Bad Fortune: 5 Craziest Crimes of the Week

A fight right out of Star Trek and a psychic scam are among the weirdest crime stories of the week:

• Car Thieves Find Kid in Backseat, Act Accordingly: An 8-year-old boy got the ride of his life when the car he was sitting in was stolen before the start of school—and the thieves actually dropped him off there. Police in Norfolk, Va., say the boy was in his mom's Chevy Impala when two men jumped in, saw him, and said, "Oh, we're here to take you to school." He's fine, but some are upset why he was in the car alone in the first place.
• Man Brings Star Trek Weapon to Trash Fight: When an argument with his neighbor about garbage got out of hand in Spokane, police say Carlo Cerutti wasn't content to trash-talk: He was charged with assault after allegedly swinging a Klingon sword—that is, a "large sword-like weapon with multiple blades"—at the victim. Bonus for Trekkies if they can name the weapon.

• Airport Sees Unusual Contraband Bust: The contraband was carefully wrapped in corn husks and concealed in the luggage of a traveler when authorities moved in for a takedown at Los Angeles International Airport. The bust's result? One arrest, 450 pork tamales individually packaged in plastic bags, and a stern warning to us all about "foreign meat products" from a customs official.
• Trooper Allegedly Tried to Bribe Woman After Crash: "His shirt was inside-out, his hair was disheveled, his belly and back were exposed." That's the description of the man a woman alleges rear-ended her on Oct. 26—a New Jersey state trooper. He allegedly offered her $1,000 to keep quiet about the accident, and he had an unusual excuse to explain his slurred speech and wobbliness.
• Meet the Man Who Spent $718K on Psychics: Love is blind—and apparently quite generous. A 33-year-old British man who couldn't get over a breakup ended up shelling out nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to psychics in order to be reunited with his lost love—including $90,000 for a bridge of gold in another realm. The scam happened a while ago, but Niall Rice is just now explaining how he got snookered.

Click to read about more crazy crimes, including yet another suspect who thought it was OK to take selfies with a stolen phone. (More weird crimes stories.)