weird crimes

Read odd news stories and other latest weird crimes news from around the world on Newser.com

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5 Craziest Crimes of 2014

Our end-of-the-year favorites prove crime never pays—and stays online forever

(Newser) - Old acquaintance should not be forgot, especially not when it comes to the folks who've allegedly committed the dumbest, weirdest, face-palmiest crimes of the year. Here are 2014's best—or worst, depending how you look at it—crazy crimes, in five categories that have more than a few...

Guy Pulls Out Sword After Fight Over Sexuality

Heated argument between Cleveland pals ramps up when one whips out 2-footer

(Newser) - They could've kept it a simple guys' night watching the Cavaliers game on TV and playing dominoes together. But two Cleveland men became embroiled Wednesday in a more pointed activity after one of the men, a 48-year-old who's called "Cowboy," decided to accuse his 44-year-old pal...

Cops: Detroit Santa Shoots 2
 Cops: Detroit Santa Shoots 2 
Dec 22, 2014 9:49 AM CST

Cops: Detroit Santa Shoots 2

And in NJ, an elf is charged with being a little too merry

(Newser) - A not-so-merry incident took place yesterday morning at a Detroit gas station, culminating in a guy dressed as Santa allegedly shooting two other guys. It all started around 2am when, "apparently, there was an argument over Santa's girlfriend—Mrs. Claus," one officer explains. "One of the...

Cops: Woman, 72, Slapped Over Facebook Refusal

27-year-old suspect got angry when woman refused to be 'friends,' say police

(Newser) - A 27-year-old Florida woman is accused of slapping a 72-year-old woman who denied her friend request on Facebook. Rachel Anne Hayes became angry on Wednesday when the older woman said the Facebook name Hayes uses on the site is "inappropriate," the Tampa Bay Times reports. Pinellas County Sheriff'...

A Telltale Beard Hair: 5 Craziest Crimes of Week

Including an ill-advised shoplifting spree

(Newser) - A man who was given up by his own beard, as well as a guy who walks reeeaaally slowly, are among the weirdest crime stories of the week:
  • Toyota Corolla Sticks It to Would-Be Carjackers : If you're going to handpick your getaway vehicle, make sure you can drive it.
...

Cops: Guy Shoplifted ... at 'Shop With a Cop' Event

There were lots of deputies around to see what allegedly happened

(Newser) - Pro tip for would-be thieves: It's probably not a good idea to attempt shoplifting ... during a "Shop with a Cop" event. That's what police say Grant Scott Timm of Lecanto, Fla., did last Wednesday night at the city's Walmart, according to the Citrus County Chronicle . The...

Harvard Dad Faces Prison Over Bogus Financial Aid

He admits submitting fake records that earned $160K in Ivy League assistance

(Newser) - All kinds of advice is available for parents struggling with their kids' gigantic tuition bills, and now comes a lesson in what not to do: Submit phony financial records. Joseph Fonge of Massachusetts has admitted doing so when his daughter was accepted at Harvard, and the bogus documents earned her...

Intruder Foiled by Hair From Beard

DNA matches a suspect in December case

(Newser) - Police say a suspect was caught by a whisker when DNA from his beard hair led to his arrest. Sheriff's deputies in upstate New York say an intruder armed with a knife had confronted a woman in her home in Vienna last December but the woman grabbed his beard...

Man Fined for Crossing Street Too Slowly

Elderly Italian didn't make it to the other side before light changed

(Newser) - Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from Pinerolo, perhaps. The Italian town is getting some odd press after news emerged that an 85-year-old man who failed to cross one of its streets quickly enough was handed a fine of about $50. Italy's La Repubblica newspaper...

Would-Be Carjackers Foiled by Stick Shift

They can't drive manual transmission, run off

(Newser) - Police in Florida say two would-be carjackers almost got away with a vehicle in Ocala but didn't know how to drive a stick shift. The Ocala Star-Banner reports the owner of a 2014 Toyota Corolla told police he was sitting in his car talking on his cell phone when...

A Truly Fishy Excuse: 5 Craziest Crimes of Week

Including a telephone fail and a really bad neighbor

(Newser) - Can a fried-fish platter lead to inebriation? That question factors into the weirdest crime stories of the week:
  • Drunk-Driving Suspect Blames His Dinner : It was all the fish's fault, a Wisconsin man with nine drunk-driving convictions told officers when he was stopped for driving erratically. According to a police
...

Drunk-Driving Suspect Blames Fried Fish

Must have been the beer batter, he tells cops

(Newser) - It was all the fish's fault, a Wisconsin man with nine drunk-driving convictions told officers when he was stopped for driving erratically. According to a police incident report, John Przybyla had bloodshot eyes and smelled of alcohol, but when a deputy asked the 75-year-old how much he had had...

Guy Gets 5 Years for Punching $12M Monet

Andrew Shannon also had paint thinner on him in 2012 attack

(Newser) - Andrew Shannon put his hand through a $12 million Monet at the National Gallery Ireland two years ago, and it looks like he'll be spending the next five years behind bars for his trouble. Though he initially told cops that he was trying to "get back at the...

Fugitive Calls In Threat, Forgets to Turn Off Caller ID

Which made it pretty easy for cops to track him down

(Newser) - If your plan for evading the police involves phoning in a bomb threat, you might want to make sure you turn off caller ID before making said threat. Jacob R. Moore of Idaho apparently forgot that little detail Friday before allegedly calling in a threat about Atlas Elementary School in...

Cops: Man Swaps Furniture While Neighbors Are Gone

In his defense, they did have better stuff

(Newser) - A Washington state man is accused of swapping furniture with his neighbors while they were away. The News Tribune reports that the Lakewood man and a friend accused of helping him have pleaded not guilty to charges of residential burglary. Court papers say a couple who returned to their apartment...

Truly Wild Wedding: 5 Craziest Crimes of Week

Including a ruined holiday dinner, wedding, and funeral (not all at the same time)

(Newser) - Two separately asinine airport incidents are among the weirdest crime stories of the week:
  • Airport Pro Tip No. 1: Don't Tell Bomb Jokes : A neurosurgeon who was trying to fly out of Miami International Airport has learned ticket agents there don't appreciate a good high-explosives joke. Manuel Alvarado'
...

Woman Fends Off Attacker ... With Vomit

Would-be robber runs off after she throws up on him

(Newser) - A Georgia woman managed to fend off an attacker Saturday night ... by vomiting on him. The Athens Banner-Herald reports the woman was walking to her car after work around 10:30pm in the Georgia Square Mall parking lot when a man in a ski mask came from behind a vehicle....

Cops: Guy Tries to Smuggle Liquid Cocaine as Rum

But he's arrested at JFK airport

(Newser) - A Georgia man trying to get four duty-free bottles of supposed rum through customs at JFK airport had the misfortune of running into agents who know what rum looks like. When this batch seemed to be a little too syrupy, agents opened the bottles and detected a chemical odor, reports...

Airport Bomb Joke Costs Surgeon $89K

Five airlines shut down operations in Miami

(Newser) - It might be the most expensive failed joke ever: A neurosurgeon has to pay more than $89,000 because he thought it would be funny to tell a ticket agent at Miami International Airport that he had explosives in his bag, reports Local10 . Most of the money will go to...

Funeral Goes Wrong When Thief Steals Hearse, Body

Deceased would have found it all really funny, says sister-in-law

(Newser) - It's tough to hold a funeral when someone's driven off with the body. That's apparently what happened at a recent memorial in Australia, Gawker reports. Shortly before the event, a funeral home worker was getting the hearse ready when "this guy jumped out of the bushes,...

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