What the Hell Theater - 6/30

A Seal Beach, California, father said his 11-year-old son tried to enter a Cartoon Network contest and a single digit dialing error took him to a phone sex line. The father said his son, Nico, dialed after the number flashed on the screen Monday night, but he accidentally dialed 1-800-556-1600 instead of 1-800-566-1600. What he heard was a recording of a female voice telling him to dial a second number. "Hey there sexy guy," a female voice said when Nico called the second number. "Welcome to an exciting new way to go live one-on-one with hot, horny girls waiting right now to talk to you." The call was on speakerphone and the father quickly told the boy to hang up. "

Authorities in Massachusetts have decided to stop going after a man who faced a criminal complaint for failing to appear for jury duty after learning he's been dead for five years. Michael Wylie was alive when he was called for jury service, but was in hospice care at the time and died a few months later. Officials, unaware he had died, continued to send letters about his failure to report. His family says they tried to tell authorities that he had died, but officials say the family never sent a death certificate.

What the Hell Theater - 6/29

Police in New York arrested a man who posed as a U.S. service member to get a free bump to first class on a flight from the Dominican Republic. New York Port Authority police said Rock Diaz, 22, arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday wearing an Army uniform; he raised the suspicions of a customs official who noticed the insignia on the uniform did not match the rank Diaz claimed to hold. Investigators said Diaz had pulled the same scam before, and on one occasion in December 2009 had been able to talk his way into the cockpit of a jet where he was photographed sitting at the controls of the plane. Diaz was charged with second degree impersonation.

What the Hell Theater - 6/28

Police in Boulder, Colorado, have arrested a 30-year-old man accused of hiding in the tank of a portable toilet at a yoga festival last week.  He was discovered in the toilet at the festival in Boulder by a woman who lifted the lid and saw him covered in a tarp inside the porta john. He Chrisco faces misdemeanor charges of unlawful sexual contact and criminal invasion of privacy.

Apartment complexes are resorting to using DNA testing on dog doo to find out who's not cleaning up after their pets. The Timberwood Commons in Lebanon, New Hampshire, opened this year and has already had problems with residents not cleaning up the messes their dogs leave. Manager Debbie Violette said she plans to use commercially available DNA sampling kits. "We've tried doing the warning letters. We've tried all sorts of things," She said, "Residents have been told they must submit samples from their dogs so DNA profiles can be put on file. Violette just received the kits from a company called PooPrints.

What the Hell Theater - 6/27

A judge isn't buying Robert Henry's holy high argument. Henry claims pot is a sacrament that he smokes for religious reasons. He was sentenced on Wednesday to up to 13 years in prison on drug and conspiracy charges. Before being sent away, Henry told a Pennsylvania judge he is being persecuted for his religious beliefs. He claims to be an ordained minister and a member of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry.

A California woman said her family's puppy was rescued from a sewer pipe thanks to a pair of Roto Rooter employees. Amelie Johnson of Stockton said the puppy crawled into a sewer drain that had been left uncapped by the county and went 12 feet to the neighbor's sewer. She said animal control employees told her they couldn't help with the situation and firefighters and San Joaquin County Public Works employees were unable to reach the dog with their equipment. Johnson said her mother-in-law suggested she call a plumber and a pair of Roto Rooter workers showed up with cables and a snake-line camera. "Once we were able to find the puppy, we could gently nudge it out with a cable machine we had put through the opposite side in the neighbor's yard," plumbing technician Anthony Soares said. The workers did not charge for the rescue.

 

 

Touching an endangered Hawaiian monk seal will cost a 19-year-old man $100. Cameron Cayaban pleaded guilty in federal court to harassing, harming or pursuing an endangered species. A federal magistrate judged imposed $100 in fines and fees. The government charged Cayaban with slapping a Hawaiian monk seal known as Kermit on March 12th at Kalaeloa's White Plains Beach while the animal was re-entering the ocean. His lawyer says Cayaban was overcome when he saw the seal, ran up to the endangered animal and touched it. Witnesses who saw what happened reported the incident to Barbers Point military police.

What the Hell Theater - 6/24

A Florida woman was arrested on a domestic violence charge just hours after her wedding. Bernadette and Mike Keeler celebrated their nuptials Saturday in Fort Lauderdale and went to a nightclub later that night. Mike said he left when his bride began dancing with another man. He said after his drunken wife shoved him and bit him on the left shoulder when she returned to the hotel, he drove back to the couple's home.  His new bride arrived soon after and threw water on him, ripped his shirt and bit him again.

A Michigan boy is getting quite a jump on his learner's permit. Police in Caseville report a seven-year-old drove about 20 miles before stopping with the help of police. Police Chief Jamie Learman says the pint-sized driver said he wanted to go see his dad. The boy was staying with his mother, who was unaware that the youngster took the car for a spin. Learman and deputies managed to box in the car and eventually got it to stop.

What the Hell Theater - 6/23

A 90-year-old Florida woman has made a love connection and married her new mate after meeting him online. Molly Holder met 82-year-old Ed Nisbitt on Match.com in November. The two widowers met in person for the first time in January, and were engaged by Valentine's Day. The happy couple tied the knot Saturday surrounded by family and friends. Holder described her new husband as "a hopeless romantic."


A New York woman was arrested after stealing a license plate off a patrol car and shoving it down her pants. Police said Beryl Duncan, 53, took the plate from the marked 2009 Chevrolet Impala while it was parked near Prospect Park on a call about a disturbance about 1 a.m. Monday. A witness described seeing Duncan shove the plate down her pants and police said she denied stealing the plate when confronted by an officer. Police said the woman told the officer the plate had fallen off the vehicle and she was holding it until she could return it to an officer. Duncan was arrested and charged with criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny.

What the Hell Theater - 6/21

A homeless man from Utah has discovered he is heir to a small fortune. Max Melitzer was tracked down by a private investigator over the weekend, and told that he had inherited a "significant" amount from his brother, who died of cancer last year. Melitzer has been homeless for the past few years, carrying his possessions in a shopping cart. But Private Eye David Lundberg said that he will now be able to live comfortably. "He'll no longer be living on the street or in abandoned storage sheds."

An escaped convict was caught following a day on the loose after he knocked on a cabin door only to find out the man renting the lodge was an off-duty guard at the prison he just escaped from. Authorities said 39-year-old James Edward Russell took off from the Washington State penitentiary Tuesday morning. Early the next day, Russell - still wearing his prison uniform - went to the cabin asking to use the phone. After a scuffle, Russell ran off, Lewis said. The guard reported the incident and Russell was caught a few hours later. He had been serving time for forgery and theft.

What the Hell Theater - 6/20

A Montana woman says an energy company has identified the cause of a brief power outage as "a deer with wings." Lee Bridges says she was outside with her dogs around the time of the power outage. A NorthWestern Energy truck pulled up, giving her a chance to ask the driver what caused the problem. She says he pointed up and said, "Apparently, we've got deer with wings." Bridges looked up and saw a dead fawn on a power line. Officials suspect an eagle may have picked up the dear after it had already died, but couldn't keep it from slipping out of its talons.


The head of the Portland Water Bureau said he decided to drain 7.8 million gallons of drinking water from an Oregon reservoir after a man urinated in it. David Shaff, administrator of the bureau, said he decided to have the water drained after security cameras recorded 21-year-old Joshua Seater urinating into the Mount Tabor reservoir, which supplies drinking water to much of Portland. "I had a pleasant buzz and I should have known better," Seater said. "It was a split second thing and as soon as I was done I was like, 'Oh man' and I saw the police officer show up I knew exactly what they're here for." Officials said the cleaning process is likely to take several days, but service to residents should not be affected. Seater could face misdemeanor charges and fines, police said.

What the Hell Theater - 6/17

All incoming freshman at Hood College in Maryland will be getting free Apple iPads. The popular tablet computers will be preprogrammed with an app that has a campus map, school calendar and phone directory. Some of the students say the iPad freebie was a factor in their decision to go to the private, liberal-arts school. School officials say the money to buy the iPads came from the estate of a Hood grad.

What the Hell Theater - 6/15

 People in China are eating with chopsticks made in Americus, Georgia. The Georgia Chopsticks Company is producing a million a day, with most being exported to China. Company president Jae Lee says Georgia has just the right kind of wood, poplar and sweet gum trees that grow like weeds. Lee hopes to up his production to 10 million a day when the plant can get enough workers. The chopsticks factory is an economic boost for the area, which has lost many jobs to foreign competition.

Minnesota's head of license plate censorship said letter combinations banned by the state include abbreviations for profanities and brand names. Tom Evans, supervisor of the state Department of Public Safety's special plate unit, said he and his team go through every possible three-letter combination every year to determine which plates need to be banned. Evans said each year brings the banning of new combinations that have been reported to the department as obscene, such as FYU and WTF. "Any time there is an 'F' in the box, we have to look really close," he said. "I would have never thought about WTF before." Evans said other potentially offensive combinations, such as KKK and LSD, are also banned.

What the Hell Theater - 6/10

Somebody didn't think this design through very well. An Ohio judge is recommending those visiting the new Franklin County Common Pleas Courthouse while wearing skirts take the elevator instead of the glass stairs. Judge Julie Lynch said those wearing skirts, dresses and kilts to the Columbus courthouse, which officially opened Monday, should avoid the glass stairs due to the busy walkway located directly underneath. Jim Goodenow, director of public facilities management, said security guards at the $105 million facility have been instructed to keep a lookout for potential skirt peepers, and officials will consider darkening the glass or taking other measures if it is found to be a problem.

What the Hell Theater - 6/7

An Oakland, California, man who had his laptop stolen launched his own search, using the tracking software he had installed on his MacBook. He began to get back images, including images of a man curled on a couch and one of the same man propped shirtless on his bed. Joshua Kaufman tried contacting the police, but they didn't help. So he began publishing the images on Twitter, and in a blog. Eventually, the media picked up on the story and the police came calling. They arrested a man in the theft and Kaufman got his laptop back last week.

What the Hell Theater - 6/6

A police officer in Independence, Missouri, who thought he was killing an alligator on the loose actually shot a life-size concrete lawn ornament. The police department ended up apologizing to Rick Sheridan, the cement gator's owner. Sheridan heard gunfire as he was working in his garage last weekend. When he went out to see what was going on, he discovered several police officers with their guns drawn. "The officer fired two rounds and killed my concrete, ornamental alligator," Sheridan said. The police department said a man called to report his children had seen an alligator. The police department checked with state conservation officials and were told they should kill the animal if they could find it.

Police in Topeka, Kansas, said a shopper who discovered his car had been damaged by a shopping cart drove his vehicle through the doors of the store. Police said the man had been shopping at Dillons grocery store Monday and exited the store at about 9:30 p.m. to find a wind-blown shopping cart had damaged his car. According to investigators, the man apparently attempted to throw a shopping cart through a store window or glass door but was unsuccessful. He then drove his car through the doors of the store, causing "substantial damage" to the building.