How Not To Curry
Favour |
California: A Norwalk prosecutor
running for the position of county district attorney sent a talking card
invitation for his fund raiser to a superior court judge. However, when it
arrived in a larger-than-usual package with no return address, suspicions
were raised - and after a metal detector showed what appeared to be a battery
and wires in the package, the sheriff's department sent arson investigators
to the court. The investigators quickly took the package out to the court's
parking lot and blew it up.
(Source: LA Times) |
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Mexico City: In what may be
Mexico's most surreal crime of the summer, four transvestite table dancers
from a Mexico City nightclub - disguised as anthropologists landing in a
helicopter for a study - were attacked by four other men disguised as Mexican
Zapatista rebels. The "rebels" forced one pilot out of the helicopter and
told the remaining pilot to fly south - but the helicopter ran out of fuel
and crashed soon afterwards. According to the head of the Mexico office for
Interpol, the incident was an attempt to create a new drug operation. "Frankly,
I think they'd all been sampling the product," he told reporters. "Otherwise
none of this makes any sense whatsoever."
(Source: CNN FringeMail)
Missouri: The Missouri State
Transportation Department has been forced to pulp its stock of letterheads
after it printed a toll-free hotline number on them so that residents could
dial for information about highway projects. Unfortunately, the Department
reversed two of the numbers by mistake and instead of receiving helpful
information, callers were greeted by the breathy voice of a phone-sex operator
instead.
(Source: New York Times)
London: A 21-year-old man reported
to police this month that he was attacked by a man who threatened to hit
him with a toaster. The mugger made away with $18 in cash and a gold chain.
Investigations are continuing, and police have been asked to be on the lookout
for anyone acting suspiciously with household appliances.
(Source: The Times)
House Demolition? Dial
999... |
Maryland: "The Fire Department
were very apologetic," Cecilia Perry told reporters outside her home in in
Landover, "and so they should have been! The fire only caused minor damage,
but by the time the firefighters had finished brawling with each other my
house was a complete wreck."
Perry was speaking after a violent
confrontation between volunteer firemen from two rival fire stations had
broken out in her house. "I discovered a small carpet fire in an upstairs
bedroom so I immediately called the fire service before a few neighbours
helped me put it out with buckets of water. But about 20 minutes later two
fire engines pulled up outside the door from two different fire stations.
And even though I told them the fire was out, they both insisted on coming
inside to look, and then they started arguing amongst themselves about whose
fire it was.
"Before I could stop them, fists were
flying and they were knocking each other to the ground in an all-out brawl.
Someone punched a hole through the wall, chairs were broken, my budgie went
flying through the window in his cage, blinds were pulled down, the front
and back doors were ripped off their hinges and the walls were all scarred
and marred up. There was blood everywhere by the time they left, and several
of them had to be taken to Prince George's Hospital Centre to have
stitches."
Captain Chauncey Bowers, a spokesman
for the county fire department, later admitted "This wasn't our finest hour.
It's obviously unprofessional behaviour, and unfortunately gives a black
eye to all the volunteers who fight fires in this county and do a good job.
An internal investigation is underway, and we've agreed to pay for all the
damages to the Perry's house".
(Source: Washington Post) |
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Albuquerque: Paul Wright was
arrested this month after allegedly stealing a milk truck, running red lights
with it and smashing it into a police cruiser. The road rage incident apparently
started when a sales manager from a dairy company saw one of the company's
milk trucks run a red light. The manager said that when he confronted the
driver inside a gas station, the man yelled "Give me $3 or I'm blowing this
place up" and then sped off.
(Source: CNN FringeMail)
When Irish Eyes Are
Bleary... |
Dublin: "I don't think I'm boasting
when I say that I'm one of the most experienced members of the Cork
drugs unit," Detective Garda William Dawes told a Dublin Court, "and the
moment that Gavin Cray sat next to me on the bus I could tell that he was
up to something.
"First, he produced three small packets
from his pocket and began fingering them nervously, and I realised at once
they contained heroin. Then his mobile phone rang and he told the caller
in a loud voice "Yes, I have the stuff. Meet me at the bus station. Bring
plenty of money." After that, he produced some cannabis, rolled himself a
joint and began to smoke it, oblivious to the world.
"I decided not to arrest him then and
there because I wanted to avoid a scuffle on the crowded bus, so I waited
until it pulled into Cork bus station before introducing myself and arresting
him.
"I have to say that - purely from a
professional point of view - I wasn't very impressed by his business methods.
Frankly, I don't think Gavin Cray is the sharpest knife in the box."
Cray was later sentenced to three months'
imprisonment for drug dealing.
(Source: The Irish News) |
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