News of the Weird: Week of December 15, 2022

×

Expand

News of the Weird newspapers illustration

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

RayLee Holladay and her husband, Bubba, live in Lascassas, Tennessee, where they raise cows. About six years ago, WKRN-TV reported, RayLee had been seeking a venture of her own to bring in money on the farm when she discovered Rent The Chicken, a business founded by Phil and Jenn Tompkins of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today, RayLee's Rent The Chicken franchise is thriving. Customers can either rent egg-laying chickens for about six months, or hatching chicks, which can be returned about two weeks after they hatch. "It's great for teaching kids a little responsibility," RayLee said. "And this is a trial. It's not like getting a puppy for Christmas." Chickens can be rented by families or by schools, day cares and senior living facilities. If renters grow attached, they can adopt the fowl for an added fee. Since its beginning 10 years ago, Rent The Chicken has expanded into 24 states, the District of Columbia and into Canada.

Least Competent Criminal

The Rockdale County (Georgia) Sheriff's Department posted a list of its top 10 most wanted fugitives on Facebook on Nov. 28, Fox News reported. One local criminal evidently felt left out, though: Christopher Spaulding, an area man with two warrants for his arrest, commented, "How about me?" The sheriff's department responded, "We are on the way" and on Dec. 1 arrested Spaulding. Later, they commented, "We appreciate you for your assistance in your capture!" Spaulding's warrants were for felony violation of probation. 

Questionable Judgments

• A 72-year-old woman was arrested on Nov. 29 in Berlin after she allegedly turned off her hospital roommate's ventilator -- twice! -- because the sound of it was annoying her, The Washington Post reported. After the first incident, police said, the woman was told the machine was necessary to keep the roommate alive, but she switched it off again later in the evening. The other patient had to be revived, although she is expected to recover. The suspect was charged with suspicion of attempted manslaughter. 
• On Dec. 5, as Hassan Chokr, 35, appeared virtually from jail for a hearing in Wayne County, Michigan, he became frustrated with Judge Regina Thomas and started yelling and pointing at the camera, Fox News reported. Thomas asked for his microphone to be muted, and things escalated: "I want the record to reflect that ... now he has removed his pants to show the court his backside," Thomas said. "I don't know why anyone would think it is appropriate to pull down his pants and show the court their behind during a court proceeding." Chokr's attorney agreed with Thomas that a mental health evaluation "probably would be a good thing" and said Chokr was just exercising his right to free speech. Thomas wasn't buying it, though: "We don't get to do and say anything we want to without the consequences of those actions," she said. "That's where your client finds himself today." 

Making a Statement

Mindy Janette Stephens, 46, was arrested on Dec. 1 and charged with illegal dumping after an incident that took place on Nov. 10 in Electra, Texas. According to KXAN-TV, Stephens, seen on security footage wearing a white hazmat suit and a yellow mask, deposited three 5-gallon buckets of human excrement at the front door of the Electra police department, then got in her SUV and drove away. Stephens told another media outlet that she had been renting an apartment to a man who had not paid rent or utilities for a year, and after she evicted him, she found the buckets of waste. "He'd been pooping in the buckets," she said. She said she called the police department to ask what she should do with them, but officers weren't helpful -- so she took the buckets to the station. City wastewater officials removed them, and Stephens bonded out of jail. 

Harsh

An Olive Garden restaurant manager in Overland Park, Kansas, is out of a job after they sent a ranting message to team members about excessive time off, KCTV5 reported. "We are no longer tolerating ANY excuse for calling off. ... If your dog died, you need to bring him in and prove it to us. ... If you only want morning shifts, too bad, go work at a bank. ... Do you think I want to be here until midnight on Friday and Saturday? No. I'd much rather be at home with my husband and dog," the message said. An Olive Garden representative said the message was "not aligned with our company's values. We can confirm we have parted ways with this manager." 

Bad Behavior

Five-year Chicago police veteran Henry Capouch, 30, was arrested for battery and disorderly conduct on Dec. 5 in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he was vacationing, The Smoking Gun reported. According to officers, Capouch was discovered around 12:30 a.m. by an employee of Jimmy B's Beach Bar as he was "(urinating) on the ice in the machine." The worker told Capouch to stop, but instead he shoved both him and a security guard. Police said Capouch actively resisted and did not obey commands while being arrested. They said he showed an "indication of alcohol influence."

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

On Nov. 28 at around 1:45 a.m., an unnamed 27-year-old man visited the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City and made a huge purchase: 300 iPhone 13s. (The store is open 24 hours.) He bought the phones to resell through his small business. But, the Daily Star reported, he didn't get very far with them: As he walked to his car, another car pulled up and two men jumped out, demanding his three bags. The customer defended himself, but the thieves made off with one of the bags, which contained about 125 phones, worth approximately $95,000. The New York Police Department is investigating. 

Anger Management

Mark Curtis Wells, 51, of Biloxi, Mississippi, and another golfer got into an altercation on Nov. 28 at Hollywood Casino, WXXV-TV reported. They had played earlier in the day at Bridges Golf Course, where the argument allegedly began, police said. When officers arrived at the casino parking lot, they found one of the men suffering a facial injury: His nose had been bitten off. Wells took off from the scene in a Tesla but turned himself in on Nov. 30 and was charged with mayhem. The nose was not found. 

Unclear on the Concept

When prosecutors went to court in Prince George, British Columbia, in a case involving a nightclub flouting COVID-19 restrictions last February, they thought their argument was airtight, the CBC reported on Dec. 7. They had video from Lambda Cabaret that had been posted to Facebook showing patrons dancing and drinking with nary a mask in sight. The club even bragged about their disobedience: "Open with zero mandates 2 weeks in a row," it posted. But Judicial Justice Brent Adair saw it differently. "There are so many holes in this case -- it's like someone shot a shotgun," he said. For one thing, he asked, "What is a social media post?" "These are posts that Lambda Cabaret made on Facebook," environmental health officer Joey Cheng answered. "How do you know they made them on Facebook?" Adair asked. "Ummmm ... it was on their Facebook page," Cheng replied. Adair explained he's not a "technical person": "I know Facebook exists. I don't use Facebook. What is it? What does it show?" He ended up dismissing all the charges against Lambda Cabaret, citing hearsay and questioning why video evidence was relevant. Might be time to brush up, Your Honor. 

Send your weird news items with subject line WEIRD NEWS to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.