Strange News

Just some news oddities, hope you enjoy them. Please send any comments or suggestions to colin@capetechsupport.com.

DARLINGTON, S.C. - Police responding to an alarm at a cash advance business say they found a naked man hanging from the ceiling.

An officer answering the alarm noticed tiles, insulation, wires and metal braces hanging from the roof and on the floor of the Check 'n Go, Police Lt. Danny Watson said.

A naked man with scrapes all over his body then dropped from the ceiling and tried to open the front door and leave, according to a police report about the incident early Thursday morning.

"He had a charming story to go along with it though," Watson said. "He said somebody threw his keys on the roof and that's why he was up there. He kind of got a little fuzzy on the 'taking all his clothes off and sliding in the store' part."

Police think 22-year-old Michael Gilbert took off his clothes so he could fit through an air vent on the roof, Watson said.

Gilbert has been charged with burglary. The cash advance business doesn't keep money on the premises, police said.

Sat Oct 8, 8:36 PM ET

CLEARFIELD, Utah - No shirt, no shoes — and no pants — has landed a Utah man in legal trouble. Last month the 51-year-old Sunset man allegedly entered a local convenience store in the buff on multiple occasions. Clearfield Police say in August he also made a trip through a restaurant drive-thru, au naturel.

City prosecutors have charged the man in justice court with misdemeanor lewdness. But now the Davis County District Attorney's office is investigating allegations of witness tampering, which could result in third-degree felony charges.

Police say that over the past week, the man has telephoned the same convenience store, asking for permission to enter the business naked.

He was attempting to talk clerks out of testifying against him, said Greg Krusi, assistant police chief for Clearfield.

Clerks called police, who kept watch outside the store. They witnessed the man approach the business, strip down and walk inside, Krusi said.

Krusi said officers arrested the man and booked him into the Davis County jail for allegedly driving under the influence, lewdness and telephone harassment.

Police: Tricyclist Tried to Hijack Car
Wed Oct 22, 5:07 PM ET

SALEM, Ore. - A gun-toting man traveling on a tricycle allegedly tried to hijack a car in Salem, in what police there termed a "bizarre" incident.

Oswaldo Valenciano, 24, was arrested Tuesday, and will be booked at the Marion County Jail on numerous felony charges, Lt. Dan Cary said.

Police were called to the scene after receiving reports that a man on a tricycle had been firing gunshots and had slammed into a car, Cary said.

"The tricycle pilot picked himself up and demanded to be taken to the hospital," Cary said. But the driver of the car, Marion Rodriguez, tried to persuade Valenciano to call 911, Cary said.

"At this point, Valenciano opens the rear car door and hops into the back seat of Mr. Rodriguez's car, demanding to be taken to the hospital," Cary said. "Mr. Rodriguez gets out of his car and starts asking people to call 911. Valenciano then gets out, mounts his trike — and promptly falls over."

That's when a police car arrived on scene, prompting Valenciano to abandon his tricycle and get into the front seat of Rodriguez's car, armed with a handgun, according to police reports.

"Officers saw the weapon and ordered Valenciano out of the car," Cary said. "Instead he puts the car in gear and tosses a handgun out. He fails to notice that the emergency brake is still set."

Valenciano eventually hit a street sign, lost control of the car and tried to hide in a nearby sports utility vehicle, police said.

Valenciano was treated at Salem Hospital for a leg injury and a gunshot wound to his left foot.

Man Accused of Stealing 440 Left Shoes
Sun Oct 26, 9:32 AM ET

TOKYO - Police arrested a man for stealing shoes at a southern Japanese hospital then found a collection in his home of 440 women's shoes — all for the left foot.

The private hospital in Usu city, 500 miles south of Tokyo, began receiving complaints two years ago from patients and employees that shoes removed at the entrance hall were disappearing. In Japan, it is customary to remove shoes before entering homes and some public facilities.

The missing footwear was always for the left foot and in a women's shoe style, a local police spokesman said Sunday.

Ichiro Irie, 45, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of having stolen two leather shoes the previous day during one of his twice-weekly hospital visits, the spokesman said.

In Irie's home, police found a box in a closet overflowing with the left mate to 440 pairs of women's shoes, including high heels, patent leather pumps, sandals and nurses shoes.

When questioned about the alleged thefts, Irie told police he had "a penchant for women's feet," the Yomiuri newspaper, a major daily, said.

It was not clear why he may have preferred the left foot.

Commuter Gets Arm Stuck in Train Toilet
Fri Oct 31,11:33 AM ET

NEW YORK - A man riding a Metro-North train dropped his cell phone in a toilet and got his arm stuck trying to retrieve it Thursday, forcing the train to stop and delaying the evening commute for thousands of people.

Edwin Gallart, 41, of the Bronx, was stuck with his arm in the toilet for 90 minutes, The Advocate of Stamford reported in Friday's editions.

The incident happened on the 6:19 p.m. train from Grand Central Terminal. Crew members were alerted to the problem at about 59th Street, a few blocks north of Grand Central.

"When this moron's arm went down the crapper, so did our evening commute," Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said.

The conductor called for a supervisor, or trainmaster, who boarded the train at 125th Street to help, Brucker said.

As the train continued north on the Harlem Line, the trainmaster tried to remove Gallart's arm from the stainless steel commode, Brucker said.

Twenty minutes later, at 6:38 p.m., police and firefighters boarded the train at Fordham station and began helping Gallart, Brucker said.

Meanwhile, passengers were evacuated and thousands of commuters were delayed because the train sat blocking the platform as the rescue work continued, Brucker said.

Other trains were prevented from reaching the platform at Fordham, and they couldn't stop at four stations to the north as well because they were prevented from switching to the correct track, Brucker said.

Firefighters tried a variety of methods to extricate Gallart's arm. They ended up taking apart the entire toilet, Brucker said.

Gallart's arm was removed from the toilet and he was treated and released from a Fordham-area hospital, Brucker said. His cell phone wasn't retrieved.

The railroad's maintenance department estimated the toilet would take two days and "several thousand dollars" to fix, Brucker said.

Gallart could not be reached Thursday night. His home phone number was not listed.

Sun Aug 1, 8:35 PM ET

KEY WEST, Fla. - The man hired to rid this resort city of its prolific and unabashed chickens quit his post, saying city leaders were not committed to the cause.

In January, Key West officials agreed to pay Armando Parra Sr. $20 for each nuisance chicken he caught until Sept. 30. His limit was 900 birds.

Parra, a barber and self-taught bird catcher, had rounded up 542 chickens, a quarter of the estimated population roaming about in the city. But, on July 23, Parra turned in his city-issued traps and said he was going freelance.

"I just thought it was a better idea if I went out on my own," he said.

Parra said the city issued "chicken lists" telling him which poultry to capture. He said the birds' wanderings made his job impossible.

"You either catch them or you don't," Parra said. "This thing about getting designated chickens in designated areas, that's impossible."

Many residents consider the birds a nuisance, but others stomped on Parra's traps and taunted him on his rounds. A chicken rotisserie was left in one cage.

Parra, 64, said his nerves were frayed. He left town for 11 days because he "couldn't take it anymore."

The fowl flap drew national attention, which may have backfired on those who wanted the birds off the streets.

"They have become like a mascot. They are a symbol of Key West now," said Katha Sheehan, owner of The Chicken Store, which sells fowl-related paraphernalia.