Friday, December 05, 2014
Couple made 911 call about fake shooting to keep police officers busy while they shoplifted
Captain Sheila Lingle of Salisbury Police in North Carolina admits it is one of the strangest shoplifting cases she's seen recently. A couple reportedly called 911 about a fake shooting as a distraction to keep officers busy while they shoplifted from Walmart.
According to the report, a woman called 911 just after 7:00am on Tuesday to report that someone had been shot at a business. The caller said that "a woman was down."
The call sparked a large response from police and emergency workers, but nothing was found and witnesses in the area said they had not seen anything unusual or heard any gunshots. At the same time, about two miles away in the Walmart, police say 33-year-old Mark Shrader, Jr and 32-year-old Erin Maureen Shrader, from China Grove, were filling up a shopping cart with items. Just moments earlier, Erin Shrader reportedly borrowed a cell phone from a Walmart employee. The employee overheard her calling 911 to report the shooting. According to police, the employee thought the incident was odd, and when she got the phone back, took it to her manager.
When they looked at the call history, it showed that the last number called was only three digits: 911. Walmart called police and then started watching the Shraders. According to the report, they had filled up a shopping cart, but realised they were being watched, so they left the cart and walked out of the store. Police say they couple then went to their car, which was parked beside the store. That's when the Shraders took items from beneath their shirts and placed them in the car, then walked back into the store and started to fill a second shopping cart.
An undercover police officer then confronted the couple in the store. When additional officers arrived, Mark Shrader was searched and police reportedly found a crack pipe in his pocket and a second crack pipe in his boot. Mark Shrader, Jr was charged with drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Erin Maureen Shrader was charged with concealment of merchandise and misuse of the 911 system. Two sets of sheets, valued at $37.29, were found in the car. Police also noted that the licence plate of the car had been covered over with paper.
The call sparked a large response from police and emergency workers, but nothing was found and witnesses in the area said they had not seen anything unusual or heard any gunshots. At the same time, about two miles away in the Walmart, police say 33-year-old Mark Shrader, Jr and 32-year-old Erin Maureen Shrader, from China Grove, were filling up a shopping cart with items. Just moments earlier, Erin Shrader reportedly borrowed a cell phone from a Walmart employee. The employee overheard her calling 911 to report the shooting. According to police, the employee thought the incident was odd, and when she got the phone back, took it to her manager.
When they looked at the call history, it showed that the last number called was only three digits: 911. Walmart called police and then started watching the Shraders. According to the report, they had filled up a shopping cart, but realised they were being watched, so they left the cart and walked out of the store. Police say they couple then went to their car, which was parked beside the store. That's when the Shraders took items from beneath their shirts and placed them in the car, then walked back into the store and started to fill a second shopping cart.
An undercover police officer then confronted the couple in the store. When additional officers arrived, Mark Shrader was searched and police reportedly found a crack pipe in his pocket and a second crack pipe in his boot. Mark Shrader, Jr was charged with drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia. Erin Maureen Shrader was charged with concealment of merchandise and misuse of the 911 system. Two sets of sheets, valued at $37.29, were found in the car. Police also noted that the licence plate of the car had been covered over with paper.
Missing tree-climbing sculpture found in different tree
A tree-climbing sculpture that vanished from a park in Dublin, Ohio, reappeared in the same park but in a different tree.
The fibreglass climbing man, one of four displayed in trees in Coffman Park since 2008, was found “sitting” on a lower branch of a small tree near the skate park.
The $9,000 sculpture, which city officials speculated might have been blown from its original perch by high winds, sustained only minor damage, which will be repaired before it is reinstalled.
The four climbers, together titled Exuvia, were created by Todd C. Smith, a tree-climbing enthusiast from LaGrange, Kentucky.
The fibreglass climbing man, one of four displayed in trees in Coffman Park since 2008, was found “sitting” on a lower branch of a small tree near the skate park.
The $9,000 sculpture, which city officials speculated might have been blown from its original perch by high winds, sustained only minor damage, which will be repaired before it is reinstalled.
The four climbers, together titled Exuvia, were created by Todd C. Smith, a tree-climbing enthusiast from LaGrange, Kentucky.
Man appeals for return of stolen 40-foot-long bridge of great sentimental value
A man is upset about the theft of his family's 5,000-pound, 40-foot-long footbridge from his property in suburban Detroit, Michigan.
Robert Cortis owns the bridge.
He says he stopped by his property in Farmington Hills with plans to move it this week. "It was gone,” said Cortis. He says it is more than a structure to him.
His dad made the bridge decades ago. “My heart dropped. I felt lost,” said Cortis. “It has sentimental value.” Cortis says he planned to set up the bridge at his catering business for wedding pictures.
YouTube link.
He says he is hoping someone returns it. If they don’t, he is counting on help from the public and Farmington Hills Police to get it back. “If we can get it returned, the police investigation is over,” said Cortis. "If not, it continues on.”
Update: Many thanks to Miss Cellania for pointing out that the bridge has been recovered undamaged.
He says he stopped by his property in Farmington Hills with plans to move it this week. "It was gone,” said Cortis. He says it is more than a structure to him.
His dad made the bridge decades ago. “My heart dropped. I felt lost,” said Cortis. “It has sentimental value.” Cortis says he planned to set up the bridge at his catering business for wedding pictures.
YouTube link.
He says he is hoping someone returns it. If they don’t, he is counting on help from the public and Farmington Hills Police to get it back. “If we can get it returned, the police investigation is over,” said Cortis. "If not, it continues on.”
Update: Many thanks to Miss Cellania for pointing out that the bridge has been recovered undamaged.
Indian state halts 'bicycle pump sterilisation surgery'
An Indian state has halted mass sterilisations at health camps after a doctor was found using a bicycle pump to inflate women's abdomens.
Dr Mahesh Chandra Rout, who used a pump on 56 women last Friday, said the pumps were regularly used in Odisha, which was formerly known as Orissa.
State officials said carbon dioxide should be used for the procedure, and using pumps could be dangerous. Reports that Dr Rout had used a bicycle pump to inflate the abdomen of women patients have sparked outrage since news emerged at the weekend.
During sterilisation surgery, the patient's abdomen needs to be inflated to create a space in which the surgeon can manoeuvre the instruments. State officials said the use of atmospheric air, rather than controlled procedures using carbon dioxide, might lead to a range of health problems.
Odisha's senior health official Arati Ahuja said sterilisation surgeries in the state would now be held in fully equipped hospitals with all facilities. "Doctors will be required to adhere to internationally accepted safety norms to prevent any possible infection," Ms Ahuja said.
State officials said carbon dioxide should be used for the procedure, and using pumps could be dangerous. Reports that Dr Rout had used a bicycle pump to inflate the abdomen of women patients have sparked outrage since news emerged at the weekend.
During sterilisation surgery, the patient's abdomen needs to be inflated to create a space in which the surgeon can manoeuvre the instruments. State officials said the use of atmospheric air, rather than controlled procedures using carbon dioxide, might lead to a range of health problems.
Odisha's senior health official Arati Ahuja said sterilisation surgeries in the state would now be held in fully equipped hospitals with all facilities. "Doctors will be required to adhere to internationally accepted safety norms to prevent any possible infection," Ms Ahuja said.
Bank robber's getaway thwarted by heavy stash bag
An armed bank robber has been arrested in China while trying to make his getaway - because the cash bag he stole was too heavy.
The 29-year old man struggled to load the bag onto his motorcycle in Huludao City in the northeast Liaoning Province. The bag contained around 1.77 million Yuan, (£185,000, $290,000), and weighed more than 13 stone (182 lbs).
The robber had used a replica gun to threaten a member of bank staff who was carrying the money from an armoured van into the bank building. He was shot in the leg during his failed escape and is being treated in hospital.
YouTube link.
Police say the man owns a shoe-repair shop and committed the crime in order to get enough money to be able pay his mortgage. The robber said: "I hate myself for doing that. How could I do such a thing? I will treat my parents and my wife kindly if one day I'm let out of prison.”
The 29-year old man struggled to load the bag onto his motorcycle in Huludao City in the northeast Liaoning Province. The bag contained around 1.77 million Yuan, (£185,000, $290,000), and weighed more than 13 stone (182 lbs).
The robber had used a replica gun to threaten a member of bank staff who was carrying the money from an armoured van into the bank building. He was shot in the leg during his failed escape and is being treated in hospital.
YouTube link.
Police say the man owns a shoe-repair shop and committed the crime in order to get enough money to be able pay his mortgage. The robber said: "I hate myself for doing that. How could I do such a thing? I will treat my parents and my wife kindly if one day I'm let out of prison.”
Suspicious package left in bank turned out to be a rabbit
Police officers in Bad Säckingen, Germany, were unprepared for what they found when a bank employee called to report a suspicious package on Tuesday.
The cloth bag was left in the bank in the Baden-Württemberg town, but passed unnoticed until clerks became alarmed when it began to move. Rather than risk a mauling from whatever might be inside they decided to call the authorities.
Police cautiously opened the bag to find that the mysterious creature was in fact a rabbit. As they were unable to find either the animal's owner or place for it in a shelter, it has temporarily been taken on by a vet's office.
The rightful owner of the abandoned rabbit is welcome to come forward, but police said they would check claims carefully to discourage people looking for a free Christmas roast dinner.
The cloth bag was left in the bank in the Baden-Württemberg town, but passed unnoticed until clerks became alarmed when it began to move. Rather than risk a mauling from whatever might be inside they decided to call the authorities.
Police cautiously opened the bag to find that the mysterious creature was in fact a rabbit. As they were unable to find either the animal's owner or place for it in a shelter, it has temporarily been taken on by a vet's office.
The rightful owner of the abandoned rabbit is welcome to come forward, but police said they would check claims carefully to discourage people looking for a free Christmas roast dinner.
Villagers seek duck thief
A duck thief is being sought after all seven Aylesbury-type ducks on a Cambridgeshire village pond were taken.
Posters were put up by Earith parish councillor Hazel Lambert after the ducks began disappearing at the rate of one per night.
Ms Lambert said she did not believe a fox was the culprit as there was no evidence, such as feathers. She said if they had been "taken for the pot", the meat would be "very tough as they are plump but quite elderly". The ducks, bought by the parish council, had been living on the pond for many years.
Ms Lambert looks after them, as well as the many wild ducks that visit, "as a labour of love". "I put the posters up to make the community aware this is something that's actually happening and possibly shame the thief," she said. "No fox I know takes one duck per night, and the last one to go was an elderly female duck with a hobble.
"She would certainly have been picked off first by a predator. It's very, very sad and our decision now is going to be, do we replace those ducks because you don't want to go on replacing ducks that I assume are going to be taken for the pot." The parish council will discuss the ducks at a future meeting.
Ms Lambert said she did not believe a fox was the culprit as there was no evidence, such as feathers. She said if they had been "taken for the pot", the meat would be "very tough as they are plump but quite elderly". The ducks, bought by the parish council, had been living on the pond for many years.
Ms Lambert looks after them, as well as the many wild ducks that visit, "as a labour of love". "I put the posters up to make the community aware this is something that's actually happening and possibly shame the thief," she said. "No fox I know takes one duck per night, and the last one to go was an elderly female duck with a hobble.
"She would certainly have been picked off first by a predator. It's very, very sad and our decision now is going to be, do we replace those ducks because you don't want to go on replacing ducks that I assume are going to be taken for the pot." The parish council will discuss the ducks at a future meeting.
Lady's 'Skywalker' passport cancelled for being 'frivolous'
A woman who added Skywalker as a middle name has had her passport cancelled after being told her application was "frivolous".
Laura Matthews, 29, had been told her signature - "L. Skywalker" - infringed a trademark in July this year.
She was issued with the document several weeks later, after threatening to take legal action.
But she has now been told the passport was issued in error and has been cancelled. Ms Matthews said the decision has left her feeling "upset, frustrated and disappointed". A Home Office spokesman said: "Protecting the integrity of the UK passport is vital and we do not accept a change of name for frivolous reasons." In a letter to Ms Matthews, the Passport Office said its "published guidance provides that we will refuse to recognise a change of name... if it is made for a bet or frivolous purpose.
"Additionally, in your case, the signature used in the passport is different to your surname and by your own admission was done for 'a laugh'. Regrettably, an error was made in issuing your passport," the letter said. "I am sorry that the error was made but I have to inform you that your passport will be cancelled." Ms Matthews said this was the fourth time the Passport Office had changed its mind about her case.
"Now I'm not sure if it's my signature they have a problem with, or my middle name," she said. "All I know it's extremely disappointing that I've been let down again by an organisation which doesn't seem to know if it's coming or going. I don't think I'm going to be able to fight it. I don't know what else I can do." The Home Office spokesman added: "We have apologised to the applicant and agreed to meet the cost of a new passport in a name that meets the published guidance."
But she has now been told the passport was issued in error and has been cancelled. Ms Matthews said the decision has left her feeling "upset, frustrated and disappointed". A Home Office spokesman said: "Protecting the integrity of the UK passport is vital and we do not accept a change of name for frivolous reasons." In a letter to Ms Matthews, the Passport Office said its "published guidance provides that we will refuse to recognise a change of name... if it is made for a bet or frivolous purpose.
"Additionally, in your case, the signature used in the passport is different to your surname and by your own admission was done for 'a laugh'. Regrettably, an error was made in issuing your passport," the letter said. "I am sorry that the error was made but I have to inform you that your passport will be cancelled." Ms Matthews said this was the fourth time the Passport Office had changed its mind about her case.
"Now I'm not sure if it's my signature they have a problem with, or my middle name," she said. "All I know it's extremely disappointing that I've been let down again by an organisation which doesn't seem to know if it's coming or going. I don't think I'm going to be able to fight it. I don't know what else I can do." The Home Office spokesman added: "We have apologised to the applicant and agreed to meet the cost of a new passport in a name that meets the published guidance."
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