Dateline: TexasA bank robber got an instant lesson in karma when he was robbed of his ill-gotten gains shortly after taking them from an Arlington bank. According to the Dallas Observer, Larry Poulos allegedly entered the Educational Employees Credit Union on Tuesday, Dec. 17, and handed the teller a deposit slip with the word “bomb” written on it. The teller gave him more than $5,000 cash, and he fled the scene. Poulos was caught on the bank’s surveillance cameras, clearly wearing an “I <3 Texas” t-shirt. Shortly after he fled the bank, some of Poulos’ neighbors called 911 because they spotted Poulos running back to his apartment, dollar bills spilling out of a bag he was carrying. Confident they had located the perpetrator of the recent bank robbery, police arrived at Poulos’ apartment—only to find the man bleeding and broke. Neighbors told police that, shortly after Poulos entered his apartment, two large men walked in, then emerged with the bag of cash. Poulos was still wearing the same “I <3 Texas” shirt seen on the surveillance tape when police showed up, but he told them he had just been robbed. Poulos faces federal robbery charges. The people who robbed him have not been identified.Dateline: VirginiaTevin Kievelle Monroe clearly wanted a job, but the would-be worker seemed a bit unclear on how to get one. Police in Norfolk arrested the 31-year-old Monroe after he walked into an area McDonald’s and demanded a job application at gunpoint. According to the store’s manager, Monroe entered the restaurant earlier this month and asked for a job application. The manager tried to explain that all job applicants must fill out their forms online. At that point Monroe allegedly lifted his shirt and showed a handgun tucked into his waistband. The manager then asked Monroe to sit down while she found a paper application for him to fill out. She went in the back of the restaurant and called 911 instead. The suspect was still filling out his paperwork when police arrived. Monroe was charged with brandishing a firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct. No word on whether he got the job or not.Dateline CaliforniaMichael Heller, 21, told police in Redding that he was going to be late for his court date on charges of vehicle theft—so he stole a truck. According to the Chico Enterprise-Record, 69-year-old John Westberg was working on his 1989 Ford Ranger on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 12, when Heller allegedly jumped into the front seat and took off. Heller was later arrested for vehicle theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. He reportedly told arresting officers that he was just trying to get to court on an unrelated charge of vehicular theft.Dateline: FloridaA Miami man was confronted by police and ticketed after he failed to trade a live alligator for beer. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Jorge Pino told WTVJ News that Fernando Aguilera trapped the 4-foot reptile at a public park and then tried to trade it for a 12-pack of beer at a nearby convenience store. Instead of accepting the deal, the store clerk called police. State wildlife officials cited Aguilera for possessing, illegally taking and attempting to sell an alligator. Each of the three misdemeanor charges carries a penalty of up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500. The alligator was unharmed and was released back into the wild. “I think that anybody who would conceive this scheme is not thinking properly,” Pino told WTVJ.Dateline: FloridaA central Florida man called police to complain about a voodoo curse. According to Fort Pierce police, the man told them he believed people in the Haitian community “had turned against him and placed a voodoo curse on him.” The unidentified 35-year-old said the curse had been placed on him about a year ago and was designed to gather his personal information for the purposes of identity theft. The victim claimed that “other Haitian people were jealous of him, and that is the reason they burdened him with the curse,” according to the police report. The man simply wanted to report the curse so that it would be on the record “in the event that he were to suffer ill effects from the voodoo at some point in the future.” Police dutifully took the man’s report, saying he “seemed normal.”
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
