Saturday, May 10, 2014
Woman tried to have home she doesn't own demolished because she didn't like the residents
A 62-year-old Florida woman tried to have a home she doesn't own demolished because she didn't like the people who live there, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office. Ana Moreta Folch is charged with felony property damage after she called a land-clearing company and told them she wanted an unoccupied mobile home she owned torn down, deputies said.
The company started bulldozing the home on Monday, and about an hour in, a neighbour alerted the property owner, Maria Gottfried, who raced over to see her rooms turning to rubble. Gottfried called deputies. Moreta Folch told them she didn't like the people living there, but then said she was doing the county a favour by having the mobile home demolished, deputies said.
Gottfried told Thomas Masters she is the homeowner, and Masters immediately turned off his bulldozer, but not before $25,000 in damage was done. Masters said he found himself in the middle of a family feud and said Moreta Folch tried to get him to finish the job. "I've been doing this for 24 years and it's the first time I've seen a report like that come through our office," said Kevin Kelshaw, of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
"The victim also owns other properties, and one of those pieces of property is where the suspect resides." Masters said the trailer was abandoned years ago and stripped of valuables and belongings, but now the owner doesn't even have four walls to return home to. "She's out the money that the mobile home was worth and a septic tank," Kelshaw said. "It will probably go through the court system, and the suspect would probably have to make restitution if she would be able to."
With news video.
The company started bulldozing the home on Monday, and about an hour in, a neighbour alerted the property owner, Maria Gottfried, who raced over to see her rooms turning to rubble. Gottfried called deputies. Moreta Folch told them she didn't like the people living there, but then said she was doing the county a favour by having the mobile home demolished, deputies said.
Gottfried told Thomas Masters she is the homeowner, and Masters immediately turned off his bulldozer, but not before $25,000 in damage was done. Masters said he found himself in the middle of a family feud and said Moreta Folch tried to get him to finish the job. "I've been doing this for 24 years and it's the first time I've seen a report like that come through our office," said Kevin Kelshaw, of the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office.
"The victim also owns other properties, and one of those pieces of property is where the suspect resides." Masters said the trailer was abandoned years ago and stripped of valuables and belongings, but now the owner doesn't even have four walls to return home to. "She's out the money that the mobile home was worth and a septic tank," Kelshaw said. "It will probably go through the court system, and the suspect would probably have to make restitution if she would be able to."
With news video.
Bird attack left trucker unconscious and minus a tooth
Two bird attacks in Channelview, Texas, have left people wondering what's going on. A trucker named Benny Hines was just walking back to his rig when the first incident happened.
First one bird, then in seconds, three others. "The more I tried to fight them off the worse it got. It was like why were they after me you know," said Hines. Benny was down, bleeding and unconscious.
Benny also lost a tooth. People nearby heard the commotion. They rushed to help the man on the ground and called 911. But no one knew what happened to him, until they checked the video.
YouTube link.
Benny's now out of the hospital and back on the road. "They had to put some stitches on my face," he said. Lonny Sieger was also attacked by a bird at the same location. "I felt something on my neck, and there was a bird coming after my ass," he said.
First one bird, then in seconds, three others. "The more I tried to fight them off the worse it got. It was like why were they after me you know," said Hines. Benny was down, bleeding and unconscious.
Benny also lost a tooth. People nearby heard the commotion. They rushed to help the man on the ground and called 911. But no one knew what happened to him, until they checked the video.
YouTube link.
Benny's now out of the hospital and back on the road. "They had to put some stitches on my face," he said. Lonny Sieger was also attacked by a bird at the same location. "I felt something on my neck, and there was a bird coming after my ass," he said.
Honest cleaner who found $100,000 in toilet can keep $80,000
An honest janitor in Australia who found more than $100,000 in cash in a toilet was this week granted the majority of the money by the Melbourne magistrates court. Chamindu Amarsinghe said he was speechless to hear he will get $81,597 of the cash he found at television station Channel 9’s Docklands headquarters, after no one came forward to claim it. The other $19,500 will go to the state, a magistrate ruled. Mr Amarsinghe was tidying the ground floor toilets back in August 2011 when he found a sanitary bin flush with $50 and $100 notes.
“There was too much to count - I thought someone was playing a prank on me,” he said. “But when I touched the notes - all yellow and green - I realised it was real money.” The stunned worker immediately called his supervisor, and before long police and a plumber pulled more than $100,000 from that Bourke St bathroom - $1200 of it plucked from the pipes. The suspicious stash sent investigators scrambling. But police were never able to establish the origin of the cash, and no one ever came forward to claim it. And so this week, the cleaner-turned-fast food worker, who’s now studying IT in New Zealand, received a phone call to say the haul was his.
“I was speechless,” Mr Amarsinghe said. On Tuesday, in ordering the bulk of the cash should go to Mr Amarsinghe, magistrate Michael Smith said: “There’s no reason why such honesty should go unrewarded.” Detective Senior Constable Daniel Thorne, who investigated the case, agreed. “All the guys in the office felt the same. He’s a struggling student who straight-up didn’t even think of pocketing it,” Sen-Constable Thorne said. The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard that Sydney man Emerald Nguyen was charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime over the mystery cash haul.
But following a doctor’s report, in which Mr Nguyen claimed he had been involuntarily drug affected and had no knowledge of the money coming into or leaving his possession, baffled investigators dropped the charges. Mr Nguyen also signed a notice of abandonment, declaring he had no stake in the mystery haul. His windfall was the second piece of wonderful news for Mr Amarsinghe this week: he also learned that he had been granted permanent residency in Australia. “I just want to spend my life in a normal way, find a job in IT and carry out that dream,” he said. The money, he said, was a blessing. While he didn’t know how he would spend it all, some would go to helping disabled people and some to a Buddhist temple in Berwick. “I’m really, really lucky. I’m not going to waste it,” he said.
“There was too much to count - I thought someone was playing a prank on me,” he said. “But when I touched the notes - all yellow and green - I realised it was real money.” The stunned worker immediately called his supervisor, and before long police and a plumber pulled more than $100,000 from that Bourke St bathroom - $1200 of it plucked from the pipes. The suspicious stash sent investigators scrambling. But police were never able to establish the origin of the cash, and no one ever came forward to claim it. And so this week, the cleaner-turned-fast food worker, who’s now studying IT in New Zealand, received a phone call to say the haul was his.
“I was speechless,” Mr Amarsinghe said. On Tuesday, in ordering the bulk of the cash should go to Mr Amarsinghe, magistrate Michael Smith said: “There’s no reason why such honesty should go unrewarded.” Detective Senior Constable Daniel Thorne, who investigated the case, agreed. “All the guys in the office felt the same. He’s a struggling student who straight-up didn’t even think of pocketing it,” Sen-Constable Thorne said. The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court heard that Sydney man Emerald Nguyen was charged with dealing with the proceeds of crime over the mystery cash haul.
But following a doctor’s report, in which Mr Nguyen claimed he had been involuntarily drug affected and had no knowledge of the money coming into or leaving his possession, baffled investigators dropped the charges. Mr Nguyen also signed a notice of abandonment, declaring he had no stake in the mystery haul. His windfall was the second piece of wonderful news for Mr Amarsinghe this week: he also learned that he had been granted permanent residency in Australia. “I just want to spend my life in a normal way, find a job in IT and carry out that dream,” he said. The money, he said, was a blessing. While he didn’t know how he would spend it all, some would go to helping disabled people and some to a Buddhist temple in Berwick. “I’m really, really lucky. I’m not going to waste it,” he said.
Turkish dating show contestant asked to leave after revealing he'd killed his wife and lover
A man who appeared on a Turkish television dating show in search of a new partner shocked the host and audience by revealing he had murdered his first wife and a subsequent lover.
Sefer Çalınak, 62, casually told the host of Flash TV’s “Ne Çıkarsa Bahtına” (The Luck of the Draw) that he had served prison sentences for each of the murders and had been released under an amnesty programme, stressing that he was now an “honest person looking for a new wife.”
His first spouse was his cousin, Fadime, with whom he eloped when they were both aged 17, after the girl’s family tried to force her to marry a widower. The two lived together with Çalınak’s family for five months, but then things started to change, he said. “Her behaviour changed. The nephew of the man who wanted to marry her started to come to our village. I was jealous and I killed her, in a way,” Çalınak said.
YouTube link.
“I served my sentence. I was released after 4 years and 6 months with an amnesty, despite being given a 13 year, 9 month jail term in the first place,” he added. After being released from prison, Çalınak married another woman, with whom he had two children, but they eventually separated. He then had an affair with a woman who was already married and who had promised to divorce her husband for him, but Çalınak said she went back on her word. “I killed her after she attempted to kill me. She was accidently killed when I swung the axe,” he said.
After the second murder, Çalınak was sent to prison again, but later he was released in another amnesty. The host of the TV program asked Çalınak to leave after hearing the story, but he kept saying he was a victim of “destiny.” The head of the Media Monitoring Group (MEDİZ), Hülya Uğur Tanrıöver, said a compliant should be filed against the programme, which she said should have checked the criminal records of the participant. Gözde Kurt, the show’s producer, said that before the programme Çalınak had said he murdered one person, and they allowed him to attend as he had served his legal sentence.
His first spouse was his cousin, Fadime, with whom he eloped when they were both aged 17, after the girl’s family tried to force her to marry a widower. The two lived together with Çalınak’s family for five months, but then things started to change, he said. “Her behaviour changed. The nephew of the man who wanted to marry her started to come to our village. I was jealous and I killed her, in a way,” Çalınak said.
YouTube link.
“I served my sentence. I was released after 4 years and 6 months with an amnesty, despite being given a 13 year, 9 month jail term in the first place,” he added. After being released from prison, Çalınak married another woman, with whom he had two children, but they eventually separated. He then had an affair with a woman who was already married and who had promised to divorce her husband for him, but Çalınak said she went back on her word. “I killed her after she attempted to kill me. She was accidently killed when I swung the axe,” he said.
After the second murder, Çalınak was sent to prison again, but later he was released in another amnesty. The host of the TV program asked Çalınak to leave after hearing the story, but he kept saying he was a victim of “destiny.” The head of the Media Monitoring Group (MEDİZ), Hülya Uğur Tanrıöver, said a compliant should be filed against the programme, which she said should have checked the criminal records of the participant. Gözde Kurt, the show’s producer, said that before the programme Çalınak had said he murdered one person, and they allowed him to attend as he had served his legal sentence.
Swiss sniffer dog travels around in specially designed electric bicycle
Whisk, a Labrador retriever in the canine squad of the city of Lausanne’s police department, is making history.
The two-year-old dog, being trained to sniff out illegal drugs, is now being transported during patrols around town in a specially designed electric bicycle.
The city force says the method of transport is a first in Switzerland when it comes to police dogs.
The bicycle, of Dutch origin, is similar to delivery bicycles with a box, ventilated and enclosed, between the handlebars and the front wheel. Whisk sits in the box while an officer pedals the electrically assisted bike on patrols covering areas that include metro stations, the city’s main train station and the waterfront of Lake Geneva.
The bicycle allows Whisk and his handler “to travel in an environmental way, independent and flexible” on Lausanne’s downtown streets without getting caught in traffic jams, the police department said. The electrical assistance is handy given the steep hills in Lausanne, which sprawls across terrain rising several hundred metres above the lake. The specially designed bicycle is particularly useful for patrolling parks where regular vehicle access is difficult.
“I had this idea while watching deliverymen pass by,” the officer who handles Whisk said. “My colleagues from the cycling brigade told me that we were not going fast enough for (drug) checks because we were getting around in a service vehicle, so I said why not try with a bicycle?” Whisk, who is currently still in training, has adapted well to the bicycle, and the dog should be ready for regular patrols in the summer, the officer said. The bicycle is not intended as an emergency response vehicle and is used exclusively for patrols, First Lieutenant Samuel Corset, responsible for Lausanne’s special police units, said.
There's a short video here.
The bicycle, of Dutch origin, is similar to delivery bicycles with a box, ventilated and enclosed, between the handlebars and the front wheel. Whisk sits in the box while an officer pedals the electrically assisted bike on patrols covering areas that include metro stations, the city’s main train station and the waterfront of Lake Geneva.
The bicycle allows Whisk and his handler “to travel in an environmental way, independent and flexible” on Lausanne’s downtown streets without getting caught in traffic jams, the police department said. The electrical assistance is handy given the steep hills in Lausanne, which sprawls across terrain rising several hundred metres above the lake. The specially designed bicycle is particularly useful for patrolling parks where regular vehicle access is difficult.
“I had this idea while watching deliverymen pass by,” the officer who handles Whisk said. “My colleagues from the cycling brigade told me that we were not going fast enough for (drug) checks because we were getting around in a service vehicle, so I said why not try with a bicycle?” Whisk, who is currently still in training, has adapted well to the bicycle, and the dog should be ready for regular patrols in the summer, the officer said. The bicycle is not intended as an emergency response vehicle and is used exclusively for patrols, First Lieutenant Samuel Corset, responsible for Lausanne’s special police units, said.
There's a short video here.
Five-year-old boy banned from playgroup for wearing dresses
A mother has spoken of her disbelief after a playgroup attended by her five-year-old son has banned him from attending the group while wearing the clothes he loves.
Romeo Clarke, from Rugby, Warwickshire, has a fascination with dresses and the colour pink. The youngster has a collection of over 100, as well as eight pairs of children's high heel shoes that he likes to wear every day, along with a pink accessory.
YouTube link.
However, it appears that Romeo's love for dresses isn't appreciated by all, as his mother Georgina claims that staff at his playgroup have said he must leave the group as his choice of attire upsets the other children and confuses them because they don't know whether to call Romeo a boy or a girl.
Georgina defended her son, saying "he's just a boy who loves dresses. I'm used to it now, its just him," she added.
Romeo Clarke, from Rugby, Warwickshire, has a fascination with dresses and the colour pink. The youngster has a collection of over 100, as well as eight pairs of children's high heel shoes that he likes to wear every day, along with a pink accessory.
YouTube link.
However, it appears that Romeo's love for dresses isn't appreciated by all, as his mother Georgina claims that staff at his playgroup have said he must leave the group as his choice of attire upsets the other children and confuses them because they don't know whether to call Romeo a boy or a girl.
Georgina defended her son, saying "he's just a boy who loves dresses. I'm used to it now, its just him," she added.
Dogs help university interview potential students
A Scottish university is bringing in
dogs to help interview potential students to see if they are suitable for a
veterinary course. Students applying for Edinburgh Napier University's vet nursing course must
go through an interview while dogs compete for their attention.
The purpose of the scheme is to see how students deal with an animal before being offered a place on the course. Staff say the scheme is helping to make sure that the right people are picked. Dr Mary Fraser is a vet nursing lecturer and owner of Belle, one of the dogs which has been introduced as part of the interview process.
She said: "We get more than 400 applicants for our vet nursing course, which is the only degree of its kind offered in Scotland, and only have 30 places, so it's really important we select those students who are right for the job. Having Belle in the interview room not only helps calm the prospective students but lets us see what they're like with animals."
Belle, along with Labrador Ellie and terrier Holly, are brought in and left to roam the room while applicants are quizzed by the human lecturers about their qualifications and work experience. Dr Fraser added: "All of our students go on to have work placements before eventually taking jobs in veterinary practices so if, at this stage, they don't cope well with a very friendly puppy then they are unlikely to get on well with a snarling 60kg dog. It is about rooting out these issues before they even get a foot in the door."
The purpose of the scheme is to see how students deal with an animal before being offered a place on the course. Staff say the scheme is helping to make sure that the right people are picked. Dr Mary Fraser is a vet nursing lecturer and owner of Belle, one of the dogs which has been introduced as part of the interview process.
She said: "We get more than 400 applicants for our vet nursing course, which is the only degree of its kind offered in Scotland, and only have 30 places, so it's really important we select those students who are right for the job. Having Belle in the interview room not only helps calm the prospective students but lets us see what they're like with animals."
Belle, along with Labrador Ellie and terrier Holly, are brought in and left to roam the room while applicants are quizzed by the human lecturers about their qualifications and work experience. Dr Fraser added: "All of our students go on to have work placements before eventually taking jobs in veterinary practices so if, at this stage, they don't cope well with a very friendly puppy then they are unlikely to get on well with a snarling 60kg dog. It is about rooting out these issues before they even get a foot in the door."
Swan has adopted ugly gosling
An ugly gosling tale is unfolding at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire.
A mute swan is rearing a goose to the amazement of staff at the centre.
At first glance the youngster looks similar to a cygnet.
But its telltale yellow-brown down already betrays the fact it is a greylag gosling and as it grows over the coming weeks it will look an even stranger sight as its swims along next to its long-necked ‘parents’.
James Lees, Reserve Warden, said: “It can be one of two options: either the swan took over the nest of a goose and started to incubate the egg, or a greylag goose laid an egg in the swan’s nest. I saw it on the nest incubating eggs over the last few weeks but this was the only youngster to emerge. What is clear, is that the goose has imprinted on the swan and clearly thinks it is mum and vice versa.” WWT Slimbridge is home to as many as 35,000 wild ducks, geese and swans at any one time, but this is the first time that staff have ever seen a swan rearing a goose, although geese have been known to very occasionally rear ducklings.
In the first few weeks goslings and cygnets rely on their parents for warmth and protection, but they are good at foraging for food and swimming from day one. This gosling is sticking close to the swan, which in turn is chasing away any birds which come close to it. Her male swan partner is also helping to protect the gosling. Despite being a gosling it is behaving like a cygnet and even tried unsuccessfully to climb onto her back when it started to rain heavily. Rearing of young is fairly similar between the two wetland species so experts at the Centre think the goose will be well cared for.
YouTube link.
The key difference is goslings tend to stay with parents for up to a year whereas adult swans chase off their young in the winter, so it may be forced to gain independence sooner than most young geese. James added: “Visitors are finding it very intriguing but most are assuming it is a cygnet until we encourage them to take a closer look. The swan has invested so much time already in hatching the gosling that we think she will continue to care for it over the weeks to come so we are looking forward to seeing this real life fairytale unfold!”
James Lees, Reserve Warden, said: “It can be one of two options: either the swan took over the nest of a goose and started to incubate the egg, or a greylag goose laid an egg in the swan’s nest. I saw it on the nest incubating eggs over the last few weeks but this was the only youngster to emerge. What is clear, is that the goose has imprinted on the swan and clearly thinks it is mum and vice versa.” WWT Slimbridge is home to as many as 35,000 wild ducks, geese and swans at any one time, but this is the first time that staff have ever seen a swan rearing a goose, although geese have been known to very occasionally rear ducklings.
In the first few weeks goslings and cygnets rely on their parents for warmth and protection, but they are good at foraging for food and swimming from day one. This gosling is sticking close to the swan, which in turn is chasing away any birds which come close to it. Her male swan partner is also helping to protect the gosling. Despite being a gosling it is behaving like a cygnet and even tried unsuccessfully to climb onto her back when it started to rain heavily. Rearing of young is fairly similar between the two wetland species so experts at the Centre think the goose will be well cared for.
YouTube link.
The key difference is goslings tend to stay with parents for up to a year whereas adult swans chase off their young in the winter, so it may be forced to gain independence sooner than most young geese. James added: “Visitors are finding it very intriguing but most are assuming it is a cygnet until we encourage them to take a closer look. The swan has invested so much time already in hatching the gosling that we think she will continue to care for it over the weeks to come so we are looking forward to seeing this real life fairytale unfold!”
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