Birdsong enjoys presenting these weird but true criminal law stories. Criminals can be interesting and stupid at the same time. Enjoy.
Brighton, England: Adam Hinton, 32, was fined several hundred dollars in mid August 2008, for having loud sex and breaching a noise abatement order. Neighbors had complained for two years about Hinton, his girlfriend, Kerry Norris and their noisy romps in her apartment. Now the British court has banned Hinton from going with 100 meters of Norris’s one bedroom apartment.
If the apartment’s a rockin’, seems the British court will come a knockin’.
Queens, NY: Police detectives believe the theft of eight Torahs – worth up to $400,000 – from a Queens synagogue was an inside job. Bernard New, past president of the synagogue said not only was there no sign of a break in, but the thief had to use four keys to open the ark containing the Torahs, donated to the synagogue over the past 60 years. Temple officials said that there were three sets of keys at the synagogue. No arrest has been made.
Is there nothing sacred in this world anymore? Be on the look out for Torahs for sale on eBay.
Queens, NY: In follow up to the previous story, three weeks later police report that a cash strapped janitor swiped the eight Torahs valued at $400,000 from the Queens synagogue and hid the sacred scrolls in a friend’s closet. Eric Giraldo, 23, who was a custodian at the synagogue, and his friend Alan Lozano, 28, were both charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. If convicted both men face up to 15 years in jail.
They should have sold them on ebay while they had the chance.
Florida: Recently, Florida deputies were forced to Taser an escaped emu named “Plop-Plop” after it went crazy. The giant Australian bird – which never got the chance to squawk, “Don’t Tase me Bro,” was taken to a vet and made a full recovery.
This is not what police departments had in mind when they started handing out Tasers.
Illinois: An Illinois sheriff is locking himself behind bars voluntarily so he can better understand the inmate experience. However, while real inmates bunk together, Sheriff Mark Curran will bunk alone for safety reasons.
Birdsong has heard of throwing one’s self into one’s work but this may be taking it too far!
Indiana: Speaking of jail news – here’s one about a guy who likes jail so much that he waited all of 12 hours after being released before he broke the law and was arrested. Darren Roberts had been released from an Indiana jail after serving s stint for auto theft. He then promptly stole a car, some beer and led police on a high speed chase.
At least this loser is consistent, don’t you think?
