Scantily-clad 'David' decked out as St. Nick
BIG SPRING, Texas (AP) — A Texas homeowner who adorned his front lawn with Michelangelo's "David" as a scantily clad Santa got more than just jolly laughs from his neighbors. Barry McBee said he was aiming to make people chuckle by adding a Santa hat and white beard to the 5-foot-tall replica of the Renaissance statue with six-pack abs — an image at odds with usual depictions of a fat, jolly St. Nick. Then, parents started calling Big Spring city officials saying their children were asking why Santa was naked.
Iowa Kmart workers open tin can, find $10,000
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When employees of a Des Moines Kmart store finally opened a red tin can that had been sitting on the customer service counter for four days, they got a $10,000 surprise. The can contained $10,380 in assorted bills. Employees called police after opening the can Friday. Police said the money was counted by a store manager, placed in envelopes according to denomination and then turned over to officers. No note was found.
Neighbors say house still reeks even after cleanup
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Residents of a South Florida neighborhood are plagued by a horrible stench. It's coming from inside the home of their neighbor. City officials have already investigated homeowner Debra Jean Higgins, after a utility worker stopped by and called police because he thought someone had died inside. The 55-year-old Higgins, who lives with two dogs, seven cats and piles of rotting garbage, was alive and well. She has been fined $600,000 for code violations, but that apparently hasn't made a difference. The city finally cleaned up the yard, but neighbors said the stench remains.
Tenn. man says cows licked $100 in damage to house
ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee man's homeowners insurance apparently doesn't cover "acts of cow." Jerry Lynn Davis called the Hawkins County Sheriff's office on Thursday, complaining that a neighbor's cows had been licking his house. In the process, Davis says the curious bovines did about $100 in damage by ripping off a screen window, cracking the glass and pulling down a gutter. The Kingsport Times-News reports that Davis' home is just a couple of feet from a fence enclosing the cows' pasture. They managed to poke their heads through to lick the house, though a deputy's report did not indicate what made the house so tasty.
Tenn. man arrested for allegedly drunk-dialing 911
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) — A Middle Tennessee man was arrested after police said he drunk-dialed 911 and has called police 47 times over the last year. Murfreesboro police arrested a 57-year-old man on Thursday after police responded to an emergency call to find him intoxicated in his home. According to the police report, officers asked him why he called 911 and he replied that he was "just drunk." The Daily News Journal reported that police later learned that the man has repeatedly called 911 since September 2008.
Police jail man for rubbing burger in wife's face
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (AP) — A 25-year-old Port St. Lucie man was arrested for allegedly rubbing a hamburger on his wife's face during an argument. Police said Daniel Boss and his wife got into it late Thursday night and started calling each other names. At some point, the woman apparently poured soda on Boss' hamburger, causing him to grab the sandwich, rub it in her face and start throwing food. Boss left, but his wife went to the police station to report the incident. Officers arrested him three hours later on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.
Wanted: Mich. bank robber with 'offensive breath'
FERNDALE, Mich. (AP) — He could be called the "Bad Breath Bandit." Police in a Detroit suburb are looking for a bank robber who tellers say has crooked yellow teeth and particularly bad breath. The Detroit Free Press reported that Ferndale police said the man hit the same Charter One branch in October and again last week. Lt. William Wilson said tellers remember the man as tall, thin and "having very offensive breath and real yellow teeth." Witnesses also say he looks and smells dirty.
Pa. police: Girl, 13, led high-speed car chase
LEBANON, Pa. (AP) — Police say a 13-year-old girl led state troopers on a nine-mile chase in central Pennsylvania at speeds of more than 100 mph. Authorities say the pursuit started around 9:30 a.m. Monday when troopers saw a driver weaving in and out of her lane on Interstate 81 in Swatara Township.
Ind. man caught on bike with stolen Christmas tree
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — Authorities said they caught an Indiana man riding a bike while balancing a stolen Christmas tree across the handlebars. Police in Portage said they spotted 48-year-old Phillip Menefee about 1 a.m. Friday riding the bike equipped with a homemade motor but no lights. Police had been investigating motor noise near a Christmas tree lot. Police said Menefee had been drinking at a bar and told police he bought the tree from the lot, which is run by Mathisen Tree Farms of Greenville, Mich. When told the lot was closed, police said he said he claimed that bought the tree from the bar.
NY cops slip oil-change-bribe suspect into slammer
MASTIC BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities said a drunken driving suspect tried to grease the wheels of justice with a bribe: free oil changes and car inspections. Suffolk County Police Officer Robert Kall responded by arresting the 44-year-old Shirley, N.Y., resident on two charges Thursday. Police slipped him into the slammer for the rest of the night. He was scheduled for arraignment Friday in Central Islip on DWI and third-degree bribery.
