Dateline: Mexico— A surprise inspection at a prison in the resort town of Acapulco turned up two pet peacocks, 100 cockfighting roosters, 19 prostitutes and 100 plasma screen television sets. Several bottles of alcohol, a number of knives and two sacks filled with marijuana were also confiscated from the cells. In addition, authorities found six women actually living in the male quarters of the prison. Guerrero state spokesperson Arturo Martinez said he had no idea how the women, birds and other contraband got into the prison. Dateline: Pennsylvania— Nicholas Wooddell of Hopewell Township stands accused of animal cruelty and other crimes after police say he picked a fight with his grandmother’s elderly dog. According to a report in the Beaver County Times , the 21-year-old Wooddell began pounding on his grandmother’s front door on Oct. 10. The grandmother, Jane Klacik, let Wooddell inside. After entering Klacik’s home, Wooddell allegedly punched her 15-year-old dog, who was lying on the floor, and then left. Klacik said Wooddell had been staying with her prior to the incident but was asked to leave. Wooddell was released from jail after posting a $1,000 bond. He is charged with cruelty to animals and disorderly conduct. Dateline: Pennsylvania— Police in Bethlehem Township say a man went into an electronics store looking for a job but was turned down, so he stole an Xbox instead. The Morning Call newspaper in Allentown reports Best Buy manager Jake Gruver interviewed 23-year-old Timothy Joseph Mandes of Bushkill for a job around 1 p.m. on Nov. 2. Gruver declined to hire Mandes, who walked out of the manager’s office and headed straight to the store’s video game section. Employees found an empty video game system box shortly after Mandes exited the store. Store surveillance cameras captured Mandes shoving the Xbox system down his pants. Two days later, officers caught up with Mandes at his home. According to police reports, Mandes fought with officers and attempted to escape. He was subdued with a Taser and charged with retail theft, resisting arrest, flight to avoid apprehension and disorderly conduct. Dateline: Michigan— Even though he lost the election, Kevin Erb will still be installed as the new mayor of Montague. The reason? His opponent, incumbent Henry Roesler Jr., is dead. The 84-year-old, multiterm mayor passed away earlier this month, a week before the scheduled election, from complications of cancer. According to the Muskegon Chronicle , Roesler nonetheless beat his still-living opponent 129 to 115. Officials reviewed the town’s charter and determined that Roesler’s votes were invalid. According to state law, “Any votes cast for a deceased candidate are void and shall not be counted.” Roesler spent 20 years as mayor of the town of 2,400. Erb told the Chronicle he hoped to find a list of goals written down by Roesler before his death. “I have great respect for Mayor Roesler and the direction he had our city going,” said Erb, who lost to Roesler in 2009 as well. Dateline: Missouri— Maybe video games do promote violence. An eager video game player, frustrated by the long lines waiting to purchase copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 decided to just take it from another man at gunpoint. Police investigators in Kansas City say David Morales, 18, visited a GameStop store just after midnight on Tuesday, Nov. 8, for the late-night release of the popular game. According to the Kansas City Star , Morales became frustrated by the long line, so he opted to follow customer Adam Freeman to his apartment. Morales parked his red Ford Explorer behind Freeman’s vehicle and pointed a gun at the man. Although ordered to hand over the game at gunpoint, Freeman wasn’t exactly eager to do so. The two would-be gamers struggled over the disc briefly, before Morales gave up and got back in his vehicle. Still lacking a copy of the game, Morales returned to the GameStop and got back in line. That’s where Kansas City Police found him. In their arrest report, police say Morales told them he “freaked out” because he hadn’t expected the victim to fight back. Morales was charged with attempted robbery and armed criminal action.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
