an unauthorized person to drive.

And the young wheel man?

The boy was released to his mother and will not face criminal charges.

Here's a one-word law that should be in force everywhere: "Really?" Of course, The Juice will be the sole arbiter of what constitutes a violation, and the appropriate punishment. Here's the source for the story.

"A woman who impaled herself on a picket fence when she fell while urinating from an unprotected veranda has sued her former fiance for substantial damages..." Yikes! Here's the rest of the story.

Before you jump all over 19-year-old Calvin Morett [not pictured above - that dude is a "model"], remember that you were once 19 too. It seems Mr. Morett was not content to throw his cap in the air. Instead, he came to graduation dressed as a 6-foot penis, and sprayed students and school administrators with silly string (per The Albany Times Union). It didn't go over well. He was apprehended when he tripped on his, um, costume. He was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, disorderly conduct. The punishment for this "crime?" Three apologies (one of which will be published in the local paper), $95 in court costs, and 24 hours community service. What did Mr. Morett have to say for himself?

... he recently told a local television station that he thought the prank was worth whatever punishment he would face because he made people happy.

The Juice is most definitely a fan.

The much maligned and often stepped over penny took another hit in Utah. As reported by The Deseret News (Salt Lake City):

On May 27, Jason West went to Basin Clinic prepared to dispute an outstanding bill, according to Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell. West, 38, apparently did not believe he owed the clinic the $25 it said he did.

“After asking if they accepted cash, West dumped 2,500 pennies onto the counter and demanded that they count it,” Campbell said. “The pennies were strewn about the counter and the floor.”

The incident upset clinic staff, said Campbell, adding that West's behavior served "no legitimate purpose."

Clinic staff told West they were calling police and he left the office. Officers caught up with West later and issued him a citation for disorderly conduct, an infraction, which carries a potential fine of $140.

Seems like a huge waste of time to The Juice. Here's the source, which has a link to an interview with Mr. West.

There's often an innocent explanation for even the weirdest behavior. Let's just say you want to keep some pills warm. Where on your body would you put them to accomplish this? Now it's not like your hiding them - just keeping them warm. Well sir, as reported by the Northwest Florida Daily News...

A man was arrested after deputies found 55 pills hidden under his groin.

How exactly do you find pills in someone's groin? This gent made it easy.

Eric J. Roy, 20, was stopped on U.S. Highway 98 near Gulf Shore Drive after a deputy noticed one of the taillights on his vehicle wasn’t working, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

After speaking with Roy, the deputy asked to search the vehicle. Roy agreed to the request, but as he stood up, the deputy saw several small pills fall off him, the report said.

Doh!

The deputy then searched Roy and found 55 oxycodone pills under Roy’s groin, the report stated.

Roy said the pills were his and that he had been addicted to them for two years.

He was arrested and charged with trafficking in oxycodone.

Here's the source, including a mug shot.

Now remember, we're talking about an iPad 2, not just an iPad ... From a report in the Global Times ...

A teenager in China sold one of his kidneys to buy an iPad 2 ...

A kidney!!!!!

The 17-year-old boy, identified only by the surname Zheng, searched the internet and found a buyer who was willing to pay 22,000 yuan ($3400) for the organ.

Without telling his family of his plans ["Oh mom, dad - I'm going to sell my kidney for an iPad 2. Back in a bit."], he travelled north from his home in the eastern Anhui province to a hospital in the city of Chenzhou in Hunan province, where he was operated on under the supervision of a kidney-selling agent.

Whew. At least it was supervised ...

His mother's suspicions were aroused when her son returned home with an iPad 2 and an iPhone, and Zheng, who was left with a deep red scar from the surgery, was forced to admit what he did.

Wo there. An iPhone too? That changes everything!

She took him back to Chenzhou to report the crime, but the contact numbers the kidney agents gave Zheng were not working. The hospital, which admitted contracting out its urology department to a businessman, denied any connection with the kidney-removal operation.

On to another town. Yikes.

So 55-year-old Wyoming resident David Anthony Vaughn was enjoying "Iron Man" at the Eastridge Movies when the unthinkable occurred - the projector malfunctioned. Noooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!! When Mr. Vaughan demanded a refund, he was offered a voucher to see another movie. Maybe a later showing of "Iron Man?" Anyway, as reported in the Casper Star-Tribune:

According to witnesses, Vaughn became agitated as theater employees tried to explain their policy to him, yelling at workers and telling other patrons they were being ripped off. One customer heard him say that he was going to get his money's worth before he ripped a computer monitor from the ticket counter and threw it through the glass door. After breaking the glass, the monitor came to rest by a table in the mall food court.

Shazam! Makes you wonder what he would do when faced with a serious injustice (real or perceived). Surely when the police arrived, Mr. Vaughan realized that, perhaps, he had overreacted?

Vaughn told [Sgt.] Randel his actions were justified because the theater refused to refund a patron's money.

He was busted and booked. Here's the source.

Clearly The Juice is not a big Subway fan. And while it may be true that there are now more Subway "restaurants" than McDonalad's "restaurants" worldwide, it's also true that Subway has an incredibly low franchise fee.

Anyway, back to the Subway in question. It's in Florida. And if you asked for "extra meat," you really didn't want extra meat... As reported by tcpalm.com:

Undercover investigators for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office said a sandwich artist [ha!] was doubling as a drug dealer at the fast-food restaurant in the 1900 block of U.S. 1, Fort Pierce. The investigators said Elizabeth Hunt, 47, would slip a bag of marijuana to customers who asked for extra meat with their subs. They said Hunt gave them two grams of marijuana on two occasions last month when they used the code. The investigators dropped $10 into the tip jar for each purchase, according to her affidavit.

Hunt, of the 600 block of Grand Club Place, Fort Pierce, was being held Thursday in lieu of $55,000 bail on two charges of sale and delivery of marijuana within 1,000 feet of a convenience store, possession of marijuana with intent to sell within 1,000 feet of a convenience store and possession of drug paraphernalia.

And once again, many people have found that there is no good reason to go to Subway ... Here's the source, including a mug shot.

Most people who owe money and don't have it will just admit it, right? Not so with this Florida man. As reported by The St. Petersburg Times:

Michael Cherubino, 51, of 5464 Birchwood Road in Spring Hill had told deputies two men attacked him at his home, stabbed him in the stomach and stole about $4,000 before fleeing in a "beat up" white pickup.

Investigators say he later admitted to Hernando County sheriff's deputies that he had lied and cut himself with a piece of glass so he would be hospitalized, miss his court date and have an excuse not to pay $4,000 he owed in child support.

Yikes. Here's the source.

What name could be so bad that a Chicago Alderman held up the sign permit for 2 1/2 years? "Felony Franks". Yes, The Juice is scratching his head too. As reported by The Chicago Sun-Times:

After a 2½-year battle that culminated in a First Amendment lawsuit, the City Council’s Transportation Committee will meet on June 6 to issue the sign permit local Ald. Bob Fioretti (2nd) has been blocking on grounds that the name sends a “bad message” to area students.

Sorry Bob, but you're the one sending the wrong message: censorship because YOU don't like the message.

The agreement hammered out in federal court this week stipulates that Fioretti and three other aldermen named in the lawsuit will no longer “oppose, interfere or obstruct” the permit application process for Felony Franks, 229 S. Western.

What does the owner of Felony Franks think?

“We live in the greatest country in the world. We have freedom of speech. If I cannot be allowed to call my business what I want, then we’re living in a dictatorship, not a democracy,” said owner Jim Andrews, who hires ex-offenders. “If you fight hard enough for what you believe in, the system works. The only thing wrong with the system is the consumer shouldn’t have to fight as hard as I had to fight for what’s right.”

And Bob, since when is helping to reintegrate ex-cons into society a bad thing? Oh, and about that lawsuit ...

[It's] still pending and Andrews is still demanding $293,000 in damages for business lost during the 2½-year sign battle.

Here's hoping Mr. Andrews is victorious. You can read more (a fair amount) here.

You're out drinking with a friend. Wisely, you travel by cab. Your friend is not feeling well. Of course, you are sympathetic, right? Um... Not so much. As reported in the Strongsville, Ohio Police Blotter:

DISTURBANCE, HIDDEN MEADOWS: At 2:51 a.m. April 2, a cab driver told police that when he dropped off passengers, they began to argue and physically fight.

The driver stated that one of the passengers vomited in the vehicle, and that he was still owed $30.

Police determined that the fighting stemmed from one of the subjects using his phone to film his sick friend cleaning the vomit, which led to the argument. The driver was eventually paid, and left.

You know that clip is already posted on facebook. Nice "friend."