Curses, foiled again
Otis Belicario Keene, 34, admitted stealing $300 worth of items from the base exchange store where he worked at Hurlburt Field in Mary Esther, Fla., when loss prevention officers confronted him after he wore one of the items, a $7.99 watch, to work. A colleague recognized it as among the stolen items. (Fort Walton Beach’s Northwest Florida Daily News) Kenneth Kenard Fortson, 21, and three other suspects in a home invasion in Riverdale, Ga., were fleeing, when their pickup truck overturned. Fortson died, but not from the accident. “He was found with a weapon in his hand,” Clayton County police Officer Eddie Soto said. “It appears he accidentally shot himself in the head.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) After an unknown male broke a store window to gain entry and then stole a large quantity of cigarettes, police in Nashua, N.H., said bystanders Meretta Sperow, 36, and Amanda Primeau, 25, decided to take advantage of the situation, even though one of the women had already called 911 to report the initial crime. Responding officers charged the women with stealing cigarettes and lottery tickets. (Manchester’s New Hampshire Union Leader)
Homeland insecurity
Future computer-based combat likely will involve electronic strikes that cause widespread power outages and even physical destruction of thousand-ton machines, according to the head of U.S. cyber-warfare forces. Army Gen. Keither Alexander also warned that recent massive losses of private and public data to computer criminals and spies represent the largest theft in history, estimating the value of lost information as high as $1 trillion. (The Washington Times) Florida authorities warned that Miami is being invaded by Giant African Land Snails. They grow as large as 10 inches long, leave a slimy trail of excrement wherever they go, harbor the microscopic ratlung worm, which can transmit meningitis to humans, and “eat the stucco off the side of the house,” according to Richard Gaskalla of the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who declared, “It’s us against the snails.” (NPR)
Honesty is the best policy
Facing federal bribery charges for arranging a quarter-million dollar consulting contract for himself, Maryland Sen. Ulysses Currie, 74, was portrayed at his trial as too stupid to have planned such a scheme. Defense attorneys called as the first of several character witnesses former state lawmaker Timothy F. Maloney, who described Currie as “a wonderful person” and “nice” but insisted, “No one would call him smart.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Leo J. Wise questioned Maloney’s characterization, pointing to Currie’s background as a teacher and principal. “Did he get dumb when he went to the legislature?” Wise asked. The judge sustained the defense’s objection to the question. (The Washington Post)
Compiled from the nation’s press by Roland Sweet. Authentication on demand.
