PERTH, Australia – A man ejected from a pub in Australia broke into a zoo and climbed onto the back of a crocodile named Fatso, which bit him on the leg but then let him go. Police said they're surprised the croc didn't inflict worse damage. The 36-year-old man, who police said had just been thrown out of a pub for being drunk, told officials he scaled the barbed wire fence surrounding the Broome Crocodile Park in remote northwest Australia on Monday night because he wanted to give the 16-foot Fatso a pat.
"He has attempted to sit on its back and the croc has taken offense to that and has spun around and bit him on the right leg," Broome Police Sgt. Roger Haynes said.
The saltwater crocodile then inexplicably let the man go, and he climbed back over the fence to safety, police said.
The man, who was a tourist from eastern Australia and whose name was not released, suffered some "very nasty lacerations" and was taken to a hospital, Haynes said.
"Saltwater crocodiles ... once they get hold of you, are not renowned for letting you go," Haynes said. "He's lucky to have escaped with his life."
Saltwater crocodiles are the world's largest reptile and can grow up to 23 feet (7 meters). They have become increasingly common in Australia's tropical north since hunting that almost extinguished the species was banned in 1971.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Man at border: Ankle monitor is support for Lohan
Border agents said a New York man who's on probation and not supposed to leave the country explained away the ankle monitor he was wearing while returning from Canada as a show of support for actress Lindsay Lohan. Customs and Border Protectionofficers found the bracelet around 29-year-old Eugene Todie's ankle July 9 after he allegedly tried to re-enter the country using someone else's passport.
Officers said Todie told them a probation officer friend gave him the bracelet to wear for Lohan, who's had to wear an alcohol ankle monitor. Record checks showed the Buffalo man is on probation for criminal contempt.
Todie appeared in federal court Tuesday on misuse of a passport and lying charges and must return with a lawyer July 20. A telephone listing couldn't be found.
Officers said Todie told them a probation officer friend gave him the bracelet to wear for Lohan, who's had to wear an alcohol ankle monitor. Record checks showed the Buffalo man is on probation for criminal contempt.
Todie appeared in federal court Tuesday on misuse of a passport and lying charges and must return with a lawyer July 20. A telephone listing couldn't be found.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Police say Pa. woman beat man with frying pan
Police said a woman faces charges after she hit a man in the head with a large frying pan. Police said the woman, 50-year-old Kimberly Denocheck, hit a 48-year-old man in the head with the pan around 7:25 p.m. Saturday at an apartment in Philipsburg, near State College. Police said the man, whose name wasn't released, suffered an abrasion on his head.
Police said the man, whose name wasn't released, suffered an abrasion on his head.
The woman was taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility to bearraigned on charges of simple assault and harassment.
It was not immediately clear if Denocheck had an attorney.
Police said the man, whose name wasn't released, suffered an abrasion on his head.
The woman was taken to the Centre County Correctional Facility to bearraigned on charges of simple assault and harassment.
It was not immediately clear if Denocheck had an attorney.
Armor makers busy ahead of Medieval battle replay
Just like his Medieval counterparts 600 years ago armourer Tomasz Samula has hardly any time to outfit hisknights before battle commences.
Samula is racing to add the final touches to the metal breastplates, helmets, gloves and other accoutrements needed by the Lublin knights before they take part in re-enacting Grunwald, one of the largest battles of the Medieval age.
Saturday, thousands of re-enactors will become the knights, infantry, artillerymen and other combatants of the Polish-Lithuanian army andthe Teutonic Knights who they defeated in a massive battle on a field near this Polish village in 1410.
"Now people come to me to make last enhancements...The Grunwald (battle) starts in a couple of days so if I hadn't sent the gear by now people would kill me," Samula said, standing in the middle of his garage-turned-armory.
The fashioning and fixing of armor in time for the battle has put a smile on the faces of armourers. A full suit can cost up to 5,000 euros($6,298) or more.
"I myself have provided full armor for one knight who will take part in the battle of Grunwald," Samula said. "It wasn't easy because the guy was huge and it's always difficult to prepare an armor for non-standard sizes."
He said that preparing a full armor takes 5-6 months at minimum.
NO ROSE GARDEN
Samula said armor-making can be a tricky trade in the modern world with fallow periods between mock battles. One of his worries is the volatility of the zloty exchange rate as most of the armor is exported to Germany and France and therefore paid for in the common currency.
"We set a price with the customer a year before (he gets his armor) and he pays a year later so I never know (how much zlotys I will get)," he said pushing a helmet against a swirling polishing machine.
Another problem is the lack of trained personnel to help.
"I had an apprentice once but it took him a year to learn to make the simplest helmet I have on offer. But this is not a business that will make you filthy rich so he fled and now works at a warehouse near Warsaw."
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
A mobilization of knights, just like 600 hundred years ago, is expected for Saturday's battle. However, unlikethe middle ages, the knights and other combatants will also come from Australia, Canada and the United States.
"We expect 6,000 people to take part in the re-enactment of the (military) camp and 2,200 to take part in the battle," said Jacek Szymanski who will lead the Polish-Lithuanian forces into battle as king Wladyslaw Jagiello.
Szymanski had brand new armor made for the battle after some research to find out what it should look like.
"We found the fanciest medieval armor there was and made a replica of it. Kings always had the best armor."
Samula is racing to add the final touches to the metal breastplates, helmets, gloves and other accoutrements needed by the Lublin knights before they take part in re-enacting Grunwald, one of the largest battles of the Medieval age.
Saturday, thousands of re-enactors will become the knights, infantry, artillerymen and other combatants of the Polish-Lithuanian army andthe Teutonic Knights who they defeated in a massive battle on a field near this Polish village in 1410.
"Now people come to me to make last enhancements...The Grunwald (battle) starts in a couple of days so if I hadn't sent the gear by now people would kill me," Samula said, standing in the middle of his garage-turned-armory.
The fashioning and fixing of armor in time for the battle has put a smile on the faces of armourers. A full suit can cost up to 5,000 euros($6,298) or more.
"I myself have provided full armor for one knight who will take part in the battle of Grunwald," Samula said. "It wasn't easy because the guy was huge and it's always difficult to prepare an armor for non-standard sizes."
He said that preparing a full armor takes 5-6 months at minimum.
NO ROSE GARDEN
Samula said armor-making can be a tricky trade in the modern world with fallow periods between mock battles. One of his worries is the volatility of the zloty exchange rate as most of the armor is exported to Germany and France and therefore paid for in the common currency.
"We set a price with the customer a year before (he gets his armor) and he pays a year later so I never know (how much zlotys I will get)," he said pushing a helmet against a swirling polishing machine.
Another problem is the lack of trained personnel to help.
"I had an apprentice once but it took him a year to learn to make the simplest helmet I have on offer. But this is not a business that will make you filthy rich so he fled and now works at a warehouse near Warsaw."
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
A mobilization of knights, just like 600 hundred years ago, is expected for Saturday's battle. However, unlikethe middle ages, the knights and other combatants will also come from Australia, Canada and the United States.
"We expect 6,000 people to take part in the re-enactment of the (military) camp and 2,200 to take part in the battle," said Jacek Szymanski who will lead the Polish-Lithuanian forces into battle as king Wladyslaw Jagiello.
Szymanski had brand new armor made for the battle after some research to find out what it should look like.
"We found the fanciest medieval armor there was and made a replica of it. Kings always had the best armor."
Ohio crash leaves scared pet monkey atop pole
Police say a truck crash in Ohio left animal carcasses all over a road and the driver's pet monkey stranded atop a utility pole.
The State Highway Patrol says the truck was hauling carcasses for a meat processing plant late Monday afternoon. The patrol says the truck flipped over while going into a curve on a local road in northeast Ohio's Medina (meh-DY'-nuh) County. The frightened monkey scampered up the pole after the accident.
Troopers say the truck driver was OK. The monkey had to be coaxed down from its perch.
The meat plant sent another truck to pick up the carcasses. State and county highway crews were sent to help clean up the mess.
No charges have been filed. The crash is still being investigated.
The State Highway Patrol says the truck was hauling carcasses for a meat processing plant late Monday afternoon. The patrol says the truck flipped over while going into a curve on a local road in northeast Ohio's Medina (meh-DY'-nuh) County. The frightened monkey scampered up the pole after the accident.
Troopers say the truck driver was OK. The monkey had to be coaxed down from its perch.
The meat plant sent another truck to pick up the carcasses. State and county highway crews were sent to help clean up the mess.
No charges have been filed. The crash is still being investigated.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Corporate "firewalk" ends with burnt feet in Italy
A "motivation day" organized by one of Italy'sbiggest real estate agencies ended in tears and scars when nine staff had to be treated in hospital after walking barefoot on a bed of hot coals.
Alessandro Di Priamo, a former athlete now turned motivational trainer for companies, said the nine salespeople from the Tecnocasa agency had suffered light burns and none were seriously hurt.
"Firewalking helps people overcome their fears, seek new challenges and understand that most of what they see as their limits are self-inflicted," Di Priamo told Reuters.
He said the hotel near Rome where the exercise was held used the wrong kind of wood and some artificial coal without him knowing.
"I have done this job for 12 years with thousands of people and never had a problem. I myself walked first on that bed of burning coals and didn't feel anything -- in fact that same evening I went for a 16 km run," he said.
Alessandro Di Priamo, a former athlete now turned motivational trainer for companies, said the nine salespeople from the Tecnocasa agency had suffered light burns and none were seriously hurt.
"Firewalking helps people overcome their fears, seek new challenges and understand that most of what they see as their limits are self-inflicted," Di Priamo told Reuters.
He said the hotel near Rome where the exercise was held used the wrong kind of wood and some artificial coal without him knowing.
"I have done this job for 12 years with thousands of people and never had a problem. I myself walked first on that bed of burning coals and didn't feel anything -- in fact that same evening I went for a 16 km run," he said.
Netanyahu bodyguards' guns go missing on U.S. visit
Four handguns belonging to the bodyguards of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have disappeared from airline cargo during a U.S. visit, Israel's Shin Bet security service said on Wednesday.
"The pistols were part of the equipment sent ahead to Washington, and got lost," a Shin Bet spokesman said, adding that Israeli and U.S. authorities were investigating.
The American news network NBC reported that the guns may have been mistakenly flown to Los Angeles and stolen.
After meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, Netanyahu was scheduled to continue to New York. The Shin Bet spokesman said the missing pistols had not forced any change to hisschedule or security measures.
"The pistols were part of the equipment sent ahead to Washington, and got lost," a Shin Bet spokesman said, adding that Israeli and U.S. authorities were investigating.
The American news network NBC reported that the guns may have been mistakenly flown to Los Angeles and stolen.
After meeting U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday, Netanyahu was scheduled to continue to New York. The Shin Bet spokesman said the missing pistols had not forced any change to hisschedule or security measures.
Swedes, Norwegians pounce on Chinese garlic smuggler
Nordic customs officials have arrested a truck driver after he tried to illegally import 28 tons of Chinese garlic into the European Union.
The driver was intercepted last month as he drove the pungent truckload from Norway, which is outside the EU and where garlic is exempt from customs' duties, into Sweden, where garlic is subject to a 9.6 percent EU-wide duty.
Smuggling of cheaply produced Chinese garlic into the EU is on the rise, with around 1,200 tons brought into the 27-nation bloc via Norway since 2009, according to the European Anti-Fraud Office, known as OLAF.
"The interception of the lorry was the result of a carefully prepared initiative coordinated by OLAF," the EU said in a statement. "This action came about due to the excellent cooperation provided by Norwegian and Swedish customs."
China produces about 75 percent of the world's garlic, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, far too much for domestic consumption alone, meaning producers have to seek out markets elsewhere in the world.
The driver was intercepted last month as he drove the pungent truckload from Norway, which is outside the EU and where garlic is exempt from customs' duties, into Sweden, where garlic is subject to a 9.6 percent EU-wide duty.
Smuggling of cheaply produced Chinese garlic into the EU is on the rise, with around 1,200 tons brought into the 27-nation bloc via Norway since 2009, according to the European Anti-Fraud Office, known as OLAF.
"The interception of the lorry was the result of a carefully prepared initiative coordinated by OLAF," the EU said in a statement. "This action came about due to the excellent cooperation provided by Norwegian and Swedish customs."
China produces about 75 percent of the world's garlic, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, far too much for domestic consumption alone, meaning producers have to seek out markets elsewhere in the world.
Denver driver survives 500-foot drop from road
Authorities say a 33-year-old Denver man suspected of drinking and driving survived after he lost control of his car and it dropped almost 500 feet off the side of a road. The Colorado State Patrol says Anthoney L. Buckner seemed to be in "amazingly good condition" after rescuers used ropes and a litter to pull him up from the crash site Thursday. Trooper Jonathan Silver says Buckner's 1990 Toyota hatchback was "pretty mangled."
Silver says Buckner may have been saved by wearing a seat belt. Silver says Buckner was driving on slick roads up Red Mountain Passnear Silverton when the accident happened.
Silver says investigators suspect Buckner had been drinking and charges are pending.
Silver says Buckner may have been saved by wearing a seat belt. Silver says Buckner was driving on slick roads up Red Mountain Passnear Silverton when the accident happened.
Silver says investigators suspect Buckner had been drinking and charges are pending.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Woman who taped dog to fridge gets 30 days in jail
A Colorado woman convicted of taping her boyfriend's dog to a refrigerator has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years' probation.
Twenty-one-year-old Abby Toll was sentenced Friday after she was convicted of felony animal cruelty in April. She could have faced up to 18 months in prison.
Prosecutors say Toll used hair ties and packing tape to bind the snout and legs of her boyfriend's 2-year-old Shiba Inu (SHEE'-bah EE'-noo) named Rex, then taped the dog upside-down to the refrigerator.
Police say Toll told them she was getting back at her boyfriend, Brian Beck, for paying more attention to the dog than to her.
Beck pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted animal cruelty and was given a one-year deferred sentence.
Another family has adopted the dog.
Twenty-one-year-old Abby Toll was sentenced Friday after she was convicted of felony animal cruelty in April. She could have faced up to 18 months in prison.
Prosecutors say Toll used hair ties and packing tape to bind the snout and legs of her boyfriend's 2-year-old Shiba Inu (SHEE'-bah EE'-noo) named Rex, then taped the dog upside-down to the refrigerator.
Police say Toll told them she was getting back at her boyfriend, Brian Beck, for paying more attention to the dog than to her.
Beck pleaded guilty to misdemeanor attempted animal cruelty and was given a one-year deferred sentence.
Another family has adopted the dog.
Man tries to steal car with fake grenade
Boston police arrested a man they allege tried to steal a Mercedes Benz from a dealership by claiming he had a hand grenade. Police said the man showed up at Expressway Toyota on Wednesday and asked to test drive the car. Staff, describing the man as "nervous and fidgety," insisted on accompanying him.
When they got back, the man produced what appeared to be a grenade from his pants pocket and told the sales person to "get back or I will blow this up."
He fled when he heard staff calling police and was caught a short time later with a fake grenade.
The suspect was ordered to undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation after pleading not guilty to attemptedarmed robbery at his arraignment Thursday.
When they got back, the man produced what appeared to be a grenade from his pants pocket and told the sales person to "get back or I will blow this up."
He fled when he heard staff calling police and was caught a short time later with a fake grenade.
The suspect was ordered to undergo a 20-day mental health evaluation after pleading not guilty to attemptedarmed robbery at his arraignment Thursday.
Man in buff startles drivers on California freeway
Southern California commuters can now say they've seen it all, including a naked man in the middle of Interstate 405. California Highway Patrol Officer Monica Posada said the first call came at the height of rush-hour Thursday — a man with no clothes was in the center divide of the freeway. Then came a rush of calls reporting the man in the buff.
Long Beach police detained the 21-year-old man and gave him a mental health evaluation.
Police said he was taken into custody and will be charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure.
Long Beach police detained the 21-year-old man and gave him a mental health evaluation.
Police said he was taken into custody and will be charged with misdemeanor indecent exposure.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Iowa man arrested after lawn mower ride on highway
MADRID, Iowa – A middle-of-the-night ride on a lawn mower landed one Iowa man in jail.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office says deputies stopped the man on Highway 17 near Madrid around 1 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of someone driving a mower all over the road with no headlights. Madrid is about 25 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The man was arrested for drunken driving. The Sheriff's Office says his blood-alcohol level was .190 — well above Iowa's limit of .08.
Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr says it's illegal in Iowa to drive any kind of motor vehicle anywhere while drunk.
Fehr wasn't sure how fast the man was going on the six-speed Bolens lawn tractor. The Des Moines Register reports that the top speed for that mower is about 5 mph.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office says deputies stopped the man on Highway 17 near Madrid around 1 a.m. Wednesday after receiving reports of someone driving a mower all over the road with no headlights. Madrid is about 25 miles northwest of Des Moines.
The man was arrested for drunken driving. The Sheriff's Office says his blood-alcohol level was .190 — well above Iowa's limit of .08.
Boone County Sheriff Ron Fehr says it's illegal in Iowa to drive any kind of motor vehicle anywhere while drunk.
Fehr wasn't sure how fast the man was going on the six-speed Bolens lawn tractor. The Des Moines Register reports that the top speed for that mower is about 5 mph.
Boy, 8, tells Minn. council: Crack down on crooks
Eight-year-old Logan Fisher is fed up with crime. And he's making sure the leaders of his Minnesota city know it.
Logan was ticked because thieves broke into his Brooklyn Park home last month and stole thousands of dollars worth of electronics, not to mention his wallet filled with quarters.
So the soon-to-be fourth-grader climbed a stool and took the podium at this week's City Council meeting. The Star Tribune reports he wrote out his speech in pencil, then had his mom type it up.
He said, "We need to get mean and we need to mean it."
Deputy Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen agreed with Logan on neighbors watching out for neighbors and stepped up police patrols. But he said the boy's idea to put an armored SWAT vehicle on the streets to scare criminals away wasn't so practical.
Logan was ticked because thieves broke into his Brooklyn Park home last month and stole thousands of dollars worth of electronics, not to mention his wallet filled with quarters.
So the soon-to-be fourth-grader climbed a stool and took the podium at this week's City Council meeting. The Star Tribune reports he wrote out his speech in pencil, then had his mom type it up.
He said, "We need to get mean and we need to mean it."
Deputy Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen agreed with Logan on neighbors watching out for neighbors and stepped up police patrols. But he said the boy's idea to put an armored SWAT vehicle on the streets to scare criminals away wasn't so practical.
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