Friday, June 27, 2014
Driver who crashed through community centre wall found sitting on chair nearby reading a book
Part of the Warren County Community Centre in Front Royal, Virginia remains closed after a car crashed through a wall in the building on Saturday morning.
The county closed off the large meeting room, referred to as the assembly hall, and an adjacent space in the community centre. The other three meeting spaces in the former Samuels Public Library building are still available. County Administrator Douglas Stanley said he expects a contractor to begin repairs this week and complete the work in about 30 to 45 days.
County employees met with a contractor at the facility who estimated the damage at $75,000. A cost estimate for damage to fences on the nearby Randolph-Macon Academy property was not available. The county completed renovations to the former library in 2011 and approximately $700,000 in grants covered most of the cost. The community centre serves as a popular meeting venue for residents and local civic groups. Front Royal police responded to the centre at approximately 1am for a report of an alarm sounding from the building.
Officers arrived and found a large hole in the rear of the building, Chief Norman Shiflett said. The officers found a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze inside the building and the driver nearby. Officers identified the driver as Mario Yaxcal-Pec, according to the incident report. Shiflett said police charged him with reckless driving and driving on a suspended licence. The driver is scheduled to appear in the General District Court July 8. The incident report filed for the crash notes that it appeared the car travelled south and went through a fence on Randolph-Macon Academy property.
The car continued to travel on the school's field, through another fence and then into the community centre parking lot. The vehicle broke through a rear wall of the building and then came to a stop inside the centre. The Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services also responded to the scene to assess any injuries to the driver. Officers found the driver sitting on a chair inside the community centre and reading a book. The report indicates the driver told officers "he was brought here to fight the war of the worlds and advised that God drove him to the location." The driver passed several field sobriety tests conducted by the officers. Responders took the driver to Warren Memorial Hospital for an assessment following comments he made to officers at the scene.
County employees met with a contractor at the facility who estimated the damage at $75,000. A cost estimate for damage to fences on the nearby Randolph-Macon Academy property was not available. The county completed renovations to the former library in 2011 and approximately $700,000 in grants covered most of the cost. The community centre serves as a popular meeting venue for residents and local civic groups. Front Royal police responded to the centre at approximately 1am for a report of an alarm sounding from the building.
Officers arrived and found a large hole in the rear of the building, Chief Norman Shiflett said. The officers found a 2011 Chevrolet Cruze inside the building and the driver nearby. Officers identified the driver as Mario Yaxcal-Pec, according to the incident report. Shiflett said police charged him with reckless driving and driving on a suspended licence. The driver is scheduled to appear in the General District Court July 8. The incident report filed for the crash notes that it appeared the car travelled south and went through a fence on Randolph-Macon Academy property.
The car continued to travel on the school's field, through another fence and then into the community centre parking lot. The vehicle broke through a rear wall of the building and then came to a stop inside the centre. The Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services also responded to the scene to assess any injuries to the driver. Officers found the driver sitting on a chair inside the community centre and reading a book. The report indicates the driver told officers "he was brought here to fight the war of the worlds and advised that God drove him to the location." The driver passed several field sobriety tests conducted by the officers. Responders took the driver to Warren Memorial Hospital for an assessment following comments he made to officers at the scene.
Screaming man with dead raccoon seen getting on bus after surrounding it with marshmallows
A dead raccoon was taken into police custody in Washington last week after officers found a man dragging the animal along the Mukilteo Speedway.
Someone called 911 on Thursday to report the man screaming, according to the Mukilteo police blotter.
Officers found the man walking, dragging the dead raccoon on a leash. When they approached the man, he placed marshmallows around the animal and declared it a “haz mat” or hazardous materials zone.
The raccoon was taken to a local shelter for disposal. The man was last seen getting on the bus.
Someone called 911 on Thursday to report the man screaming, according to the Mukilteo police blotter.
Officers found the man walking, dragging the dead raccoon on a leash. When they approached the man, he placed marshmallows around the animal and declared it a “haz mat” or hazardous materials zone.
The raccoon was taken to a local shelter for disposal. The man was last seen getting on the bus.
Bear crashed through skylight into boy's birthday party before licking the cupcakes
A black bear crashed a boy's birthday party in Alaska after it fell through the roof of a family home just prior to the celebrations on Saturday.
The bear had shimmied onto the roof of Alicia Bishop and Glenn Merrill's home in the state capital Juneau and was walking across a skylight when the bottom fell out.
"I heard this cracking," said Mr Merrill, who was preparing for his son's first birthday party. "And the next thing you know, there's this bear that, I mean, literally, fell right from (the skylight)."
He said he and the bear were about 3ft apart and just stared at each other in disbelief. Mr Merrill had his parents take his son, Jackson, upstairs, and he went into another room and shut the door. The dazed bear quickly recovered from its fall. It then calmly wandered over to the living room table, replete with a spread of birthday treats, and helped itself to some lemon blueberry and peanut butter cupcakes. “The bear walks over and puts its paws up on the table and starts licking his birthday cupcakes, and I’m just like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” said Ms Bishop, who was watching the spectacle from the kitchen behind closed glass doors.
The bear enjoyed the red and green cupcake frosting while Ms Bishop opened a door on the other side of the room that led to the backyard. The couple then yelled and “shooed” at the bear until it casually ambled out the door. “I think he was used to humans,” Merrill said, adding the bear did not act aggressively. “He was awfully calm,” Ms Bishop added. The bear was only inside the house for about three to four minutes, but the incident didn’t end there, the couple says. It came around the back of the house and peered inside from the wooden porch in the backyard.
“It was up by the window like, ‘I want more cupcakes,’” Ms Bishop said. “He wanted back in, that’s for sure,” Merrill said. With guests expected to arrive any minute, Ms Bishop called 911 at that point. Merrill, meanwhile, ran next door to borrow bear spray from the neighbours. It was only after Merrill sprayed the mace in its vicinity that the bear meandered into the woods. About 30 minutes later, Juneau police responded to a report of a bear inside a nearby home. Officers arrived and shot it when it appeared in the doorway. The bear ran behind the house, where it was later found dead. Wildlife officials suspect it is the same bear, described in both incidents as a young male, weighing about 13 stone.
He said he and the bear were about 3ft apart and just stared at each other in disbelief. Mr Merrill had his parents take his son, Jackson, upstairs, and he went into another room and shut the door. The dazed bear quickly recovered from its fall. It then calmly wandered over to the living room table, replete with a spread of birthday treats, and helped itself to some lemon blueberry and peanut butter cupcakes. “The bear walks over and puts its paws up on the table and starts licking his birthday cupcakes, and I’m just like, you’ve got to be kidding me,” said Ms Bishop, who was watching the spectacle from the kitchen behind closed glass doors.
The bear enjoyed the red and green cupcake frosting while Ms Bishop opened a door on the other side of the room that led to the backyard. The couple then yelled and “shooed” at the bear until it casually ambled out the door. “I think he was used to humans,” Merrill said, adding the bear did not act aggressively. “He was awfully calm,” Ms Bishop added. The bear was only inside the house for about three to four minutes, but the incident didn’t end there, the couple says. It came around the back of the house and peered inside from the wooden porch in the backyard.
“It was up by the window like, ‘I want more cupcakes,’” Ms Bishop said. “He wanted back in, that’s for sure,” Merrill said. With guests expected to arrive any minute, Ms Bishop called 911 at that point. Merrill, meanwhile, ran next door to borrow bear spray from the neighbours. It was only after Merrill sprayed the mace in its vicinity that the bear meandered into the woods. About 30 minutes later, Juneau police responded to a report of a bear inside a nearby home. Officers arrived and shot it when it appeared in the doorway. The bear ran behind the house, where it was later found dead. Wildlife officials suspect it is the same bear, described in both incidents as a young male, weighing about 13 stone.
Yogi the bear caught on camera raiding fridge
Baffled by a series of late-night raids on their outdoor fridge, caretakers at West Kelowna's Powers Creek Retreat in British Columbia, Canada, decided to set up a camera to catch the culprit.
Raw video.
YouTube link.
A it turns out, a crafty bear is to blame. "We know him quite well," Sandy Lewis says of Yogi, a young black bear who frequents the retreat. "We can't be 100 percent sure if it's the same one, but odds are it's him."
Yogi slowly opened the freezer door on top of the fridge before scanning its contents inside. Casting bags of frozen vegetables aside, he finally settled for what looks like a pie. "You could tell he had been in there before and the first time he opened the lid probably whacked him on the head," Mr Lewis said.
News video.
YouTube link.
"This time, he pushes it open and looks to make sure it doesn't hit him." Yogi has been around for a few years and is a part of the resort's family, although he mostly keeps to himself, according to Mr Lewis. He has never caused any damage to property and is often seen rolling in the grass with the horses.
Raw video.
YouTube link.
A it turns out, a crafty bear is to blame. "We know him quite well," Sandy Lewis says of Yogi, a young black bear who frequents the retreat. "We can't be 100 percent sure if it's the same one, but odds are it's him."
Yogi slowly opened the freezer door on top of the fridge before scanning its contents inside. Casting bags of frozen vegetables aside, he finally settled for what looks like a pie. "You could tell he had been in there before and the first time he opened the lid probably whacked him on the head," Mr Lewis said.
News video.
YouTube link.
"This time, he pushes it open and looks to make sure it doesn't hit him." Yogi has been around for a few years and is a part of the resort's family, although he mostly keeps to himself, according to Mr Lewis. He has never caused any damage to property and is often seen rolling in the grass with the horses.
Children shocked after witnessing crocodile swallow teddy bear
A group of children were left in shock after a teddy bear was swallowed up by a crocodile in Adelaide River in Australia, Northern Territory on Tuesday.
They were on the Jumping Crocodile Cruise when a group of charity workers wanted a photo of their beloved teddy bear with a crocodile jumping out of the water to send back to the palliative-care children they look after in the United Kingdom.
Adelaide River crocodile feeder and skipper Susan Tribelhorn obliged, attaching the teddy bear to a pole that she uses to feed the crocs with a piece of meat on the end. In a cruel twist of fate, the teddy bear slipped off the pole and fell to its misery inside the jaws of Sarge, the croc.
A shape on the end of teddy’s foot was the last image children saw of the bear. Another tour group went out a few hours later, only to find Teddy had been regurgitated and was now in the jaws of Rusty. “It was funny,” Ms Tribelhorn said. “Everyone was in shock – especially the kids.”
They were on the Jumping Crocodile Cruise when a group of charity workers wanted a photo of their beloved teddy bear with a crocodile jumping out of the water to send back to the palliative-care children they look after in the United Kingdom.
Adelaide River crocodile feeder and skipper Susan Tribelhorn obliged, attaching the teddy bear to a pole that she uses to feed the crocs with a piece of meat on the end. In a cruel twist of fate, the teddy bear slipped off the pole and fell to its misery inside the jaws of Sarge, the croc.
A shape on the end of teddy’s foot was the last image children saw of the bear. Another tour group went out a few hours later, only to find Teddy had been regurgitated and was now in the jaws of Rusty. “It was funny,” Ms Tribelhorn said. “Everyone was in shock – especially the kids.”
Berlin Airport's fire safety system designed by fake engineer
The man responsible for designing the fire safety system at Berlin’s new airport - the main reason for the continuing delays to the calamitous €5 billion project - has admitted he is not a qualified engineer.
The failure of the smoke extraction system at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) led to the cancellation of its opening in 2012 and it still has not been fixed, meaning no opening date can be set on the desperately needed terminal.
Now it has emerged that one of the designers of the system, Alfredo di Mauro, who was fired in May this year, is not an engineer, despite claiming this on his business cards. He is only qualified as an engineering draftsman. Di Mauro admitted on Tuesday that he had not told anyone at the airport about his lack of engineering qualifications. “No one asked about my university qualifications; that wasn’t necessary for the work we carried out,” he said.
The ex-employee said his business cards had accidentally stated he was a qualified engineer. He worked for an engineering firm which meant the initials “Dipl.-Ing” appeared on his cards. “An error has occurred,” he said. Complaints were made against di Mauro in 2002 while building an underground garage for a medical centre. Di Mauro allegedly presented himself as an architect at the time, an accusation he has denied.
The failure of the smoke extraction system at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) led to the cancellation of its opening in 2012 and it still has not been fixed, meaning no opening date can be set on the desperately needed terminal.
Now it has emerged that one of the designers of the system, Alfredo di Mauro, who was fired in May this year, is not an engineer, despite claiming this on his business cards. He is only qualified as an engineering draftsman. Di Mauro admitted on Tuesday that he had not told anyone at the airport about his lack of engineering qualifications. “No one asked about my university qualifications; that wasn’t necessary for the work we carried out,” he said.
The ex-employee said his business cards had accidentally stated he was a qualified engineer. He worked for an engineering firm which meant the initials “Dipl.-Ing” appeared on his cards. “An error has occurred,” he said. Complaints were made against di Mauro in 2002 while building an underground garage for a medical centre. Di Mauro allegedly presented himself as an architect at the time, an accusation he has denied.
Sussex police request that people spotting leopards only call 999 if they fear being attacked
A dog walker dialled 999 to report seeing a leopard at a beauty spot in east Sussex.
Dianne Lonnon was walking her terrier-collie cross called James in Cantercrow Hill, Denton, near Newhaven, when they came across the “spotty brown coloured big cat” just in front of her.
Mrs Lonnon, 66, said: “I was just yards away. It was in front of us and looking away so I don’t think it saw us and I was just praying it didn’t turn round.
“I was just hoping the dog didn’t bark. It was walking in front of us and just walked away. We were heading towards it so I turned around and hoped it didn’t smell my fear. I didn’t even look behind me I was so scared. Then I ran home with the dog and phoned 999. They told me I had to call the non-emergency number and were asking me lots of questions like what shape its ears were and whether it was bigger than a Labrador.
“Its tail was right up and I can’t remember what its ears looked like because I was so scared and keen to get out of there. I’ve been on safari twice and it looked just like a leopard. I saw it long enough to know it was definitely a cat. It was right in Denton village. I have seen lots of people riding bikes and up there with kids and I’m terrified. I just wanted to tell everyone it could be out there.”
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police: “A sighting of a large brown wild cat with lines on its tail was reported to police on Sunday at 9.44am by a dog walker who had spotted it in a field north of St Leonards Road, Newhaven. The sighting has been noted by the wildlife officer for the area.” She added that if anyone spots a suspected leopard or other big cat they should call the 101 police non-emergency number. But if you are being attacked or in fear of attack call 999.
“I was just hoping the dog didn’t bark. It was walking in front of us and just walked away. We were heading towards it so I turned around and hoped it didn’t smell my fear. I didn’t even look behind me I was so scared. Then I ran home with the dog and phoned 999. They told me I had to call the non-emergency number and were asking me lots of questions like what shape its ears were and whether it was bigger than a Labrador.
“Its tail was right up and I can’t remember what its ears looked like because I was so scared and keen to get out of there. I’ve been on safari twice and it looked just like a leopard. I saw it long enough to know it was definitely a cat. It was right in Denton village. I have seen lots of people riding bikes and up there with kids and I’m terrified. I just wanted to tell everyone it could be out there.”
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police: “A sighting of a large brown wild cat with lines on its tail was reported to police on Sunday at 9.44am by a dog walker who had spotted it in a field north of St Leonards Road, Newhaven. The sighting has been noted by the wildlife officer for the area.” She added that if anyone spots a suspected leopard or other big cat they should call the 101 police non-emergency number. But if you are being attacked or in fear of attack call 999.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)