weird crimes

Read odd news stories and other latest weird crimes news from around the world on Newser.com

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>

He Had a Winning Scratch-Off. There Was One Problem

Police in Clearwater, Fla., say Herbert McClellan stole the lottery ticket before trying to cash it in

(Newser) - "So much for being lucky at the lottery." That's how the Clearwater Police Department in Florida is describing the unfortunate plight of 27-year-old Herbert McClellan, who's accused of swiping more than a dozen scratch-off lottery tickets from a local Speedway, then trying to cash in a...

He Changed Their Tire. Then Out Came a Gun

'Good Samaritan' pulls a gun on couple in St. Louis

(Newser) - A young couple in St. Louis may be wary of accepting assistance from Good Samaritans anytime soon after a late-night incident over the weekend. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a 28-year-old man and his 27-year-old female passenger got a flat Saturday night, and at around 11:15pm, a man...

Drug Smuggling Cat Escapes Detainment
Drug Smuggling Cat
Escapes Prison
Aug 4, 2020 3:47 AM CDT

Drug Smuggling Cat Escapes Prison

Sri Lankan officials do not plan to search for the feline

(Newser) - Officials at a Sri Lanka prison captured a drug-smuggling cat Saturday—but by the following day, the felonious feline had escaped. The cat had a plastic bag tied around its neck that held almost two grams of heroin, two SIM cards, and a memory chip, the Telegraph reports. It was...

Home-Printed Checks Scored Guy a Porsche, but No Rolexes
Cops: Guy 'Bought'
$140K Porsche With Check
From Home Computer
in case you missed it
Aug 2, 2020 9:40 AM CDT

Cops: Guy 'Bought' $140K Porsche With Check From Home Computer

Casey William Kelley also tried to scoop up 3 Rolex watches with another phony check, authorities say

(Newser) - Grand Theft Auto: Wewahitchka isn't a real thing, though a Florida man allegedly tried to make it one. Per the Northwest Florida Daily News , authorities in Walton County say Casey William Kelley purchased a Porsche 911 Turbo from a dealership in Destin on Monday for nearly $140,000. "...

DA: Typo on Man's Death Certificate Gave Away His Con

Long Island's Robert Berger is accused of faking his own death to get out of other charges

(Newser) - A Long Island criminal defendant tried faking his death to avoid a jail sentence, but the phony death certificate his lawyer submitted had a glaring spelling error that made it a dead giveaway for a fraud, prosecutors said Tuesday. Robert Berger, 25, of Huntington, New York, now faces up to...

Pizza Shop Owner Fends Off Robber in the Perfect Way

He threw a pizza at the guy

(Newser) - The suspect is described as a white male, with a machete, though he might have cheese, sauce, and maybe some pepperoni in his hair. Police in Delaware say the owner of a pizza shop foiled a robbery by, yes, throwing a pizza at the intruder, reports the Delaware News Journal ...

Alleged Car Thief Crashes Into an Unlikely Spot

He drove into another stolen car, say police in Oregon

(Newser) - Police in Newburg, Oregon, recovered two stolen vehicles at the same time thanks to a strange set of circumstances, reports the Oregonian . It seems police were chasing a Toyota Land Cruiser because it had just been reported stolen when the driver crashed into another vehicle. As it turns out, that...

Cops: Thief Left Behind Unexpected Clue

His young son, leading police in Germany to make an easy arrest

(Newser) - Police in Germany say they had an easy time tracking down a petty thief—he forgot his own son at the scene of the crime. Bautzen police said the 29-year-old suspect ran off when the $5.65 worth of goods he was trying to steal triggered an alarm at a...

Cops: Man 'Still Had Hamburger in His Ear Upon Arrival'

Florida woman accused of domestic battery against boyfriend

(Newser) - Florida is trying to get back to some level of normalcy during the coronavirus pandemic—and the latest crime report shows it may be doing just that. The Smoking Gun reports that Tanya Cordero, 47, was arrested Monday after an incident in a mobile home in Largo, Fla. Per an...

You Do Not Want to Drive Into This Kind of Pond

Cops: Drunken driver spent 2 hours in manure pond

(Newser) - A Facebook post by the California Highway Patrol in South Sacramento uses no fewer than four poop emojis in telling this story, for good reason. It seems that in the wee hours of Monday morning, a driver called police to say he'd crashed into a pond on a dairy...

Apparently Out of Masks, Robbers Wore Watermelons

20-year-old charged with wearing a mask during robbery in Virginia

(Newser) - Police in small-town Virginia say they've nabbed one of two thieves who wore watermelons on their heads while robbing a convenience store earlier this month. The Louisa Police Department announced the arrest on Saturday, hours after sharing surveillance photos of the thieves wearing hallowed-out watermelons with holes for eyes...

Cops: Booted From McDonald's, Guy Throws Rock, Steals Panties

Jason Daddario, 37, was charged with criminal mischief and breach of peace

(Newser) - A man who'd been kicked out of a McDonald's restaurant for having no face mask threw a rock through the window, stole some underwear from a Walmart, and surrendered when police threatened to set a dog on him, authorities said. The AP reports that Jason Daddario, 37, was...

Park Ranger's Lecture on Social Distancing Doesn't Go Well

Brandon Hicks, 25, is accused of pushing Texas park ranger Cassidy Stillwell into a lake

(Newser) - A Texas park ranger who was politely instructing a crowd on social distancing Thursday unexpectedly ended up in a lake—and the man accused of pushing him in has been arrested. The ranger, identified by CNN as Cassidy Stillwell, was patrolling Commons Ford Ranch Metropolitan Park in Austin around 5pm...

He Opened Freezer in Dead Mom's Home. Then, 'Screaming'

NYC police are investigating why a decomposed body was found in duct-taped freezer

(Newser) - Police say a man found a decomposed body in his dead mother's freezer as he was clearing out her Manhattan apartment, the AP reports. He found the body this week in a chest freezer that had been sealed with duct tape, the New York Daily News reported. Investigators say...

Florida Man Accused of Cruel Pizza Scam
Florida Man Accused of
Cruel Restaurant Prank
in case you missed it
Apr 18, 2020 2:00 PM CDT

Florida Man Accused of Cruel Restaurant Prank

NJ police say Sudeep Khetani placed big orders, never intended to pay or pick up

(Newser) - As if restaurants needed any more hurt these days: New Jersey police say a Florida man enacted a cruel scam on more than a dozen restaurants in the state. Sudeep Khetani, 34, is accused of calling pizzerias and restaurants and placing hefty orders that totaled several thousand dollars. "Each...

She Accused Astronaut of a Space Crime. Now, a Twist
She Accused Astronaut of
a Space Crime. Now, a Twist
in case you missed it
Apr 11, 2020 2:00 PM CDT

She Accused Astronaut of a Space Crime. Now, a Twist

Summer Worden, ex-wife of astronaut Anne McClain, accused of making false statements

(Newser) - It was an unprecedented accusation , and now there's a twist: In what's been described as the first allegation of a crime in space, astronaut Anne McClain was accused of improperly accessing the personal bank account of estranged spouse Summer Worden on two occasions in January 2019 while McClain...

Cops: Woman Arrested for Licking Groceries

Police say she ruined $1.8K of merchandise

(Newser) - In behavior that would have been deeply wrong even before the coronavirus pandemic, a California woman allegedly licked groceries and jewelry inside a Safeway in South Lake Tahoe. Police said in a statement that they were called to the store Tuesday and an employee informed the officers that the woman...

Guy in High-Speed Chase Was Teaching Dog to Drive: Cops

'I wish I could make this up'

(Newser) - While it may or may not be possible to teach an old dog new tricks, teaching a dog of any age to drive is not advisable. Washington state troopers say that during a high-speed chase near Lakewood on Sunday, they were astounded to see that a pit bull was in...

Police List Alternatives to Calling 911 for Toilet Paper

Department makes clear it won't deliver

(Newser) - It may seem like a 911-worthy emergency if you run out, but police in an Oregon town have clarified the issue. It's not. "It’s hard to believe that we even have to post this," Newport police said on Facebook . "Do not call 9-1-1 just because...

Cops: Ax-Wielding Robber Took Only Doughnuts

They found him, and the doughnuts, a block away

(Newser) - An ax-wielding man who robbed a doughnut shop in Oregon wasn't interested in money, police say. The suspect allegedly jumped over the counter of the 24-hour shop in downtown Portland, filled a box with doughnuts and then fled on foot, leaving his hatchet behind and the cash register untouched,...

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