Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird

Plumbing Issues

An unnamed plumber in Stockholm, Sweden, was arrested in August for attempting to procure sex from an underage girl after he had confronted the girl's father on the telephone. According to the plumber, the girl's sex services were advertised on the Internet. Allegedly, the plumber paid online and scheduled a session, but the girl failed to show up. The plumber reportedly found the girl's home telephone number and demanded a refund from her father, who reported him to police.

Latest Religious Messages

Imagine the surprise for the burglar rummaging through the St. Benno Church in Munich, Germany, in November, when he was suddenly attacked by a statue. Apparently, the man had bent down to try to open the donation box and make away with the contentsbut his jostling of the wooden structure containing the box caused a statue of St. Antonius to fall on top of him, momentarily knocking him to the floor and forcing him to flee empty-handed.

Questionable Judgments

In November, Singapore's Ministry of Information denounced the country's water polo team for wearing swim trunks in a likeness of the nation's flag (stars and a crescent)especially since, on the men's trunks, the inch-thick, 5-inch-long crescent is placed vertically on the front in what appears to be an "are you glad to see me?" design. The team's manager denied even the "slightest intention" of insulting the country.

Update

When News of the Weird reported in 2004 on Disney fanatic George Reiger of Bethlehem, Pa., he was in full glory, with a 5,000-piece collection of Disney memorabilia and some 2,000 tattoos covering almost all of his body. He said then that he had been married six times, but that each wife had left him after being unable to compete with Disney for his affection. In November 2010, Reiger, now 56, opening up to The Philadelphia Inquirer, admitted that he had not been married at all and was in fact extremely lonely in his Disney obsession. He said that he had finally found the love of a woman and wanted to end his fanaticism and remove the tattoos.

Bright Ideas

Robbery Modus Operandi: (1) Caroline Slusher, 32, and two associates were indicted in Willoughby, Ohio, in the November "armed" robbery of a BP gas station convenience store. After a clerk caught Slusher shoplifting, Slusher raised her arm menacingly and threatened to touch the clerk, claiming she was infected with the highly destructive bacteria MRSA. The clerk backed off, and the three fled. (2) Nakita Norman, 44, aided by two associates creating a distraction, was captured on surveillance video stuffing two fur coats down the front of her pants, directly into the crotch area, and departing the Sword Furs store in Westlake, Ohio. Norman was arrested based on informants' tips.

Now, Which One Is the Brake?

Elderly drivers continue to have lapses of concentration in which they confuse the brake pedal with the gas pedal. A woman, age 83, accidentally plowed into Lickity Split Yogurt in Carmichael, Calif. (August). A man, 89, accidentally drove into the waters off the Dunedin Marina in Florida. He was rescued before his car sunk (August). A man in his 80s accidentally drove through the front window of the Petco store in Chico, Calif. (August). A woman, 89, accidentally backed over her husband while pulling out of her garage in Allentown, Pa. (April). A woman in her 70s accidentally drove into an optometry office in Anaheim, Calif. (March). A woman, 73, accidentally crashed into a Pizza Hut in Houston (March). A woman, 82, arriving for her appointment at Classic Hair Design in Plainfield Township, Mich., accidentally drove through the front window (April).

© 2010 Chuck Shepherd