Dateline: FranceA mayor in the south of France has banned clowns for an entire month after several violent incidents involving teenagers dressed as clowns. The ban began just before Halloween in the town of Vendargues, home to some 6,000 residents. Mayor Pierre Dudieuzere issued the decree, which prevents anyone over the age of 13 from wearing a clown costume or even clown makeup. During the month of October, French police arrested more than a dozen teenagers dressed in clown outfits and carrying weapons. The violent clowns frightened passersby and beat people up in a few cases. Police speculate the incidents were fueled by a scary clown craze on social media.Dateline: South KoreaAn Irish woman applying for a job as a teacher in South Korea was rejected because her “kind” are traditionally too intoxicated. Katie Mulrennan, from County Kerry, earns her living teaching English around the world. Although she has been passed over for jobs because certain schools prefer a North American accent, Mulrennan says a recent rejection letter went a bit too far. After applying for a job in Seoul on Craigslist, the 26-year-old received an email saying, “I am sorry to inform you that my client does not hire Irish people due to the alcoholism nature of your kind. Best of luck in future.” Mulrennan posted a screen shot of the email to Reddit earlier this month. “When I got the email, it was so abrupt and short. I actually laughed when I read it initially,” Mulrennan told the BBC. “In the end I took a deep breath and sent back a reply that was a bit sarcastic.” Mulrennan hasn’t heard back from the initial job offer, but has since found another job in Seoul. Ironically, a 2014 survey by London-based market research and analysis company Euromonitor International found that South Koreans of drinking age consume about 13.7 shots of liquor per week, while the Irish only drink about 2.6 shots a week.Dateline: FloridaA man purchased a foreclosed home at an auction in Cape Coral for $96,000 and got a bonus gift—the rotting corpse of the previous owner. The house was built in 2007, and neighbors said they hadn’t seen the woman who was living there in three or four years. After winning the auction, new owner William Wilson dropped by the small pink house with metal bars on the doors and windows to survey his property. Discovering the body of the reclusive former owner Carmen Garcia-Viso, he called 911. “I bought a house at a tax-deed auction,” Wilson told dispatchers. “Apparently the reason it was full of unpaid taxes, the owner died and she couldn’t pay her taxes. Nobody ever came and got her, so she’s still in the house.” Asked about the incident by the Fort Meyers News-Press, most neighbors didn’t seem very shocked by it. “I figured that’s what happened,” said 61-year-old Ron Lane. “We couldn’t get through to check on her because of the bars.” The medical examiner now has the mummified body and will determine its identity and cause of death.Dateline: KentuckyA woman wearing an “I Love Crystal Meth” t-shirt was arrested for—oddly enough—possession of crystal meth. Deborah Delane Asher, 37, and Richard Jeffrey Rice, 57, were swept up in a drug investigation launched by the Laurel County Sheriff’s Department. Asher and Rice were busted with possession of 3.37 grams of meth and a set of digital scales. Each was charged with felony narcotics possession and trafficking. Asher’s sure-to-be-viral mug shot features her wearing a black “I Love Crystal Meth” t-shirt. Dateline: New YorkState troopers say a drunk driver tried—unsuccessfully—to get out of going to jail by eating his DWI test results. Kenneth Desormes of Greenwich, Conn., was stopped for speeding on Interstate 95 near Port Chester at around 5:30am on Sunday, Nov. 2. Troopers determined he was intoxicated and arrested him. Desormes, 40, was transported to the state police barracks in Tarrytown where troopers administered a breathalyzer test. Apparently fearing the outcome, Desormes allegedly grabbed the paperwork and tried to eat it. Desormes is now charged with driving while intoxicated, obstructing governmental administration and criminal tampering.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
