Lovesick Teen Went to Extremes to Get Mom's Help

Some unspecified problem had apparently occurred between an Alabama teen and his girlfriend, and where the story goes from there is too bizarre. Limestone County sheriff's deputies say 18-year-old Haden Smith texted his mother yesterday morning with a threat: Every 15 minutes he would off one of her chickens until she made contact with the girlfriend's parents and fixed whatever had gone wrong with the relationship (as WHNT-TV put it, "until mommy makes nice"). Al.com reports he scheduled the killing to begin at noon—and then made good on that threat.

Deputies say he killed six chickens, and texted his mother pictures at 15-minute intervals. She called law enforcement, and the Elkmont teen was arrested and charged with third-degree domestic violence and third-degree criminal mischief. Among the threats he allegedly made but did not carry out: that he would burn his mother's house down, kill responding deputies, and kill himself. WHNT-TV notes there's "no word on his current relationship status." (More weird crimes stories.)