People being stupid news item of the week

CONFLUENCE, Pa. (AP) - Two Somerset County men are charged with trying to steal live power lines that were still attached to a transformer and utility poles.

Police said Kevin Lee Lytle, 27, and Daniel Jay Basinger, 24, both of Confluence, were shocked during the theft attempt on May 3 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township.

Both were charged Wednesday, but only Basinger was well enough to attend his arraignment on the attempted theft charge.

Police say the incident disrupted power to area residences for about five hours. Penelec Power Co. owns the lines which suffered $1,500 damage.

People being stupid news item of the week

Assault with a deadly confection

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 20-year-old Des Moines man has been charged with assaulting a police officer — with candy.

Sean McGuire, a student at Drake University, was arrested early Sunday at a convenience store, officials said. He allegedly threw several M&Ms at a Des Moines police officer, who was investigating a hit-and-run accident involving an intoxicated man.

Drake security guards on the scene noticed M&M candies falling on the ground around the officer, according to police reports. When the officer turned around, one of the candies hit his shoulder.

McGuire claimed he threw the candy because he was "sticking up for his friend," who apparently was the main suspected in the accident.

I just want to know one thing, were they the peanut m&ms? Because those things are about 3x the size of the regular m&ms and can actually sting a little if you throw them hard enough. :p

People being stupid news item of the week

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 30 (UPI) -- Police in Fort Worth, Texas, said a man has been arrested after he presented a check made out for $360 billion to bank tellers.

Bank employees told investigators that the check held by Charles Ray Fuller, 21, made them suspicious, so they phoned the account holder and verified that the check was bogus, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday.

The account holder told bank employees that Fuller was her daughter's boyfriend and did not have permission to deposit or cash the check.

Police said Fuller told them during his arrest that he is attempted to start a record label and his girlfriend's mother gave him the check to help fund his operation.

Arresting officers said they found just under two ounces of marijuana and a .25-caliber handgun with a magazine on his person.

Fuller was charged with fraud, unlawfully carrying a weapon and possession of marijuana. He was released Thursday on $3,750 bail.

People being stupid news item of the week

Spanish Police Nab Burglar Playing Dead at Funeral Home

MADRID, Spain — A burglar who broke into a funeral
home tried to fool police by playing dead, but two things gave him away.

First, he breathed. Plus, he wore grungy clothes rather than the Sunday best of those dressed for eternal rest.

Police and the Crespo Funeral Home said Wednesday they have no idea what the 23-year-old Spanish man was trying to steal in the break-in March 17 in Burjassot, a small town just outside Valencia.

Neighbors alerted police when they heard the front door of the business being forced open in the middle of the night.

Police officers arrived with the owner, and eventually found the suspect lying on a table in a glassed-in chamber used for viewings of deceased people during wakes, a local police official said from Burjassot.

"The custom here is for dead people to be dressed in suits, in nice clothes that look presentable. This guy was in everyday clothes that were wrinkled and dirty," the police official said. Department rules barred her from giving her name.

"He was trying to fake being dead, but he was breathing," she said.

The suspect's name was not released. Police said he had served jail time in the past for robbery.

The funeral home said it was mystified as to what the man wanted. There were no valuables or cash in the funeral parlor.

People being stupid news item of the week

Just Released From Lockup, Man Tries Carjacking

Frank Singleton could almost write the book on how to turn a misdemeanor into a felony without ever leaving the jail's parking lot.

"This is one of the stupid criminals," Sheriff's Office spokesman Paul Miller said. Singleton, 21, of West Palm Beach, got released from the county lockup Tuesday after being arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge.

He immediately ran out into the visitor's parking lot and, in an apparent effort to get away as quickly as possible, tried to carjack a 2006 Nissan 350Z, Miller said.

The woman who was driving it, Justine Lapierre, was just getting out of her car when Singleton ran at her saying, "I want your car," Miller said.

He pushed Lapierre out of the way, grabbed the keys and jumped into the Nissan. But it was a manual transmission and Singleton couldn't operate it, Miller said.

Hearing the commotion, Sheriff's Office Pastor Leo Krug walked up and, holding his handgun by his side, ordered the barely free Singleton to the ground so a deputy could handcuff him. Singleton was booked on a carjacking charge.

"I don't think he wanted to go back to jail," Miller said. "I think he really wanted to get away and was looking for a car." When the detective was making the arrest, he asked Singleton why he did this. "I didn't feel like walking," Singleton said.

I had to share this one as well....

Chicago's "Dumbest Thief"
18-year-old Ruben Zarate, entered a muffler shop in the 2600 block of North Laramie Avenue yesterday and declared a robbery. He allegedly waved a gun around and demanded money, according to police.

When he was told the money was in a safe and that the manager who knew how to open it was not there, the suspect had a brilliant idea; at least he thought it was brilliant. He gave the shop employees his cell phone number and asked them to call him when the manager arrived so he could open the safe for him.

He left and the employees opted to call 911. Authorities stationed plain clothes officers in the shop and called the would-be robber back. Zarate, showed up again, and waved his gun around again, but this time was shot in the leg by an officer.

He had surgery at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and is said to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Zarate, of the 5100 block of West Schubert Avenue, was charged with three counts of attempted armed robbery and one count of aggravated assault to a police officer, the latter for allegedly pointing a gun at the officer, said the Cook County state’s attorney’s office. One officer with 20 years on the force, said this is one of the more “unusual” cases he’s seen.

People being stupid news item of the week

RIALTO, Calif., March 18 (UPI) -- Police in Rialto, Calif., have arrested three men who appeared in a YouTube video that showed viewers how to "scam" free food from a fast-food restaurant.

Robert Echeverria, 32, Ian Anthony Roman, 18, and Brian Fawcett, 18, were charged with felony second-degree commercial burglary after they videotaped themselves lying to employees at a Rialto Del Taco to get free food in a YouTube video entitled "How to Scam Del Taco," the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported Tuesday.

Police said the video depicts Echeverria calling the fast-food restaurant and claiming to be a local business leader whose previous order was filled incorrectly. He convinced the manager to give him seven tacos, a large order of fries, two sodas and two quesadillas with extra chicken -- a $15 haul. Authorities said Roman picked the food up under the guise of being the fictional businessman's son.

The suspects, who police identified as gang members, could each face seven years in prison if convicted.

People being stupid news item of the week

A fence too far for burglar

A burglar in Hungary climbed over a fence to rob a house only to be confronted by a sword-wielding Olympic fencing ace.

Virgine Ujlaky, 23, was practicing her swordplay when she saw Pal Nagy, 43, clambering in through a window of her house in a posh suburb of Budapest.

But within seconds and a few swift slashes of the sword the crook was pinned against the wall, with the blade against his throat as the swordswoman reached for the phone and called police.

They arrested the villan 20 minutes later, who had to be treated by paramedics for shock.

Ujlaky said: "I wasn't scared when I saw him. It was good practice as I have a competition coming up this week."

People being stupid news item of the week

Police needled at emergency call to help with sewing

A woman in a rush to get to a garden party in New Zealand called 111 to ask for help with her sewing. The woman, who has not been identified, called police in Rotorua yesterday pleading for help to thread her needle.

Police northern communications told the Herald the woman claimed she needed urgent assistance so she could get to a garden party. No one was sent as the local police lacked the necessary skill, the spokesman said.

Police and other emergency services receive thousands of nuisance and hoax calls each year including heavy breathers, people wanting taxis and those upset that their takeaway meals were bad.

Last year, a bride in Christchurch, panicked by a large oil stain on her wedding dress, dialed 111 in a desperate plea for help.

Other calls have included:
* A man rang to say there were two hedgehogs fighting on his lawn.
* A woman called to get police to make her boyfriend ask for her hand in marriage.
* A man rang to say there was a cow at his letterbox - and he was scared.

This made me think of that lady who called the police because her burger was not made correctly.

People being stupid news item of the week

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - A man led police on a very slow-speed chase, refusing to stop while riding a lawn mower at about 3 mph across a busy street and steering it toward an officer before he was grabbed and arrested, a police report says.

Now, authorities say, the question is whether Stephen Ray Castor, 53, already under investigation in the breaking of a window of a man's house and the episode with the officer, can also be charged with drunken driving. State law is silent on whether riding mowers are covered by the law against driving under the influence.

Castor remained in the Clark County Jail with bail set at $40,000 pending a court appearance Friday.

Police said the chase began late Monday afternoon after Jason Taylor reported that Castor - a stranger to him - cursed at him, rode the mower through his fence gate and smashed a window with a lawn chair.

Castor drove the mower across a boulevard and down a city street, the police report said. Officer Gregory J. Hibbard got out of his patrol car and told Castor to stop, then had to sidestep to avoid being hit, the report said.

Shortly afterward, several officers pulled Castor off the mower and arrested him.

What is it with drunk people and riding mowers? On the subject of riding mowers, has anyone else ever seen this film called "The Straight Story"? It is the true story of a guy who goes on a road trip across several states on a riding mower, it is interesting to say the least. :p

People being stupid news item of the week

Man parked stolen car at Sheriff's Office

ANDERSON, S.C., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Anderson County, S.C., authorities said a man was arrested after he parked a stolen convertible outside the County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Susann Griffin said Charles Noah Chambers came into the building to demand the return of $1,991 that was seized from him in June following his arrest on methamphetamine trafficking charges, the Anderson (S.C.) Independent Mail reported Thursday.

Griffin said she noticed Chambers driving away in a 1996 Saab after his demands were rejected. She said the vehicle was reported stolen from Cartee's Used Cars between 5 p.m. Monday and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Sheriff's Lt. W. F. Looper said the suspect put "a screwdriver into the ignition switch" when deputies caught up to the car and told him to turn off the engine.

Chambers and a woman who was riding in the car with him were taken into custody. Chambers was charged with possessing/receiving stolen goods, driving with a suspended license and a vehicle tag violation.

People being stupid news item of the week

Anti-vandalism protester arrested

A Polish man who pasted a notice on a bus stop asking vandals to stop vandalizing it was arrested - for vandalism.

Janusz Nowak, 61, was arrested as he pasted the message on a pavement in the southern Polish town of Sosnowiec.

His notice read: "Dear Vandals - please stop destroying the bus-stop."

A police spokesman said: "Although the man had good intentions and wanted to express his indignation towards hooligans' behavior in the neighborhood he unfortunately broke the law himself."

Poor guy, trying to stop something and ends up getting hit for the charge he was trying to prevent!

People being stupid news item of the week

Vandalism Claim Nets Arrest in Burglary

SUTHERLIN, Ore. (AP) — They say problem gamblers never quit while they're ahead, and one properly insured Oregon man apparently didn't, either.

Authorities recovered a stolen antique slot machine worth $4,000 and arrested the 30-year-old, who they said asked his wife to help file an insurance claim to cover damage done to his van during the heist.

The slot machine was reported stolen in a burglary Monday night at a home in Sutherlin, 170 miles south of Portland, Douglas County sheriff's deputies said. Investigators learned that the victim's housekeeper filed a police report a day earlier claiming someone had thrown a piece of sheet metal through the window of her parked van.

The sheet metal turned out to be from the back of the stolen slot machine, with the serial number attached. Deputies said the housekeeper's husband stole the machine, which tipped over as he drove away, breaking the van window. He told his wife the van had been vandalized and asked her to report the damage so insurance would cover it, deputies said.

The husband and a 25-year-old man were charged with burglary and theft, but the wife wasn't charged. The case was still being investigated.

That just goes to show you, when making a false insurance claim, using a piece of sheet metal from a stolen slot machine is not a good idea! :p

People being stupid news item of the week

Man rides lawn mower to liquor store

ADRIAN, Mich. (AP) - A man was charged with drunken driving after going through two bottles of wine, cutting through a snowstorm on his lawn mower and riding down the center of the street to reach a liquor store, authorities said.

Police found Frank Kozumplik, 49, homeward bound on a John Deere tractor Saturday night, toting four bottles of wine in a paper bag, officials said.

He told officers that his wife had taken their car to work, and that the mower was the only way he could reach the store, two miles from home.

His blood alcohol level was 2 1/2 times Michigan's legal driving limit of 0.08 percent, police told WLEN-FM. They arrested him and confiscated the mower.

Kozumplik declined to comment Monday night.

Poor guy all he wanted was a little more wine... :D

People being stupid news item of the week

"Too cold to walk" for car thieves

TORONTO (Reuters) - A group of teenage car thieves took a joy ride to a court-ordered counselling program aimed to keep them away from stealing cars, Winnipeg police said on Tuesday.

The four suspects, aged 16 and 17, were attending the counselling program in the Canadian prairie city as part of a court order relating to previous auto thefts, said Detective Sergeant Kevin Kavitch of the city's stolen-autos unit.

A local newspaper suggested the teens had stolen the car because it was "too cold to walk" to their court ordered training program, although Kavitch described it as a crime of opportunity. Winnipeg daytime temperatures dipped to -40 degrees Celsius last week, with wind chill.

Kavitch said three of the four suspects are level four offenders, the highest designation for chronic auto thieves in the city.

More than a dozen cars are stolen every day in Winnipeg, and the city has introduced a program where high-risk offenders are called as often as every three hours to ensure they are not out stealing cars.

"This is the perfect example of where you get a lot of resources going to certain people," said Kavitch. "And some people still make dumb decisions."

Yes -40 degrees Celsius is on the cold side, but did these guys not think to take a bus or something?

People being stupid news item of the week

Dummy Carpooler leads to fine

KENT, Wash. — The solo driver attempting to use the carpool lane had worked hard to fashion a realistic "dummy" passenger but failed to secure his mannequin with a seat belt to make sure it was visible to state troopers. That led to a $124 fine.

A State Patrol trooper stopped the man early Wednesday for traveling alone in the carpool lane of State Route 167. Only once the car was stopped did the trooper see the elaborately dressed mannequin, which had slumped forward in the rear passenger seat because it was not belted in and thus was not visible to the trooper as the car rolled by.

The dummy sported a denim jacket, hooded sweatshirt and glasses. The driver had also painted on bright blue eyes and a heavy black beard. "This guy, he went to great extremes," State Patrol spokesman Trooper Jeff Merrill said. The 41-year-old driver was cited for a high occupancy lane violation.

The dummy:

Unrepentant, the driver told the trooper that next time he'd prop the mannequin in the front passenger seat and remember to belt it in, Merrill said. "It's not a crime to have" the dummy, the State Patrol spokesman said. "But if you use it to cheat, then you're gonna get a ticket."

The traffic stop and the mannequin drew gawkers and that led to a two-car fender bender. No one was hurt. :p

People being Stupid News item of the Week

Two men try to cash dead friend's check (NYT)

Two men in New York are facing charges in a bizarre case where they were caught with a corpse at a check cashing store. Police say they were trying to cash in on their friend's death.

NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says "if you like 'Weekend at Bernies' you're gonna like this story." Even the police commissioner couldn't believe the story. Today a first glimpse of the two men who police say wheeled their dead friend's body in an office chair to try and cash his $365 Social Security check. They said they didn't do it.

But 55-year-old David Galoia and 65-year-old James O'Hare are accused of trying to pull off the stunt at this Pay-o-Matic on 9th Avenue, a stunt out of a Hollywood movie. Police say when their good friend, 66-year-old Virgilio Cintron, died they saw an opportunity. They put his dead body in an office chair, somehow got him down the stairs of his Midtown walkup, and literally wheeled him over to the check cashing store.

Ray Kelly says "they left him outside in the chair then went into the establishment and tried to arrange to have the check cashed, meanwhile a crowd developed." Witness Aref Algazli said "one of them was on his right side, one of them was on his left side and his neck was back." When asked if he could believe they tried to pull it off, witness Victor Gonzalez said "not really but its sick you know."

With all the commotion, a detective having a burrito at the restaurant next door decided to check it out, discovering the man was dead. Turns out police say Cintron had Parkinson's and died of natural causes.

Galioa and O'Hare were both charged with attempted forgery, attempted possession of a forged instrument, and petty larceny. No charges have been filed referring to the dead body.
Apparently police determined wheeling a dead person through the streets in this case, is not against the law.

This reminds me of the film "Waking Ned Devine" where an older gentleman dies after winning the lottery and his friend pretends to be him to cash in the ticket.

People being Stupid News item of the Week

Teens buried speed camera

Two Austrian teenagers have been fined £75,000 for hacking down and burying a roadside speed camera.

Peter Hochstacher and Thomas Moebel, both 19, were snapped by the camera speeding in the town of Lustenau in Austria. They used a pair of axes and a saw they had with them in their car to chop it down and then buried it in a nearby field.

But the box was found by a local farmer as he plowed his land and police who examined it found pictures of the pair on the camera inside and they later confessed to tearing down the device. A local court said the fine would cover the cost of replacing the machine.

For those not in the know, £75,000 is around $150,000....Also, unless these guys are loggers or something of that like why on earth did they have a pair of axes and a saw in their car? :p

People being Stupid News item of the Week

Suspect wore stolen jewelry near owner

NEW YORK, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- New York police said a suspected thief was apprehended after he wore stolen jewelry at the booth the items were taken from.

Jeweler Susan Manley said she was manning the "Dazzler Studios" booth Monday in Bryant Park when a man walked by wearing a citrine pendant and an amethyst ring that had been stolen from the booth the previous day, the New York Post reported Thursday.

Manley said she alerted a nearby maintenance worker, who radioed for security and trailed the man to a nearby Japanese restaurant, where he was apprehended by police. The suspect was identified by police as Jose Perez.

"I have a lot of problems with theft. Things get stolen all the time," Manley said.

Police also found a jacket and duffel bag full of jewelry and videotapes in the possession of Perez, who was charged with grand larceny.

"He came back wearing the same jewelry? How stupid can you be," said Joseph Rice, the maintenance worker who followed Perez to the restaurant.

People being Stupid videos of the week

People being Stupid News item of the Week

Man caught trying to steal ATM with backhoe.

COLLIER COUNTY, FL: Deputies caught a man early Friday morning trying to steal an ATM from an East Naples bank by pulling it out of the ground with a stolen backhoe. Brady Lee Wright, 22, is charged with burglary of a business, two counts of grand theft and two counts of criminal mischief. Investigators say Wright stole the backhoe from a construction site near the intersection of Rattlesnake-Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard. He then allegedly drove it to the nearby Regions Bank at 8340 Sierra Meadows Boulevard. The silent alarm at the bank went off around 6:45 a.m. when Wright knocked the ATM over. When deputies arrived minutes later they saw him pushing the machine with the backhoe. "I've picked up vans that have had ATMs in them, where they would back into a 7-11 or a convenience store, and they wouldn't make it very far. But for someone to drag this with a backhoe and attempt to get in and out, not very smart, not very smart at all," said tow-truck driver Dave Knight.Wright was immediately arrested and is being held at the Collier County Jail.The backhoe caused extensive damage to the drive-thru teller area of the bank.

:D Honestly, did this guy think he could get away pushing an ATM with a backhoe? :P