IJMC - News of the Weird
Just like I send out the IJMC to please fans everywhere, someone else
sends out the "News of the Weird", a collection of news articles that are
just bizzare. If you want more than the occassional one that passes
through my hands, check out http://www.ovis.com for more info. -dave
Subject: News of the Weird
In this issue: LEAD STORIES:
* Messing with the wrong woman
* Messing with the wrong man
* Freak driving accident
* Surprise visitor pulls down his pants
* Six-foot metal poll falls from sky
* Pierced patient remains patient
* Man charged with theft after spending bank-error money
* President Ramos late during punctuality week
- CONTACT: ovi@ovis.com
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Messing with the wrong woman
Source: USA Today
BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo. (04-17) - An armed carjacker should thank
police for their prompt response when a 77-year-old woman defended
herself in a parking lot. The woman (who asked to remain anonymous) may
have looked defenseless to the suspect, Charles Hoelzer, who intended to take
her car and money. Instead, Hoelzer got punched out by the woman and
ended up cutting himself with his own knife. "I told one of those nice
officers that if I'd have had a few more minutes, I would've really
kicked his butt," the woman said. Hoelzer was charged with four felonies:
first-degree robbery, attempted kidnapping and two counts of armed
criminal action.
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Messing with the wrong man
Source: AP
Contributor: Eric Rohr [roryb@cjnetworks.com]
ALBANY, Ga. (04-18) - A 74-year-old man used a weed trimmer to defend
himself against an armed robber. Oran McGlamry, 74, was approached by a
17-year-old armed with a .38 pistol who demanded his wallet. Being robbed
by the same teenager just the day before, McGlamry decided to take a stand.
He reached over for his weed trimmer and rushed towards the robber. The
surprised teen tried to run but fell, and could not escape the full
throttle trimmer whacking him in the buttocks. "I was just trying to do
what any other man would have done to protect his business, his wife and
his life," McGlamry said. Jason Gordon, 17, was captured and charged with
several felonies that included armed robbery and aggravated assault. He
had cuts in the back of his pants but did not require any medical attention.
"I'm sure it stung pretty good," Police Chief James Vick said.
According to Vick, the robber approached McGlamry by saying,
"Old man, I've got you now." McGlamry responded: "No you don't."
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Freak driving accident
Source: AP
WELCH, Okla. (04-15) - It was tragic enough that a teen-age boy's pickup
truck struck a woman. It was even more tragic that the woman he just
killed was his own mother. Jay Vasquez, 17, was driving himself to school
and was blinded by the sun when he accidentally struck his mother from
behind, less than a quarter mile from the family home. Katherine Vasquez was
wearing radio headsets and was pronounced dead shortly after the
7:40 a.m. accident. "I've never worked anything like this," Trooper
Sheridan O'Neal said. "Freak accident. I can't even imagine what (Jay
Vasquez) is feeling," O'Neal added.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Surprise visitor pulls down his pants
Source: Dialog
MADISON, Wis. (04-15) - A 61-year-old man allowed a stranger into his
apartment and was shocked as the surprise visitor pulled down his pants
and began to masturbate. The 61-year-old Russian immigrant answered the
security buzzer at 12:50 a.m. and permitted a stranger to enter his home. The
intruder began masturbating and did not answer when asked to
leave. The apartment resident watched quietly for about 10 minutes
and then handed a phone to the strange visitor asking him to call
police. After dialing a few numbers, the intruder threw the phone
down and left the building.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Six-foot metal poll falls from sky
Source: UPI
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (04-16) - The Federal Aviation Administration
is investigating a bizarre incident in which a metal pole fell from the
sky and landed a few feet from a Florida woman and her neighbor.
The 6-foot pole fell through the roof at a diagonal angle and landed
in the woman's flower bed. Donna Marie Kostreva and neighbor John
Allen heard a very loud noise an initially thought something exploded
nearby. The metal pole had pink cloth attached to it, and the two
assumed it fell from a banner-towing plane which they have spotted
flying above just a few minutes before the incident. Advertising Air
Force, the company flying the banner, has not yet admitted responsibility
but offered to pay for all the damages.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pierced patient remains patient
Source: AP
Contributor: Gabe Helou [gabe@mystery.com]
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (04-16) - Authorities were called when a
pierced acupuncture patient realized his doctor forgot to return and
remove the needles. The acupuncturist, who left the office to attend a
personal matter, forgot about his patient and went home. "The man had
been lying there for more than an hour before he realized everyone had gone
home," a police spokesperson said. Immediately following his long
session, the 49 year-old patient made another appointment for further
treatment.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Man charged with theft after spending bank-error money
Source: UPI
Contributor: Mike England [englandm@kear.tds.net]
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (04-16) - An auto mechanic was charged
with theft after spending most of the $169,000 wrongly credited to
his bank account. Frank McPherson's credit union account jumped from
$16.90 to $169,000 because of a decimal-point error. McPherson, 28, spent
most of the money during a five-day spending spree. He claims his
innocence and calls it "an honest mistake." He questioned a Town
and Country Credit Union teller about his balance and was told the
money was his. McPherson assumed this was a 401 (k) and severance
pay from a previous job. "McPherson feels a little bit victimized. He was
led to believe over his objections that the money was his," said
McPherson's attorney, Andrew Cloutier.
He was charged with theft and freed on $2,000 cash bail.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
President Ramos late during punctuality week
Source: AFP, Reuters
Contributor: Barry Wood [BarryWood@compuserve.com]
MANILA (04-16) - Philippine President Fidel Ramos arrived one
hour late for an appointment during the national 'Punctuality Week'.
Ramos woke up at 4:00 a.m. to watch Tiger Woods' historic win in
the U. S. Masters golf tournament, then went back to bed. "My aide gave
me a frantic call on the telephone because apparently I overslept," he said.
Ramos declared the national 'Punctuality Week' to educate citizens
of the importance of being prompt during their quest of becoming a
globally competitive country.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
+++ SYDNEY (Reuters, 04-18) Contributor: Barry Wood
[BarryWood@compuserve.com] - Jeff Pearce was convicted of
assault after he admitted chewing garlic and deliberately breathing
in a police officer's face while pulled over for a traffic violation.
+++ NEW YORK (AP, 04-15) - Landlord Thomas Darius, 50, bit
one of his tenant's finger off during a violent dispute. Sonia
Gonzalez, 40, was treated at a local hospital.
+++ PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP, 04-14) - Principal Walter Conte, 51,
of Brush High School was accused of videotaping 16 cheerleaders
as they changed clothes for a beach party at his home. Conte
allegedly installed a video camera behind a two-way bathroom mirror.
+++ RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (Reuters, 04-14) - A former history and
social studies teacher appeared in court to argue for his release
from state psychiatric care. In 1979 Albert Fentress was accused
of castrating a 17-year-old boy, cooking and eating his genitals
and finally shooting him a few hours later. According to his attorney,
Fentress ran a computer center at the psychiatric hospital and is
"a model patient."
+++ BENTONVILLE, Ark. (UPI, 04-14) - The Benton County Jail
will save money on utility bills by serving only cold meals to
prisoners. Officials claim they have no obligation to serve hot meals as
long as the 2,500 daily calories federal guideline is observed.
+++ KIEV, Ukraine (AP, 04-17) - A 13-year-old boy was killed during
a basketball game when his slammed-dunk caused the backboard
to come off its post, crushing his skull.
+++ LIMA, Peru (04-18) Contributor: Jeff DeStefano [j-destefano@ti.com]
- Not being able to afford proper transportation for her deceased
mother's body, Matilde Cano bundled it up in blankets and placed
it inside a passenger's bus cargo area. The heavy bundle was
discovered during a routine police search for drugs.
+++ TOKYO (04-18) Contributor: Jeff DeStefano [j-destefano@ti.com]
- A 51-year-old Japanese woman is suing her local government for
$128,000 after a public health clinic misdiagnosed a case of
constipation for stomach cancer. "Not only did a portion of the
plaintiff's large intestine get cut out, she was also forced to take time
off from work," the lawsuit stated.
+++ CORRY, Pa. (AP, 04-17) - The Corry Area School District banned
the use of pencils and pens on school buses after a third-grader played
a bad joke and seriously injured a six-grade pupil. The younger student
held a pencil upright on a bus seat and intended to poke the other.
The injured boy needed four hours of surgery after the pencil brushed
his colon and nearly hit his rectum.
+++ PRETORIA, South Africa (AP, 04-16) - Most giraffes benefit from
having long necks, but are at a clear disadvantage when involved in
vehicle accidents. Nine giraffes broke their necks when a truck
overturned while transporting them. Neither one of the three human
passengers was injured.
+++ LOS ANGELES (LA Times, 04-17) Contributor: Ric Oshrin
[freebird@aol.com] - A car thief was arrested when officers noticed an
anti-theft device attached to the steering wheel while the auto was in
motion.
+++ HONG KONG (HK Standard, 04-10) Contributor: Capt. Papineau
[papineau@1cdndiv.kingston.net] - Two teenagers were chopped to
death by a street gang in a case of mistaken identity. The murderers
confused the two youngsters with rival gang members.
+++ KOMOTINI, Greece (AFP, 04-18) Contributor: Phil Martin
[philm@healthotago.co.nz] - With most roads blocked by the snow,
a 29-year-old pregnant woman received a ride inside a Greek army
tank on her way to give birth at a local hospital.
+++ TOKYO (AFP, 04-18) Contributor: Phil Martin
[philm@healthotago.co.nz] - A computer club has decided to block
access to a newly released video game in which players compete
to spread the virus which causes AIDS to as many people as possible.
+++ ADELANTO, Calif. (LA Times, 04-18) Contributor: Ric Oshrin
[freebird@aol.com] - Two former police officers were indicted and
accused with beating a confession out of a suspect and forcing
him to lick his own blood.
+++ TAMPA, Fl. (St. Petersburg Times, 04-20) Contributor:
[patbarker@juno.com] - Police arrested a man responsible for
robbing $100,000 from the Bernett Bank. Scott William Glover,
40, was wearing a European style suit and left the crime scene in
a white stretch limousine. Police recovered $95,000 of the stolen
cash and a MAC-10 pistol.
+++ MERCED, Calif. (AP, 04-19) Contributors: Eric Rohr
[roryb@cjnetworks.com], Carjustice [carjustice@aol.com] - Steven
King II attempted to rob a Bank of America branch by brandishing
his uncovered finger and thumb and demanding money. King
became impatient after a teller told him to wait, went across the
street to another bank where he jumped over the counter and
tried to get the key to a cash drawer.
+++ SYRACUSE, N. Y. (Reuters, 04-16) Contributor:
[Carjustice@aol.com] - Being confined to a wheelchair was not
enough to keep Champ Hallett from committing more than 25
robberies. Hallett, 32, agreed to confess to the crimes in
exchange for a reduced sentence. Wheelchair tire tracks
led police to Hallett. He has been in a wheelchair since
1988 when he lost his right leg by falling out of a six-story
window while trying to rob a crack dealer.
+++ ST. LOUIS, Mo. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 04-15) Contributor:
[november@fastrans.net] - A city-tow lot attendant was preparing a
1984 Lincoln for an upcoming auction when he discovered the body
of a man in the car's trunk. The abandoned car was towed on March
11. The 58-year-old man was identified through fingerprint analysis.
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