Dateline: India— A group of sacrificial goats turned the tables on the last day of the 10-day, nine-night Navratri festival, triggering a stampede that killed 10 people inside a packed temple. “More than 45,000 devotees had thronged the temple at Tildiha village under Sambhuganj Police Station area for offering prayers and sacrificing goats when the stampede occurred,” the director general of police told the Bangalore Mirror. “As the worshippers lined up before the butcher, a scuffle broke out and some people were trampled,” Banka district spokesperson Gupdeshwar Kumar admitted. “People were vying with each other to get their goats sacrificed first, and they had a verbal duel with the butcher.” Four women and six men died in the ensuing stampede. Another 11 were injured, three of them critically. Despite the deaths, the district spokesperson said that over 40,000 goats were sacrificed at the temple that day in honor of the Goddess Durga. Dateline: Florida— A man arrested after drug paraphernalia turned up in his car actually thanked officers. Turns out the bong they found had been lost and the owner was just grateful to get it back. The incident started when Mark Fiasco and Matthew Hawley were pulled over near midnight on Friday, Oct. 15, because their license plate light was out. According to a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office report, a subsequent search of the vehicle turned up 29.3 grams of marijuana in the trunk. It also located a glass bong in a plastic shopping bag. After being read their rights, Fiasco and Hawley, both 23, admitted to knowing that the marijuana was in the trunk, having purchased it earlier in the evening with the intention of smoking it. Fiasco then told deputies that he had been looking for the bong for the past seven years. He said the bong was worth $150 and assumed a roommate had stolen it. According to the Bradenton Herald , Fiasco was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession with intent to use, and failure to change an address on a license. Hawley was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to use. Dateline: Wisconsin— A woman, described by the Sheboygan Press as “irate,” was arrested outside a Sheboygan bar after stripping off her clothes and claiming she was about to give birth. According to the police report, Kyla J. Brumley, 28, was lying on her back on the sidewalk outside of the Rehab Bar & Grill. She was naked from the waist down when police arrived about 2:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 18. According to a bouncer, Brumley exited the club and suddenly ripped off her pants and underwear and claimed she was about to give birth. Brumley refused to answer questions from police, instead yelling, “Get it out,” and referencing pain in her genital area. Officers observed no evidence that Brumley was pregnant or in labor, so they handcuffed her and took her to an area hospital. There, emergency staff confirmed she was not pregnant. While at the hospital, Brumley continued to refuse all attempts to cover up her lower half. Brumley was eventually charged with two misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and one count of misdemeanor resisting an officer. Dateline: Illinois— Emergency Services operators in Buffalo Grove fielded a 911 call from a 10-year-old boy complaining about his dinner. The boy called at about 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14. Buffalo Grove police Cmdr. Steve Husak told the Suburban Chicago Daily Herald that the boy admitted the dinner his father served him was edible, but that he didn’t like it. An officer advised the young man over the phone of when it is proper to dial 911, but no further action was taken. It was not reported exactly what food the boy called to complain about. Dateline: Washington— Apparently anger management classes aren’t going so well for Faribah Maradiaga. According to the Seattle Times , the 19-year-old Bellevue woman “blew up out of control” and stabbed a classmate. According to the police report, Maradiaga walked into a classroom on the Bellevue College campus, where a court services agency rents space for the anger management class, around 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16. At the time, an educational video was being shown by the instructor. Maradiaga began complaining about the movie and disrupting class. At that point, the victim in the case told Maradiaga “the video was good and to give it a chance.” Maradiaga, who was sitting two rows behind the unnamed victim, responded by standing up, talking “trash” and stabbing the woman with a 3-inch blade. The charges say Maradiaga then threatened to kill the victim’s family. Maradiaga, who already has a pending assault charge, is being held in King County Jail on $50,000 bail.
Compiled by Devin D. O'Leary. E-mail your weird news to devin@alibi.com.
