This week in weird news: Petty thief fled German supermarket but forgot his son – Napa Valley Register
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Also, a Florida city known for its mermaids is no more.
BERLIN (AP) — Police in Germany say they had an easy time tracking down a petty thief, after he forgot his own son at the scene of the crime.
Bautzen police said Saturday that the 29-year-old suspect ran off when the five euros ($5.65) worth of goods he was trying to steal triggered an alarm at a supermarket check-out late Friday.
Police said the man’s 8-year-old son was left behind “and so the culprit was quickly identified.”
The suspect, a German, also managed to fall over during his escape, ending the day in hospital, police said.
This booking image provided by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office shows Shaun Michaelsen, 41, who is facing felony charges after police said he let a 12-year-old girl drive his SUV and told her to speed because he wanted to be a “cool father” — even though he is not her dad. (Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is facing felony charges after police said he let a 12-year-old girl drive his SUV and told her to speed because he wanted to be a “cool father” — even though he is not her dad.
Shaun Michaelsen, 41, told the arresting officer Monday he is friends with the girl’s mother and that the girl and her friend were staying with him for a few days, according to court records.
He said the girl had asked earlier in the day if she could drive his Jeep, so he thought “it would be cool” and that he was trying to be a “cool father,” the police report said. Michaelsen also told officers he had been drinking.
Jupiter Officer Craig Yochum said in his arrest report that he spotted the Jeep make an illegal U-turn and then speed away at about 12:10 a.m. Monday. He followed and the Jeep reached speeds of 85 mph (135 kph) in a 45 mph (70 kph) zone before he was able to pull it over. He said that when he asked the 12-year-old why she was driving so fast, she said Michaelsen told her to.
Michaelsen is charged with child neglect, allowing an unauthorized person to drive and causing a minor to become a delinquent for buying the girls vape pens — he says they requested, according to authorities.
He was being held without bond Tuesday at the Palm Beach County Jail. Court records do not indicate if he has an attorney.
YORK, Maine (AP) — A man paid off a Maine parking ticket from Long Sands Beach — nearly 42 years after it was issued.
Gary Urgonski mailed a letter, the ticket from July 28, 1978, and a $4 check — $3 for the fine and a $1 late fee — to the York Police Department, the Portsmouth Herald reported.
The letter read in part, “I hope I can now safely travel through the state of Maine without always looking in my rearview mirror.”
The Massachusetts resident said he’s sure he deserved the ticket and intended to pay it, but forgot about it over the years.
“We had to do an immediate double take on the date, thinking it was 2018 on the ticket,” York Police Lt. John Lizanecz told the newspaper. “Upon closer examination of the ticket itself, the number didn’t correlate to anything we have now. Then we realized it was from 1978, and not 2018.”
“It was just amazing, pretty comical,” he said.
Lizanecz called Urgonski to confirm that the department received the check, but there are no plans to cash it. Instead, Urgonski said the check will be framed and mounted on a wall in the department.
FILE – In this Aug. 16, 2007 file photo, performers with the Weeki Wachee mermaid attraction practice in Weeki Wachee, Fla. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation dissolving the city of Weeki Wachee, known for its mermaid shows. The mermaids at Weeki Wachee State Park have been a staple of Florida tourism since 1947. (George Skene/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida city known for its mermaid shows now sleeps with the fishes.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation on Tuesday dissolving the city of Weeki Wachee.
The city located about 50 miles north of Tampa was founded in 1966 to help put the Weeki Wachee mermaid attraction at a state park onto maps and road signs, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
But with only 13 residents, the city was insolvent and offered no visible services to a small business community paying its taxes.
The city’s demise will have no real effect on the Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, officials said.
The mermaids at Weeki Wachee State Park have been a staple of Florida tourism since 1947. Women dressed in fishtails perform underwater shows in the springs while viewed by an audience sitting in a theater on the other side of a glass partition.
The park is currently closed because of coronavirus concerns.
A woman died late Wednesday night after police say she tried to climb into a clothing donation box behind a Midtown Atlanta business.
ATLANTA (WGCL/CNN) — A woman died late Wednesday night after police say she tried to climb into a clothing donation box behind a Midtown Atlanta business.
The incident happened around 11:20 p.m. behind the Henry Tavern on 10th Street. Police said the owner of the building found the unidentified 26 year-old woman unconscious after she apparently tried to use a chair to climb in.
Police said a metal door was activated and came crashing down onto the woman, killing her instantly.
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