Articles Posted in Odd Cases

I think Representative Borris Miles will have a tough time explaining this (as reported by The Houston Chronicle):

… in December … Miles crashed a party at the posh St. Regis Hotel. Party host David Harris said a drunken Miles shocked guests with loud, profane language before planting a Godfather-style “kiss of death” on his cheeks [and tried to grab his groin, per Mr. Harris], handing him a pistol and declaring,”You don’t know what I’m capable of doing.”

After proclaiming himself a “gangsta,” Miles then allegedly kissed a female guest on the lips while her husband was away from the table.

Shazam! What came of these incidents?

Prosecutors are scrutinizing the episode. Meanwhile, the female recipient of Miles’ unsolicited smooch filed a lawsuit seeking $1 million in damages and demanding the lawmaker be tested for HIV. A hearing is set for Feb. 15.

What would you do if your dog ate the food off your plate? Me and Devin Shane Calhoun, well sir, we’d shoot him. (Note to PETA, truly, I like dogs.) As for Mr. Calhoun, of Conifer Colorado, he definitely does not. As reported by UPI:

A Conifer, Colo., man faces up to 18 months in jail and a $5,000 fine after he pleaded guilty to shooting a dog for taking food from his plate.

A spokeswoman for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said Devin Shane Calhoun pleaded guilty to animal cruelty and prohibited use of a weapon, the Denver Post reported Tuesday.

Court documents quoted family members as saying Calhoun became enraged after the family dog, Lucky, took food from his plate while the man was outside. He then took the dog outside and shot him.

Lucky survived his gunshot wound. Calhoun is scheduled to be sentenced on March 12.

Lucky Lucky. I wonder how dog-shooters are treated in jail?

Sorry, no f-bombs. But, here’s a little tale courtesy of John Browning of The Southeast Texas Record:

Father Luis Alfredo Rios of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Crystal Lake, Ill., was sued for making a “wrongful sermon” by one of his parishioners, Angel Llarona. Llarona left two voicemail messages for Father Rios complaining about the quality of his sermonizing.

The next Sunday, Father Rios allegedly played the voicemails for the congregation, and commented on Llaroma’s effectiveness as someone in charge of religious education for the parish. The priest allegedly asked the congregants “what should we do, should we send him to hell or to another parish?” Now, Mr. Llarona wants at least $50,000.

Since the First Amendment precludes judges from inquiring into religious doctrine or belief, only a few courts have taken on such “wrongful sermon” cases.

In 2004, a New Mexico court rejected defamation claims against a priest who denounced the deceased at a funeral service. The judge wryly noted that churches have been “talking about sending people to hell for many a year. People aren’t shocked by it.”

The moral of the story: Don’t ever leave a voicemail you wouldn’t want the entire world to hear! How could you not know this? Alec Baldwin anyone?

Yes, electricity and sex occasionally cross paths, but this is insane. Toby Taylor (37) and his wife Kirsten Taylor (29) of York County, Pennsylvania apparently used a live electrical cord to sexually stimulate each other (according to Mr. Taylor). This time, though, the shock ended up giving Ms. Taylor a heart attack and killing her. Mr. Taylor was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment, and is free on $100,000 bail.

The German police pulled this guy over and gave him a breath test. The results? Ten times the legal limit! So they busted him for driving while intoxicated, right? Nope. He was riding down the road in his wheelchair! Was he charged? As reported in The Fayettesville Observer:

Police said that because the man was technically traveling as a pedestrian, he could not be charged with a driving offense.

“It’s not like we can impound his wheelchair,” the spokesman said. “But he is facing some sort of punishment. It’s just not clear yet what exactly that will be.”

If Alexander Yermilov is saying this, you should listen. If not, you might find yourself on the business end of an ax. As reported by UPI:

Prosecutors said a man in the Chita region of Russia killed two friends he found dismembering his pet dog so they could prepare a meal.

The regional branch of the Prosecutor General’s Office said Alexander Yermilov took an ax to his friends whom he found butchering his Great Dane when he returned to his home in Natsigun in December, The Moscow Times reported Thursday.

After Yermilov struck Irina Maryasova and Nikolai Sedunov several times, killing them on the spot, he called the police and confessed, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the reason why the two killed the dog or wanted to eat it was unknown.

Oregon elementary school teacher Elizabeth Lucinda Logan picked the wrong way to supplement her income. She stole a student’s coat and sold it on eBay! As reported in the Hillsboro Argus, Judge Marco Hernandez called her behavior “bizarre.”

He said it didn’t make sense that someone of her intelligence would testify she immediately tried to get the coat back from the online auction site when she found out the coat might belong to a third-grade girl.

“As if it was lost in cyberspace somewhere,” Hernandez said. “A teacher with a master’s degree and 20 year’s experience doesn’t do that. She says ‘let’s go find the owner now and return it.’

“Your concern wasn’t to return the coat to the correct owner, but to protect your record on eBay.”

So a jury found her guilty. The sentence?

Judge Marco Hernandez ordered Elizabeth Lucinda Logan, 42, to perform 150 hours of community service over the next six months and serve 18 months of probation. She must also pay a little over $1,300 in court costs, fines and restitution. She is not to use online auctions during the probation period.

No eBay? That is cold. But wait! Logan’s lawyer may request a new trial based on jury misconduct. Really.

How’s that? In 1988, Rhode Islander Paul Greider cracked Michael Trainor’s skull. As a result, Trainor suffered permanent hearing loss. Although Greider escaped jail time (he got probation), in the civil suit, he was ordered to pay Trainor $1.5 million. The court ordered him to pay $400/month, which he hasn’t been doing. He now owes almost $5 million! So the judge gave Greider a chance to catch up, ordering him to pay $3,000 to Trainor within 60 days (and $1,000 to his lawyer). Think he did it? Nope. 30 days in the hole, said the judge. Said Trainor’s lawyer:

He got away without jail for the crime, but now he’s going to jail because he won’t pay the civil judgment imposed as a result of his crime. That’s a bizarre individual.

Tru dat. You can read more in The Providence Journal article here.

You live in Georgia, and you Lose a City Council election (the right to be in the run-off, actually) to a transgender candidate. Naturally (if you’re Georgia Fuller, anyway), you sue for fraud. One small problem, Loser lady, City Coucil Member Michelle Bruce IS AN INCUMBENT. Doh! This doesn’t stop Fuller from arguing that, as she calls him, “Michael Bruce,” has an unfair advantage running as a woman! We’re talking about a town of 12,000 people, which Michelle has been serving for 4 years! Said Michelle:

I’m Michelle. I’m the same Michelle they elected four years ago. They’re just distracting the voters from the issues. Everybody in my district knows me, everyone in Riverdale knows me. I’ve done a real good job representing the people. I am for the people.

Because I think Fuller’s lawsuit is one of the most idiotic I’ve ever seen (considering how many cases I review daily for this blog, that’s saying something), Bruce get’s the last word: “People want a candidate that will listen to them, protect them, save them money and be there for them. And I always will be.” Move on, Ms. Fuller. Move on. Here’s the story from PrideSource.