Atomictown: Weird News
Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Wichita police arrested a pregnant woman after she allegedly robbed homes after asking residents for help. Police said the woman, who is eight months pregnant, had been telling people in west Wichita that her car broke down and she needed to call someone for a ride.

Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

A western Pennsylvania woman has been ordered to stand trial on charges she passed a drug-filled balloon to a state prison inmate while kissing him. State police said guards at the State Correctional Institution-Mercer became suspicious when an inmate appeared to swallow something after a prolonged kiss with a visitor on Oct. 19.

Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

A North Carolina doctor could lose his medical license after a patient complained he made cutting criticisms, including telling her she was fat. The News & Observer of Raleigh reported the North Carolina Medical Board will decide if Dr. Earl Sunderhaus of Asheville overstepped the bounds of professional decency.

Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Authorities in western Michigan arrested a person twice in three days for driving the wrong way down the highway Kalamazoo County deputies said they were alerted about 1:30 a.m. Friday after several people called 911 when they passed the unidentified driver traveling south on northbound U.S. 131.

Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

A 39-year-old Southern California man has been arrested for misdemeanor child annoyance after allegedly paying a teenager $31 to spit in his face. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department says Charles Hersel was arrested Wednesday in a sting operation at a mall in Thousand Oaks. He's free from jail pending a court hearing.

Published Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

California tax officials say an interior designer's false disability claim was uncovered when he was spotted on a home improvement television show.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

An 18-year-old is in police custody after he warmed up a bottle for a crying baby inside the house he was allegedly robbing. Indianapolis police arrested the suspect at Arlington High School on Tuesday after receiving a tip from a television viewer saw surveillance video on a newscast.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A 2-year-old in north Mississippi has done something few toddlers can: He helped his mother give birth to his brother. Bobbye Favazza told The Commercial Appeal she went into labor this past Friday and gave birth on the family's living room couch in Olive Branch. She said her toddler, Jeremiha Taylor, got her a towel and caught the baby before firefighters arrived to cut the umbilical cord.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A Kansas City man who left his wallet on the counter of a bank he was robbing has pleaded guilty in federal court. Albert Perkins, 40, admitted Thursday that he stole more than $3,100 from First Federal Bank in Kansas City on May 7. Prosecutors said that after he ordered a teller to give him all the $100 bills, he placed his wallet on the counter and handed her a plastic bag.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A federal jury has ruled that New York City police didn't use excessive force when they arrested a professional clown who left a suspicious device that turned out to be a balloon inflator inside a coffee shop.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Intrepid Ohio State University researchers have learned students don't just party in a campus lake during rituals before the annual Michigan game. They also potty there. Thousands of students will jump into Ohio State's Mirror Lake Thursday night, ahead of Saturday's football game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Fargo police said a man ran over a light pole and punched a police officer in the mouth when the officer tried to arrest him. Police Sgt. Mark Lykken said police got a report about 2 a.m. Thursday that a pickup hit a light pole and pulled into a nearby parking lot.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A man accused of using a squeegee to hit another man during a fight over who was first in line at a gas pump was due in court on charges. The man, Hector Chavez, 21, was to be arraigned Friday in Faulkner County Circuit Court on a second-degree battery charge.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A person in a chicken costume ruffled the feathers of Durango's city council as its members discussed rules for backyard fowl. At a council meeting Tuesday, someone in a chicken costume quietly entered the council chambers just as the mayor was discussing a recently-passed backyard hen ordinance. The costumed chicken took a few turns, flapped its arms, then took a seat in the nearly empty gallery.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

A town on New York's Long Island is hoping for better attendance at its 16th annual holiday boat parade this year by restoring "Christmas" to the event's name.

Published Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

Moldova's army is feeding its soldiers onions and garlic to help them ward off swine flu.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A suburban Philadelphia police chief says two teenagers are being held after officers arrested them and found video recordings they made of themselves burglarizing homes.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

The case of one of four teens who were cited after rapping their order at a McDonald's in Utah appears headed for trial.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Officials said an elaborate marijuana growing site was found in an industrial building 25 feet from the back door of the Topanga police station in Los Angeles, and three people are under arrest. Officer Karen Rayner said the pot was discovered Wednesday when a search warrant was served at an address adjacent to the station in Canoga Park.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A 2-year-old in north Mississippi has done something few toddlers can: He helped his mother give birth to his brother. Bobbye Favazza told The Commercial Appeal she went into labor this past Friday and gave birth on the family's living room couch in Olive Branch. She said her toddler, Jeremiha Taylor, got her a towel and caught the baby before firefighters arrived to cut the umbilical cord.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Police in Marion and postal authorities are investigating the case of a mail carrier who was allegedly found drunk inside a residence while on the job. Police said the postal worker, 46, was charged with public intoxication Nov. 3 after she was found sitting on the kitchen floor of 95-year-old woman's house, eating leftover noodles from her refrigerator.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A man and woman who reported to police that robbers stole their marijuana are now facing charges themselves. The 32-year-old man and 29-year-old woman told police five armed men came to their Wichita apartment late Monday night and took marijuana.

Turnpike Turkey
AP Photo

A wild turkey rests near the toll booths at exit 14B of the New Jersey Turnpike in Jersey City, N.J., Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2009. The turkey, who toll workers named Tammy, was caught Wednesday by New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife biologists after spending about two months in the area.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A wild turkey that's taken up residence at a New Jersey tollbooth and spends its days scooting around 18-wheelers won't have to dodge Thanksgiving traffic. State Fish and Wildlife officials netted the bird Wednesday after failed attempts during the weekend.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A basketball-sized chunk of ice crashed through the roof of a family's Colorado home after apparently falling from an airplane passing overhead. Danelle Hagan and her 9-year-old daughter were at home in Brush on Saturday when they heard the kitchen ceiling come crashing down. They were not injured.

Grotto Hidden Coins
AP Photo

In this undated photo released by Mount St. Mary's University, gold and silver coins are shown from a collection worth an estimated $40,000, that was found near a Catholic shrine on the campus of Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Md. Employees found the coins Nov. 9, 2009, and returned them to the owner, who said she wanted the Virgin Mary to watch over her treasure while she was out of town.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A woman quietly left $40,000 worth of rare U.S. coins near a Catholic shrine for safekeeping so the Virgin Mary could watch over her life savings while she was out of town, and apparently it worked: The money was returned to her when she got back a week later.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A tortoise's zookeepers in Cleveland are the ones feeling slow because after more than 50 years, they've discovered "Mary" is actually a male. Officials at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo say it can be tough to establish the sex of a giant Aldabra tortoise because the reproductive organs normally aren't visible. But Mary's maleness was unexpectedly revealed earlier this month during a routine exam.

Published Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

A Michigan man has won the world Rock Paper Scissors championship in Toronto. Tim Conrad clinched the title after five hours of play and nine matches at the Steam Whistle Brewery on Saturday night.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Call it udder shock. A South Carolina woman who heard a giant splash in her backyard discovered a 650-pound cow had fallen into her swimming pool. WSPA-TV reports that the cow fell into Kathy Wydareny's covered pool on Monday night. The Anderson resident says the cow belonged to her neighbor.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Authorities in Colorado say a homeowner who was selling his house returned to the property to find a 24-year-old squatter wearing only underwear.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Authorities in Colorado say a homeowner who was selling his house returned to the property to find a 24-year-old squatter wearing only underwear. Police in Golden say the homeowner found someone's car in the garage of the home when he arrived Nov. 9. They say the unidentified homeowner then discovered Timothy P. Gonzales in the house, where he had been showering, doing laundry and putting food in the fridge.

Geezer Bandit
AP Photo

This bank surveillance video released by the FBI taken Monday, Nov.16, 2009 shows an elderly man, nicknamed the "Geezer Bandit," during his most recent bank robbery at a Bank of America branch in La Jolla,Calif. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the unknown male bank robber who is responsible for holding up five San Diego-area banks since summer.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

FBI officials say an elderly, thin, gray-haired man nicknamed the "Geezer Bandit" is responsible for holding up five San Diego-area banks since summer.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

A 19-year-old Brownsville man is jailed on a drug charge after he allegedly went door-to-door trying to sell marijuana. A Brownsville police spokesman says Anthony Carrazco's alleged scheme went awry when he knocked on a police officer's apartment door.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

A black cat showed affection by crawling up and down a Texas police officer in a friendly display captured on the patrol car's dashcam. Taylor police Officer Keith Urban was seen being patient with the cat, whose image was captured during a recent traffic stop, then finally gently booting the kitty away.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

A father and son have an extraterrestrial explanation for the strange rock that recently landed in their backyard in southwest Kansas. They are convinced it's a meteorite.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

A northern New York man is recovering after being attacked by a 10-point buck while he was loading firewood. Authorities said Gerald Dabiew, 56, was cut and bruised from head-to-toe by the buck outside his house in Moira, 200 miles north of Albany.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

What possesses a man to steal his ex-employer's bus, take it for a three-state joy ride and then post a video of the lark on YouTube?

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

No one is complaining about a $100,000 mistake made by a southern New Jersey store clerk.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Seattle police say a man who thought he was ninja was impaled on a metal fence when he tried to leap over it. An officer who was looking for an assault victim nearby Monday night heard the man screaming for help. Police supported him to prevent further injuries until medics arrived and took him to a hospital, where he was in serious condition in intensive care on Tuesday.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

The recession is downsizing everything - even South Carolina's Statehouse Christmas tree.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Authorities in Florida are searching for an alleged bank robber with "notably bad breath" who asked a teller to fill an orange Halloween bag with cash. The Broward County sheriff's office says the man wore sunglasses when he held up the TD Bank branch in South Florida on Monday morning.

Published Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009

Hundreds of rotting deer carcasses in a southwestern Pennsylvania yard are causing a stink among the neighbors. Randy Good of North Buffalo Township has a contract with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to remove the animal carcasses from roads in five counties.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

What word sums up 2009? How about unfriend?

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

A beverage company has asked a team to drill through Antarctica's ice for a lost cache of some vintage Scotch whisky that has been on the rocks since a century ago.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Authorities say they have arrested five people who allegedly tried to rob a Nevada bank by presenting a false federal search warrant which demanded all of the money in the vault. The FBI says that when the Wells Fargo bank manager refused to comply Friday, he was handcuffed and threatened in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

An Ohio man was accused of striking a repo man with his car when he tried to take it back after it was repossessed. Police said 41-year-old Charles Alexander was arrested late Saturday near his home in the small town of Silverton, near Cincinnati. He was held without bond Monday on a felony charge of attempted vehicular assault.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Police said a Long Island man upset about a speeding ticket tried to get even with a state trooper by making a prank phone call to his mother. Authorities said Lawrence Demaio, of Carle Place, called the woman about a month after the ticket was issued and told her her son had been badly hurt in a car accident.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

An 11-year-old boy shot a black bear on his family's front porch after he said it wouldn't leave. The boy was at his home near Driggs, just west of the Idaho-Wyoming border, with his younger sisters last Wednesday when the bear showed up. The youngster said he couldn't shoo it away, so he went and got his gun and shot it.

Statehouse Rats
AP Photo

Sue Stenhouse, who handles emergency preparedness for Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri, displays cartoon images of rats that were given to her by co-workers, in her office at the Statehouse, in Providence, R.I., Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. Stenhouse said that after she spotted a rat jumping on her chair early Thursday evening, she shot rubber bands and wielded a perfume bottle at the intruder until it left.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Sue Stenhouse spends her days figuring out how Rhode Island officials should calmly deal with disaster. But when a rat scurried through her office, her natural response was to jump on a chair, snap it with rubber bands and threaten to spritz it with Obsession.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

A traveler who arrived at Miami International Airport earlier this month must pay a $300 penalty for trying to smuggle fresh sweet potatoes from Bolivia into the United States by disguising the vegetables as a candy. According to a news release, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists discovered the 18 small sweet potatoes in early November.

Published Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Authorities have stopped trying to capture a wild turkey that calls Interchange 14B on the New Jersey Turnpike home. The bird has been causing havoc for toll collectors and motorists as it runs across toll booths, plays in traffic, and sits atop toll collectors' parked cars.


Submit your own events!
Find a Job