News of the Weird newspapers illustration
Emotional Support Trump?
The woman who attempted to board an airplane with her emotional support peacock made headlines, but in Port St. Lucie, Fla., one man is questioning why his particular support item has been banned from the dialysis center where he takes treatments three times a week. Nelson Gibson began bringing an 8-by-10-inch photo of Donald Trump to comfort him as he endured the three-and-a-half-hour treatments. But that soon escalated to Gibson lugging a life-size Trump cutout with him for his appointments. But finally, as Gibson told WPBF, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, “They told me it was too much, and it wasn’t a rally. It just feels like bringing something from home to make you comfortable,” he said, noting that others bring items, including one woman who pops bubble wrap during the entire treatment. “That’s very nerve-wracking,” he said. It’s unclear whether Gibson will return to the center for treatments.
A Trump-like Tantrum
Seloni Khetarpal, 36, threw a tantrum worthy of the terrible twos on Thursday, Feb. 13, when she repeatedly called 911 to report an awful (to her) crime: Her parents had shut off her cellphone. According to court documents, Khetarpal demanded that police officers respond to her home in Jackson Township, Ohio, but was repeatedly warned that she should only call 911 for legitimate emergencies. But over a several-hours-long period, News5 Cleveland reported, she continued calling back, becoming increasingly “belligerent and vulgar,” telling 911 dispatchers her ordeal was “a fucking emergency!” She has been arrested and charged with disrupting public services.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Police Chief Dressed Down
The Select Board of Croydon, N.H., ruled unexpectedly on Tuesday, Feb. 18, that it would abolish the town police department and rely instead on the New Hampshire State Police for law enforcement, reported the Valley News. Croydon Police Chief Richard Lee, the sole member of the police department for almost 20 years, told the News he was asked to turn in his equipment, including his uniform, badge and the keys to his police cruiser, so at the meeting’s conclusion, Lee faced the board president and “gave them my uniform shirt. I gave them my turtleneck, I gave them my ballistic vest. I sat down in the chair, took off my boots, took off my pants, put those on the chair and put my boots back on and walked out the door.” Lee walked about a mile in 26-degree temperatures before his wife picked him up. The board released a statement saying the decision was “an action based upon value for the cost of the department.” Resident Rick Sampson told reporters, “What kind of a town lets their chief of police walk out in a snowstorm in his underwear?”
Undressed and Unhinged
Three friends were wrapping up a night of dinner and drinking on Saturday, Feb. 15, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., when things got “a little out of control,” according to a police report. As the night wore on, Kasey Westraad, 24, became increasingly amorous toward a resistant female friend, the friend told police, eventually escalating to the point that a naked Westraad pursued the woman outside, punching her several times in the face. Myrtlebeachonline.com reported Westraad was charged with third-degree assault and battery, damage to property and resisting arrest.
A Nose for Crime
Police in Speyer, Germany, gave chase after they were passed by a car driving at high speed with its lights off on Friday, Feb. 14. The suspect, a 26-year-old man, pulled over and ran from the car, leaving a trail of scent that was so distinct officers said they were able to follow it from the car to the man, who was hiding behind a hedge. “Due to the cloud of perfume that was detected inside the car and on the man,” police said, “it was possible to identify him as the driver,” the Associated Press reported. His breath didn’t smell quite as good, though: He was far over the legal alcohol limit.
A Lesson in Crime
Police in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, arrested Robert Noye, 52, on Monday, Feb. 17, and charged him with first-degree harassment, kidnapping and false imprisonment after his victim told them Noye kidnapped her and forced her to watch the entire 1977 TV miniseries, “Roots,” “so she could better understand her racism,” The Gazette reported. He allegedly told her if she didn’t sit quietly for the entire multi-hour series about slavery, he would “kill her and spread her body parts across Interstate 380 on the way to Chicago.”
© 2020 ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
