Dateline: SwitzerlandA Swiss man has been convicted of manslaughter after he disturbed a wasp’s nest and one of the insects fatally stung a neighbor. The man, who was not named in media reports, was trying to remove a wasp’s nest from the terrace of a friend’s home in the western Swiss state of Geneva. The disturbed wasps swarmed toward a couple on a neighboring terrace, stinging them both. The woman was stung on the head and arms but was otherwise unhurt. The man, however, went into anaphylactic shock and died two days later. The Federal Court in Lausanne ruled that the would-be exterminator should have taken precautionary measures when removing the nest. The defendant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury and given a conditional sentence of 90 days in jail. Dateline: CanadaMcCain Foods Limited, a frozen foods distribution company based out of Florenceville, New Brunswick, Canada is recalling bags of hash browns because they may contain bits of golf ball. The frozen “Southern style” hash browns are sold in nine states under the Harris Teeter and Roundy’s brand names. The company says “some golf ball materials” may have been accidentally harvested with the potatoes. McCain, which is one the largest distributor of French fries and other potato-based products in the world, says that eating the hash browns in question could lead to choking. So far, no injuries have been reported. The recall affects two-pound bags sold in Harris Teeter, Marianos, Metro Market and Pick ’n Save supermarkets throughout the American South and East. Dateline: South DakotaA Sioux Falls man was arrested after he pushed past police and firefighters so that he could “save” his beer, which was trapped inside a burning apartment building. As emergency workers were treating building residents outside a multifamily dwelling on the afternoon of April 21, 56-year-old Michael Casteel tried to reenter the building to retrieve beer from his apartment. Casteel successfully rescued two cans of Bud Ice Premium from the burning building but was arrested when he came back outside. A police spokesperson described Casteel’s beer run as “poor judgment.” Casteel was charged with obstructing a firefighter or law enforcement official and was booked into the Minnehaha County Jail. According to state records, Casteel was arrested just last month for drunk driving and several misdemeanor charges, including threatening a law enforcement officer. He also has a 2016 conviction for drunk driving on his record. What can we say? The man loves his beer.Dateline: MichiganA village clerk in western Michigan has apologized to a couple after she sent them a water bill addressed to “Annette Tolis and the Asshole Who Lives Here Too.” “I’m 99.9 percent sure I’m the asshole she’s referring too,” Kevin Barthel told WXMI-TV. The couple said Augusta village clerk Julie Glenn was apparently angry because they had left her a note concerning their frustration that she was never in her office to help them pay their water bill in person. “I made an inappropriate comment on your bill that was highly unprofessional,” Glenn’s apology letter—which was personally delivered by the village’s police chief—read. “I am truly sorry and embarrassed by my actions and I assure you that it will never happen again.” Glenn was suspended for at least two weeks without pay after the incident, but Tolis and Barthel say the want to see harsher consequences, especially since the clerk repeatedly denied sending the vulgar letter. Dateline: FloridaUndercover deputies arrested a man accused of importing three pieces of pottery covered in $600,000 worth of methamphetamine The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release that 30-year-old Omar Palencia of Davenport was charged with trafficking in meth over 400 grams, possession of drug paraphernalia and several other counts after he delivered three pieces of pottery “all of which were coated with a dried powdered/crystalline paste made of methamphetamine.” Palencia allegedly had the items shipped from Mexico to Florida with the intent of “cooking” the meth out of the pottery. The total weight of the meth concealed in the pottery was estimated to be 10 kilos. When detectives placed Palencia under arrest, he had two pieces of broken pottery in his pocket, which he told detectives were for his personal use. Palencia was booked into Polk County Jail without bond.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
