News of the Weird: Week of April 13, 2023

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Inexplicable

Tony Saunders of Steelton, Pennsylvania, led state troopers on an odyssey on April 4, WTAJ-TV reported. Early that morning, officers stopped Saunders on suspicion of a burglary the day before. In the trunk of his BMW, he had a dead deer; when a trooper went to open the rear door, Saunders sped away and eventually got stuck on railroad tracks. He left the car and ran into a wooded area. Later that day, a school bus was reported stolen from Abbottstown, and again, police gave chase. Saunders finally ran away from the bus and through parking lots, shedding his clothing as he fled. He was nude when arrested. At some point, he had transferred the dead deer into the school bus; he told them he was going to use it for garden fertilizer. He faces multiple charges.

It's Come to This

"There will be no plans to hunt eggs again." So proclaimed Jessica Baer, the assistant manager of The Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio, after an Easter egg hunt went awry there on April 2. The Dayton Daily News reported that the activity, which was planned as a well-choreographed event for children, was ruined when people didn't listen to directions. Instead, during the time period restricted to 1- and 2-year-olds, adults ran out to hunt eggs, which prompted a free-for-all. Some people even allegedly pushed children out of the way or knocked them over. "This is absolutely unacceptable behavior," officials said. "We feel the community will be better without the hunt."

Unclear on the Concept

Siva Moodley, a pastor at The Miracle Centre near Johannesburg, South Africa, died on Aug. 15, 2021, Oddity Central reported. But until recently, his body lay at a funeral home -- for almost 600 days -- because his family members were convinced he would come back to life. The mortuary couldn't move forward on a burial without consent from the family, who at first came to the facility to pray for his resurrection. "He was a well-known man and does not deserve this kind of treatment," the mortuary owner said. Finally, he took legal action to further the pastor's burial. In response, the Gauteng High Court authorized a mandatory burial or cremation, and on March 16, Moodley was finally laid to rest.

Compelling Explanation

In Dallas, grocery worker Coby Todd, 21, is sure that a "mischievous child ghost" pushed a shopping cart into his car as he was leaving work, Fox News reported on March 30. The day before, Todd had gone "ghost hunting" at a home in Frontier Village, Texas, and had sensed the presence of a "little boy" spirit, he said. He thinks the spirit followed him home and to work the next day. "Maybe he was trying to play with me," Todd said. He checked out the store's security footage to see who might have pushed the cart, and it does appear to suddenly turn and roll on its own toward Todd's car. The damage amounts to about $25,000, and Todd said "it upset me. It's not fake."

Parenting Goals

TikTokker Will Meyers posted in early April that he had to "go pick up my kid from school today because I made a big mistake," the Daily Mail reported. As Meyers packed his son's lunch that morning, he loaded in a can of Guinness -- because the black can looks a lot like Liquid Death sparkling water. "It looks like sparkling water, but it's definitely not sparkling water," Meyers said. Other parents weighed in, with one admitting they sent "two packs of cigarettes in a bag of paper plates and napkins to my daughter's class." A teacher soothed the guilty parents, saying it's a common mistake.

Suspicions Confirmed

The Environmental Protection Agency released the findings of a study on April 4 revealing that more than 9 million lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States, the Associated Press reported. The survey also ranked the states in order of how many lead pipes are still in use; Florida was first, with more than 1 million pipes underground. Erik Olson of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council was surprised at Florida's position on the list because lead pipes were installed mostly before Florida's population rapidly grew. "We look forward to hearing an explanation," he said. The survey will be used to distribute funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Least Competent Criminal

Channing Vanderbilt, 31, was arrested in Chandler, Arizona, on April 3 after a shooting that killed a 58-year-old man, AZFamily reported. When officers responded to the scene, the man's wife said Vanderbilt had approached them as they were retrieving their mail and opened fire. Oddly, Vanderbilt was also still at the scene, pretending to be a bystander. He denied being involved in the shooting and said he was picking up shell casings as "souvenirs." He was charged with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Bright Idea

Here's a new thing to worry about: super pigs. Starting in the 1980s, Canadian farmers bred domestic pigs with wild boars, resulting in "super pigs" that are a headache for wildlife and crops, Yahoo! News reported. Now, the hybrids, which sometimes grow to 600 pounds, are moving south into the United States. "They are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet. Period," said Ryan Brook, a wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. The pigs feed on agricultural crops but also damage the soil by digging in it. They eat reptiles, birds and even white-tailed deer, and they contaminate water. While some have suggested hunting as a way to control their numbers, Brook said, "You simply can't BBQ your way out of a wild pig problem." Officials in Montana have introduced the "Squeal on Pigs!" campaign encouraging residents to report feral swine, and North and South Dakota have reported possible populations. Soo wee!

Awesome!

• In Australia, artist Dani Reynolds has overtaken a record previously held by actress Drew Barrymore for the world's widest wig, NDTV reported on April 4. Reynolds worked with another artist, Meg Wilson, to create the 8-foot-6-inch hairpiece using synthetic hair, a bike helmet, PVC pipes, pool noodles, cable ties and aluminum rods -- plus two giant pink bows. Reynolds said the biggest challenge was making sure the wig was balanced: "Not having a background in structural engineering or props-making made this quite a difficult task," she said. The enormous wig took the women about two months and $2,700 to complete.
• In Caledonia, Michigan, Andrew Clark comes from a long line of Y chromosomes, WZZM-TV reported. For the past 138 years, there have been no girls born to his family -- until St. Patrick's Day, when Clark and his wife, Carolyn, welcomed Audrey Marie. All the way back to 1885 and Clark's great-great-grandfather, only sons have been born to the family. "It was just joy, you know, just that she was here and healthy," Carolyn said. "It made it even more special that it was a girl."

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