Dateline: Georgia— If at first you don’t succeed … . Police in Albany were surprised to find themselves arresting the same man twice in one day on the exact same charges. The 26-year-old man was arrested around noon last Friday following a routine traffic stop. According to the Albany Herald , he was charged with possession of marijuana and sent to Dougherty County Jail. Four hours later, he was released on bond. Shortly after that, the Albany-Dougherty Drug Unit received a tip that the man was trying to set up a drug deal. The suspect was arrested again around 6:30 p.m. after he was found with two ounces of marijuana in his possession. He was charged for a second time with possession of a controlled substance and sent back to Dougherty County Jail. This time, however, he was held without bond. Dateline: Pennsylvania— The Erie Times-News reports a judge in Erie County took little time to throw a civil case out of court for lack of evidence. A 12-year-old girl and her mother filed a lawsuit against the County Fair convenience store claiming the preteen had been damaged, both physically and mentally, when a store clerk pointed a bar code scanner in her direction. The clerk admitted that he spotted a “grumpy” 12-year-old Dominica Juliano in the store back in June of 2004. He tried to lighten her mood by pointing the plastic scanner at her and ordering her to “smile.” The girl’s mother, Ginnisue Juliano, stated in the lawsuit that her daughter is sensitive to light. According to the mother, the price scanner caused severe burns to Dominica’s face and lower eyelids and later caused her to develop psychological problems including post-traumatic stress and Tourette Syndrome. The lawyer for the defendant, County Fair Inc., pointed out that the scanner in question does not employ a laser, but a low-intensity LED instead. Erie County Judge Ernest J. DiSantis Jr. ruled that the plaintiffs failed to present enough evidence to prove the scanner caused the girl’s injuries or that County Fair was negligent in employing the clerk who used the scanner. Dateline: Georgia— Prosecutors in Camden County told the Florida Times-Union that an inmate—who broke out of jail, stole more than a dozen packs of cigarettes and returned to his cell—has been sentenced to an additional 20 years. According to authorities, 26-year-old Harry Jackson escaped from his cell at the Camden County Jail last year and went to the facility’s exercise yard expecting to retrieve several cartons of cigarettes that were to be tossed over the barbed-wire fence by a compatriot. The cigarettes weren’t there, though, so Jackson scaled the fence, walked to a nearby convenience store, busted out a window and snatched 14 packs of cigarettes. Unfortunately, prison officials noticed his absence and he was arrested upon his return. Jackson pleaded guilty to burglary and escape charges last week. He had been in jail on charges of driving without a license. Dateline: Tennessee— America has elected another dead politician. Incumbent Barbara Brock was hoping to get re-elected as mayor of small-town Tracy City in southeastern Tennessee. Unfortunately, according to numbers posted in the Grundy County Herald , she lost last Tuesday’s nonpartisan election with only 85 votes. Her only opponent, Carl Robin Geary, pulled in 268 votes—despite the fact that he died several weeks ago. Election administrator Donna Basham said the city council will now have to appoint a mayor for the four-year term. Brock, who had served as Tracy City’s mayor for the last 16 months, said she thought she was doing a good job but added voters wanted a return to the past. Dateline: South Carolina— An argument between two motel guests ended when one of the men allegedly struck the other in the head with a pet snake. Police in Rock Hill say the victim, Jeffrey Culp, told officers that he argued with 29-year-old Tony Smith over loud music coming from the other guest’s motel room at the Executive Inn. The dispute seemed to end without incident. However, four hours later, Smith walked up to the victim and hit him in the head with a 4-foot python. “The snake hit me on the side of my mouth and actually pulled the side of my mouth open,” Culp told reporters. Smith was arrested and charged with assault and battery. The snake, named Muhkia, was turned over to relatives.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. E-mail your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
