News of the Weird: Feb. 20, 2020

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You Asked for It

A former employee of a finance firm is behind bars in Macon County, Tenn., after allegedly stealing $51,000 in customer loan payments, WATE reported. Serena Swindle, 41, was arrested on Wednesday, Feb. 5, after a yearlong investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. She was held on $3,500 bond at the Macon County Jail.

What’s in a Name?

Shareeka Strawn, 28, must have panicked when the car she was riding in was pulled over by police in Wichita Falls, Texas, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, for a minor traffic violation. According to the probable cause affidavit, Strawn, who had several outstanding warrants, falsely identified herself as “Porshala” Strawn, apparently unaware that a records check would reveal a real Porshala Strawn that had an outstanding warrant, so she was duly arrested. The Times Record News reported Shareeka is currently facing a number of charges, including giving a false name.

State Room

Ryan Sentelle State, 37, has been arrested in Salt Lake City after police said he admitted using mice, hamsters and gerbils to get free hotel rooms. KUTV reported on Thursday, Jan. 30, that authorities allege State would release the rodents in a hotel room and then complain about the “infestation,” prompting hotel workers to apologize and offer him a room for free. State faces charges of theft by deception and criminal mischief.

All’s Well

Residents of an apartment building in Kerala, India, were surprised on Monday, Feb. 3, when a pungent mixture of beer, brandy and rum began flowing from their faucets instead of water. Officials told the BBC that about 6,000 liters of alcohol confiscated on court orders had been buried in a pit nearby, but it seeped through the soil into the well used as a water source for the building. “The children couldn’t go to school, and even their parents couldn’t go to work,” Joshy Malyiekkal, the building owner, said.

Racking Up a Bill

The Washington, D.C., Metro has spent five years and $3.8 million building two still-unfinished bike racks at two of its stations, WJLA reported on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The original budget for the two covered racks, which each will house 92 bikes, was $600,000 apiece. “Quality control issues with contractors can take time to sort out,” the Metro said in a statement, “but Metro determined it was important to get the project done right rather than get it done quickly.” It hopes the projects, first set to be completed in December of 2015, will be finished in the next few months.

Oops

Giovanni Palmiero, 101, has been living in the United Kingdom since 1966, so logically, he applied to remain there after Brexit. Alarmingly, the Home Office demanded that Palmiero’s parents confirm his identity and accompany him to an office in north London to make his application. Dimitri Scarlato, a volunteer helping Palmiero, immediately realized the computer had read Palmiero’s birth year as 2019 instead of 1919. “I phoned the Home Office, and it took two calls and half an hour for them to understand,” Scarlato told The Guardian. Palmiero has been married to his 92-year-old wife, Lucia, for 75 years. Yes, they will be able to remain in the U.K.

Bringing It All On Yourself

Juan Zamora, 63, of Kissimmee, Fla., needed directions on Saturday, Feb. 8, and flashed his headlights at a Marion County Sheriff’s squad car to ask for help, the Ocala Star-Banner reported. Deputy Calvin Batts obliged, but during the conversation, he noticed Zamora smelled like alcohol and was unsteady on his feet, according to the arrest report. Zamora then resisted Batts’ request to take a breath test, saying, “You didn’t pull me over; I pulled you over” and told the officer he is “legally disabled,” which might account for his instability. However, it wouldn’t explain the bag of white powder found in Zamora’s shirt pocket, which field-tested positive for cocaine, according to the report. Batts also reported finding a 2/3rds-full bottle of Canadian whiskey and a 15-year-old passenger in the vehicle. Zamora was arrested and charged with DUI and possession of cocaine.

Unconventional Nun

An unnamed 47-year-old Italian woman convicted of fraud in 2017 in Sicily has been on the run since then, The Guardian reported, eluding authorities by hiding in convents. The woman moved to the northern region of Italy and phoned convents pretending to be a sister “looking for help and claiming she was severely ill,” investigators said. As she moved from convent to convent, she changed her identity, duping nuns who trusted her and thought her to be kind. Finally, a Benedictine nun grew suspicious and phoned police, telling them her stories were “full of contradictions.” Authorities verified her identity and arrested her. She now faces further charges of claiming false identity.

© 2020 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION