Odds & Ends

Odds & Ends

Devin D. O'Leary
\
4 min read
Share ::

Dateline: Czech Republic

Police in the town of Zlin say a man chainsawed his way back into a restaurant so he could finish eating his pudding. Petr Svacha, 36, had been dining in the restaurant with a friend when the staff asked him to leave at closing time. Svacha was apparently angry that he didn’t have time to finish his chocolate pudding. So, naturally, he went and got a chainsaw. A police spokesperson told reporters Svacha “sliced a hole in the door, climbed inside and went to his table. But when he grabbed the half-finished desert, he was overpowered by a waiter and handed over to police.” Svacha now faces up to a year in prison.

Dateline: Japan

Pet supply company B&H Lifes has started selling a “wine exclusively for cats.” According to the Sankei Biz news site, “Nyan Nyan Nouveau” doesn’t actually contain alcohol, but is made up of grape juice, Vitamin C and catnip. Rocket News 24 says B&H developed the product so that customers can “celebrate Christmas and birthdays” with their cats. The word “nyan” is Japanese for “meow,” while the “nouveau” invokes bougalis nouveau, a wine popular in Japan. A 180ml bottle sells for 399 yen ($4 US).

Dateline: Nigeria

A woman is accused of faking her own kidnapping in order to extort $1,200 from her own husband. Police in southern Nigeria’s Enugu state have arrested the wife and a motorcycle taxi driver they say helped her stage the crime. Police cracked the case after tracing the husband’s 200,000 naira ($1,200) ransom payment to a bank account owned by the taxi man. “They have confessed to the crime, and we are corroborating our investigation to be able to charge them in court,” a police spokesperson said. Kidnapping is apparently a common crime in Nigeria, particularly in the oil-producing Delta region and in the ethnic Igbo area just north of it where Enugu is situated. Police say it is not uncommon for suspects to collude with their abductors.

Dateline: England

A 62-year-old Welsh man has collected $200,000 after wagering that his grandson would play on the Welsh national soccer team. Peter Edwards made the $80 bet back in January of 2000 when his grandson Harry Wilson was just 18 months old. Bookmaker William Hill gave Edwards 2,500 to 1 odds after watching a home video of little Harry Wilson kicking a toy soccer ball around his family’s living room. Earlier this month, Wilson made his debut, coming off the bench for the Welsh national team. At age 16, Wilson is the youngest ever full player. After he was paid his £125,000 ($200,000) winnings, Mr. Edwards announced his retirement. “Mr. Edwards has been able to quit his job as a result of his amazing ability to spot fledgling talent earlier than almost anyone else we’ve ever taken a bet from,” a William Hill spokesperson told ITV News.

Dateline: Montana

A woman has been charged with felony drunk driving after she telephoned police to tell them she was “too damn drunk.” The
Billings Gazette reports Carol Frances Omeara appeared in Yellowstone County Justice Court on her fourth drunk-driving charge on Wednesday, Oct 9. Omeara was arrested the day before after a police dispatcher received a call at 10:40pm from Omeara saying she was unable to get out of her vehicle which was parked outside her residence in Billings. According to court records the dispatcher asked whether Omeara was having a mechanical or a medical issue. “No, I’m just too damn drunk,” the 55-year-old reportedly answered. An officer found Omeara inside the car. She told the officer she had been at a Billings bar for about five hours, had driven home and had been stuck in her car for about four hours. A breath test showed that the woman was nearly four times the legal limit of 0.08. A judge set her bond at $3,000.

Dateline: Washington

A woman in Packwood, an unincorporated community near Mt. St. Helens, ran over herself with an SUV while trying to avoid a bee. According to
The Chronicle newspaper in Lewis County, Donna L. Rowe-Breidstein, 56, was stung by a bee while getting into her 2004 Ford Explorer at around 11am on the morning of Oct. 6. According to police Rowe-Breidstein fell out of the vehicle and onto the ground trying to avoid the insect. The SUV then ran over her leg. Police say it continued down the street and struck a parked car. The woman was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with leg and ankle injuries.

Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.

1 2 3 455

Search