People being stupid news item of the week

Seems lots of people wanted to be stupid this week so here are several stories:

LAFAYETTE, Colo. (AP) — A little goofing off during a break from work led to a time-consuming, embarrassing ordeal for a Wal-Mart employee. Authorities said the man got his right index finger stuck in an oval-shaped hole of a cast-iron picnic table outside the store.

Co-workers tried in vain to help the man get free before help was summoned. A half-dozen firefighters and emergency workers responded. They freed the man by cutting a square out of the tabletop, then slicing through the metal around his finger.

Lafayette Fire Department Assistant Chief David Friedel said the unidentified man was OK, except for being upset, shaking and embarrassed about the ordeal. Friedel says the man told him it was an act of "stupidity." The man's name was not released.

ATHENS, Ohio (AP) — A woman accused of digging up her ex-boyfriend's grave and stealing his ashes pleaded not guilty Wednesday to felony vandalism, prosecutors said.

Martha LaFollete, 48, lived with Roger Barber in Roseville for five years until his death last November, said Athens County sheriff's Lt. Darrell Cogar. Police speculate she may have stolen Barber's ashes because she wasn't invited to his funeral. The grave was dug up in June, but the theft wasn't discovered until about two weeks later, authorities said. Police found Barber's ashes several weeks ago at a home belonging to one of LaFollete's relatives, Athens County prosecutor David Warren said.

"I have a category of crimes that I like to refer to as 'aggravated stupid,'" Warren said. "I have been doing this for almost 30 years now and I have never had anyone steal someone's ashes."
A trial was scheduled for January, Warren said. If convicted, LaFollete faces a maximum of one year in prison and a $2,500 fine, he said. Myca Haynes, who represented LaFollete at Wednesday's arraignment, declined to comment.

Barber's teenage daughter, Sierra Barber, said she's planning to rebury her father's remains at the family plot in New Marshfield Cemetery once LaFollete's trial is over. "I have to bury my dad and go through it, all over again," she said. "My dad's in an evidence locker. They say 'rest in peace' for a reason."

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP)— A purse-snatcher demanded $185,000 in ransom money for returning his victim's cell phone, but agreed to settle for $200. When the woman went to retrieve the phone, police accompanied her and made an arrest. Randy-Jay Adolphos Jones, 29, was arrested near the campus of Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster early Sunday morning.

Jones, of nearby Columbia, allegedly grabbed the victim, a 29-year-old Philadelphia woman, and started fondling her as she was exiting her car to visit a friend. He pulled her purse off her shoulder and fled as she started to run away from him, police said. When police arrived, they told the woman to call her cell phone. Jones answered and demanded $185,000 for the return of the phone, Officer Jeff Gerhart said.

The victim stalled for time by asking questions as police listened in on the call and tried to pinpoint his location. He eventually lowered his demand to $200 and told her to meet him at a walkway near the campus, police said.

Jones was being held on $100,000 bail on robbery and indecent assault charges. It wasn't clear if he had an attorney. Under police questioning, Jones did not explain why he asked for so much money for the phone, Gerhart said.

I think the dude getting his finger stuck at Walmart is the best :p