News of the Weird newspapers illustration
Crème de la Weird
Near closing time on Sunday, Oct. 13, in a pub in Ruinerwold, Netherlands, a “completely confused” and “unkempt” 25-year-old man appeared with a strange story to tell. Pub owner Chris Westerbeek told Dutch media the young man ordered five beers and “said he was the oldest (of six siblings) and wanted to end the way they were living,” according to The New York Times. The man had walked to the pub from a farm outside town, where police found five adult siblings, the youngest of whom was 18, had been living in a secret basement, accessed only by a hidden door behind a cupboard, for nine years. They were apparently “waiting for the end of time,” police said, and the younger siblings were totally unaware that there were any other humans at all outside their basement. The family, including the father, who also lived on the farm, survived on a large garden and a few animals. NL Times reported police arrested a 58-year-old Austrian man, believed to a tenant of the farm and identified only as Josef B., initially for refusing to cooperate with the investigation and later charged him with holding the family against their will; it was unclear where the mother is. At press time, the story was still unfolding.
Perp Walk Weird
Tommy Lee Jenkins, 32, recently moved away from Oshkosh, Wis., to Whitestown, Ind., but on Tuesday, Oct. 1, he struck up an online relationship with “Kylee,” a supposed 14-year-old girl in Neenah, Wis., according to the U.S. Justice Department. As their correspondence progressed, he requested sexually explicit photos of Kylee and made plans to engage in sexual behavior, court documents said, but when Kylee refused to come to Indiana, Jenkins decided he’d come up to see Kylee—by walking all the way from Whitestown to Neenah. The Oshkosh Northwestern reported that waiting for him at the end of his 371-mile trek were Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputies (one of whom was “Kylee”) and FBI agents, who arrested him for using a computer to attempt to persuade, induce or entice a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity. Jenkins faced other child sexual assault charges in 2011 and 2012 and had been sentenced to probation.
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Off-the-Cuff Weird
While patrolling a Bath and Body Works store in Waukesha, Wis., an unnamed security guard let the boredom get to him. Around 2 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, he slipped his handcuffs on, only then realizing that he’d left the keys at home. Forced to call police, who responded and freed him from his restraints, the bored guard then hid the cuffs from himself so he wouldn’t be tempted to put them on again. According to WDJT, he told police it wasn’t the first time he had handcuffed himself without having the keys.
Offal-y Weird
The Lestinas have lived next door to Dahl’s Custom Meat Locker in Bagley, Iowa, for 10 years without incident, but early in October, they discovered almost five inches of animal blood, fat and bones had flooded their basement. Lestina said it would have risen higher if not for his sump pump. He approached the meat locker next door for help, but, he told WHO TV, “They say it’s not their fault and told me ‘good luck.’” Lestina reached out to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which investigated and found that the business had slaughtered hogs and cattle on Thursday, Oct. 3, and flushed fluids down the floor drain, which is probably connected with the Lestinas’ drain. The family of seven has had to move out of the home while trying to resolve the cleanup issue.
Shaun of the Weird
In Eldorado Hills, Calif., homeowner Matthew Eschrich woke up late on Saturday, Oct. 12, saw a sensor light on next to his garage and went downstairs to investigate. When he heard rumbling, he realized there was an intruder and called 911. Just then, his sister-in-law, who also lives in the home, called to say she had just pulled into the garage and saw a man running away, “wearing just a bra and panties,” KXTV reported. The intruder was later identified as Shaun McGuire, 37, who was taken into custody and charged with burglary, indecent exposure and trespassing.
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