Dateline: EnglandA fugitive wanted on an arrest warrant allegedly turned himself in to police so they would take down the unflattering mug shot of him posted on Facebook. Wayne Esmonde, 35, replied to a Facebook post by South Wales Police Department late last month seeking information on his whereabouts. “I am him. Not a very flattering mugshot,” Esmonde wrote regarding the unshaven, bug-eyed image. “I’d appreciate it if you’d take this post down. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.” According to the BBC, Esmonde consulted with his attorney and subsequently surrendered at a Swansea police station on the charge of assault stemming from a July 18 incident. The police obliged Esmonde and removed his photo from their Facebook feed. Dateline: IowaA man was arrested for drug possession after he tried to deposit a million dollar bill at a Sioux City bank. Police were called to a Northwest Bank branch on Thursday, Aug. 3, to talk with a customer who was trying to deposit a bill marked “$1,000,000.” The officers asked 33-year-old Dennis Strickland if he had any other bills on him. Strickland emptied his pockets, and that’s when officers say a plastic baggie fell onto the floor. The contents of the baggie were tested and found to contain methamphetamine. Police Sergeant Judy Kellen confirmed to the Sioux City Journal that Strickland did try to deposit a piece of paper at the bank but provided no further details, since no charges were filed in relation to it. Needless to say the US Treasury Department has never printed a $1 million bill.Dateline: CaliforniaA burglar who forgot to flush may have been busted by his own B.M. Police in Thousand Oaks say they used DNA found in an unflushed toilet to bust a burglary suspect. According to the Ventura County Star, detectives found some fecal matter in a toilet at a residential crime scene last October. Evidently the burglar had taken time out of doing his job to do his business in the victim’s toilet. The fecal matter was sent to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau for DNA testing. It was then submitted to the Combined DNA Information System to see if there was a match. “Most people don’t assume or don’t know that DNA can be obtained by other things besides hair and saliva.” Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Detective Tim Lohman told the BBC. “We look for any type of evidence that might be left behind. Whether it’s a smoked cigarette or a can that may be left behind, we analyze it.” On July 25 police got back a DNA match for 42-year-old Andrew David Jensen. He was arrested on July 28 on suspicion of first-degree residential burglary, a felony. His bail was set at $180,000.Dateline: CaliforniaPolice have arrested a man for grand theft after he stole a go-kart from an area amusement park and drove it all over San Bernardino. The powder-blue kart, marked with a number 19, went missing from a fenced-off area of Splash Kingdom in Redlands about 6pm, Sunday Aug. 6. It turned up two hours later and around 6 miles away in the possession of one Jeremiah Gerky. The 29-year-old was allegedly driving the miniature vehicle around the parking lot of a movie theater. According to the San Bernardino Sun, Gerky was also “harassing and ignoring security officers” in the theater parking lot. Gerky was eventually arrested on suspicion of grand theft, and the cart was returned to Splash Kingdom. It was not immediately clear how Gerky snuck the car out of the park. Gerky was booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga with bail set at $50,000.Dateline: TennesseePassengers traveling via Southwest Airlines though Nashville were sorry they didn’t have carry-ons after a “sewage leak” ruined hundreds of checked bags. According to officials at Nashville International Airport, a plugged toilet in an upstairs women’s restroom overflowed and leaked through the floor, soaking 380 bags that were on the luggage carousel. Though the water did not consist of raw sewage, airport officials still took precautions and brought in an environmental cleanup crew. “The affected bags are being sanitized, and in some cases, replacement bags are being offered,” Southwest said in a statement.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. Email your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
