Jose Manuel Navarrete, 25, is being held on $100,000 bond on suspicion of child endangerment in the San Diego Central jail after he carried his 2-year-old daughter into the elephant habitat at the San Diego Zoo on March 19, the Associated Press reported. Navarrete allegedly wanted to take a picture with the African bull elephant, police said, and evaded multiple barriers to enter the enclosure. Witness video shows one of the elephants charging the two trespassers and Navarrete briefly dropping the toddler before picking her up and getting her to safety. "He runs, throws his baby through the gate and it's seconds from hitting him," said witness Jake Ortale. "People were just mad at this guy." [Associated Press, 3/20/2021]

The Continuing Crisis

-- Larry Lee Harris, 66, of Willcox, Arizona, was arrested after chasing a caravan of three National Guard vans carrying COVID-19 vaccines out of a truck stop in Lubbock, Texas, on March 22 and trying repeatedly to run the vans off the road, police said. WAFB-TV reported Harris finally turned his vehicle into oncoming traffic and stopped the vans, then allegedly pointed a gun at a guardsman, identified himself as a detective and insisted on searching the vehicles. He told Idalou police, who found a .45-caliber pistol and loaded magazines in his possession, that he was looking for a kidnapped woman and child. "Mr. Harris appeared to be mentally disturbed," Idalou Police Chief Eric Williams said. All 11 unarmed uniformed guardsmen escaped unharmed. [WAFB-TV, 3/22/2021]

-- On March 17, police at the Charleston, South Carolina, airport rushed to meet United Airlines Flight 728 in response to a report that someone's ear had been bitten off on the plane, which had been diverted there from its flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Miami, The State reported. Passenger John Yurkovich Jr., 45, of New Jersey, had become "agitated" and "restless" after making a trip to the restroom, police said, then "began to scream and thrash around," punching his seatmate and apparently biting the man's ear, which later required seven stitches, an FBI report said. A doctor on board injected Benadryl into Yurkovich's buttocks to help subdue him, and others bound him with zip ties and a belt. Authorities said they found 1.5 grams of suspected meth in Yurkovich's pocket; he was arrested and faces state charges of possession as well as federal charges of assault. [The State, 3/19/2021]

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Good Fortune Burger in Toronto has renamed some if its menu items as office supplies as a not-so-underhanded way to help customers get reimbursed for lunch, the National Post reported, and perhaps boost sales. The restaurant's Fortune Burger is now the Basic Steel Stapler, and Parm Fries will appear on a receipt as CPU Wireless Mouse. Director of operations Jon Purdy said the restaurant "just wanted an opportunity to put a smile on some people's faces and have them have a little bit of a giggle." [National Post, 3/4/2021]

Wait, What?

As Jensen Karp, 41, of Los Angeles, was pouring a second bowl of his favorite breakfast cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, on March 22, "something plopped out of the box. I picked it up, and I was like, 'This is clearly a shrimp tail,'" he told The New York Times. Karp looked into the box and saw another tail, both encrusted in sugar. Karp took a picture, sent it to his wife, then contacted General Mills. Then a friend suggested he take another look into the bag, where he reported finding "shrimp skins-looking things, a small string, something that resembled a pistachio, and finally, "small black pieces" at the bottom that he fears are rat feces. Karp is having the samples tested at a lab. "I'm a comedy writer, but like, there's no joke here," he said. "I love Cinnamon Toast Crunch." General Mills says it's looking into the matter, but "we can say with confidence that this did not occur at our facility." [New York Times, 3/23/2021]

Inexplicable

A motorist in Delray Beach, Florida, stopped to investigate the screaming she heard on March 23 and found a naked woman trapped in a storm drain 8 feet below street level. The Washington Post reported first responders pulled the unnamed 43-year-old woman to safety and took her to a hospital as investigators discovered she had been reported missing by her boyfriend three weeks earlier, Palm Beach County sheriff's officials said. The woman told officers she had been swimming in a canal when she noticed a door leading to a tunnel, which she entered, and then became lost, wandering for weeks in the tunnel system and surviving on a bottle of ginger ale she found. Ted White, a spokesman for the Delray police, was skeptical: "Was she actually down there the whole time?" Health officials think she might have been in the tunnels just a few days, he said. [Washington Post, 3/24/2021]

Compelling Explanation

Phedeline St. Felix told police in Pompano Beach, Florida, she had gone to a city park in mid-March to settle an argument with another woman when she allegedly drove her car over a gate and into a playground, accidentally hitting Chaunda McCleod and her 3-year-old grandson instead, injuring them both. "I was attempting to run (the other woman) over," St. Felix said, according to WPLG-TV. McCleod said she saw a fight brewing in the park and "started to get all the kids together to get them out of the park. ... As I'm picking (my grandson) up, she's just hitting us both and we just went flying over the car and finally we hit the ground." St. Felix was arrested and ordered not to have any contact with the victims. [Local10.com, 3/23/2021]

Seems Like a Lot of Trouble

Authorities in Houston charged former Bank of America employee Juan Esteban Ramirez on March 24 with a second felony in connection with tricking young female customers into unlocking their phones so he could steal nude photos of them. In both cases, Ramirez allegedly took the phones to show the women how to look up information on their bank accounts, but with the phones unlocked, he found and sent himself intimate photos. In the second case, Ramirez also texted the woman, who felt threatened, Harris County Assistant District Attorney Keaton Forcht told KPRC-TV. "It's highly unlikely that these are the only two victims," he said. [Click2Houston.com, 3/24/2021]

Devil in the Details

An unnamed teenager in Thailand was excited by the surprisingly low price he found online for an Apple iPhone, and even though the shipping seemed a little high, he went ahead and ordered it, Oddity Central reported. The surprise came when he received a box nearly as tall as he was and found inside a coffee table shaped like an iPhone. The teen posted photos of his acquisition on social media and admitted he had been so anxious to snag the bargain that he didn't read the listing carefully. [Oddity Central, 3/23/2021]

Two weeks after a plea deal fell through in connection with a 2019 attempt to stowaway on a flight at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Marilyn Hartman, 69, was arrested and charged with trespassing March 16 as she attempted to sneak onto another flight at O'Hare, the Associated Press reported. At the time of her 2019 arrest, Hartman was on probation after having bypassed security in January 2018 and boarded a flight from Chicago to London without a ticket. The Cook County Sheriff's Department says it plans to seek a felony escape charge for Hartman. [Associated Press, 3/17/2021]

Perspective

In March, Einstein Cafe, an upscale dessert chain with outlets across the Gulf Arab states, started a fad by selling its thick, milky drinks in plastic baby bottles, complete with nipples. The Associated Press reported the cafe was inspired by photos of trendy bottles on social media, and the idea was an instant hit. People lined up at Einstein stores, they "took photos, they had fun, they remembered their childhood," said Younes Molla, CEO of the chain, but others "were so angry they said horrible things." In Dubai, Kuwait and Bahrain, the government cracked down on the new cafe offerings, saying the bottles violate the countries' customs and traditions; in Oman, citizens were asked to report sightings of the baby bottle confections to a consumer protection hotline. [Associated Press, 3/16/2021]

Recurring Themes

-- Laura Rose Carroll, 50, and her daughter, Emily Rose Grover, 17, were arrested in Pensacola, Florida, on March 16 after an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found the duo had allegedly stuffed the ballot box with votes for Emily for homecoming queen last fall. Suspicions were raised when the Escambia County School District reported illegal accessing of hundreds of its students' digital accounts. Authorities said Carroll, an assistant elementary school principal, had access to the district student information system, and investigators traced unauthorized entries into the system to Carroll's cellphone and computers, where nearly 250 votes were cast. Fox News reported that investigators also said students reported being told by Grover about her mother's activity. Each of them was charged with offenses against computers and other cybercrimes, along with conspiracy. [Fox News, 3/15/2021]

-- Raffaela Spone, 50, was arrested in early March in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, after prosecutors say she created "deepfake" videos and photographs of at least three girls on her daughter's cheerleading squad in an apparent attempt to embarrass them and force them off the team. Prosecutors said Spone allegedly sent the manipulated images to the girls -- shown drinking, smoking and naked -- anonymously and suggested they kill themselves, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Parents of one of recipients contacted police, and detectives traced the IP address where the messages originated to Spone's home. Investigators believe Spone's daughter was unaware of what her mother was doing. [Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/12/2021]

Compelling Explanation

Andrew Almer of Fargo, North Dakota, has flown an American flag from the balcony of his condominium for two years, but the condo association is now demanding the flag be taken down because it creates too much noise flapping in the wind. "You've got to be kidding me," Almer told reported KVLY-TV. "It's not rude, it's not nasty, it's the American flag. ... It's not coming down anytime soon." [KVLY-TV, 3/10/2021]

Home Sweet Home

Vietnam veteran Tom Garvey, 78, of Ambler, Pennsylvania, has released a new memoir, not about his service in Southeast Asia, but about the "secret apartment" he maintained for two years in an empty concession stand in Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, once home to both the Phillies and the Eagles, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. From 1979 to 1981, Garvey lived in an "off-the-wall South Philly version of the Phantom of the Opera," he said, furnishing the apartment with a bed, sink, refrigerator, stereo, coffeemaker, hot plate and seating for guests, who included players' wives waiting for their husbands after games. Leftover Astroturf served as the carpeting. Cousin Terry Nilon said being in Garvey's apartment, located literally in leftfield, felt like "Vet stadium was in his living room." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/9/2021]

Sour Grapes

Andreas Flaten of Peachtree City, Georgia, quit his job at Walker Luxury Autoworks in November, visibly annoying his boss, he told WGCL-TV, but he was promised his final $915 paycheck would be paid in January. When the check didn't come, Flaten contacted the Georgia Department of Labor, and one night in mid-March, 500 pounds of oily pennies were anonymously dumped in his driveway, presumably totaling $915. Flaten has been storing them in a wheelbarrow, but they can't be cashed until they are cleaned. [WGCL, 3/16/2021]

Blessing or Curse?

Work had begun on the small bungalow retired banker Charles Pole, 81, of Wiveliscombe, England, was building for himself on his property when excavators unearthed the remains of a 13th-century bishop's palace, simultaneously solving a local mystery and bringing construction to a halt. Historians had been looking for the site, once home to bishops of Bath and Wells, for 200 years, and a spokesperson for the South West Heritage Trust described it to the Somerset County Gazette in early March as a "significant find." In the meantime, though, Pole is stuck with the bill. "The cost of the investigation is going to cost me around ($26,000)," he said. Building will continue after the site is protected and covered over again. [Somerset County Gazette, 3/11/2021]

Fine Points of the Law

Lawyers filing briefs for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit were advised on March 16 the court would be officially discouraging the use of the Garamond typeface, a centuries-old font widely used in printed books, because it "can be more difficult to read," wrote court clerk Mark J. Langer. Fox News reported the font is popular among attorneys, but author and web designer David Kadavy, gets it: "Garamond is considered one of the best fonts in existence, (but it) "can be a disaster on the web. ... It's better to use a modern font that has been drawn with the screen in mind." [Fox News, 3/17/2021]

Least Competent Criminals

-- Robert Radek, 29, of Marlboro, New York, scored a hat trick on March 7 when he was arrested three times in one day, the Daily Freeman reported. First stopped that morning in the city of Newburgh, driving a Jeep Cherokee, Radek was found by the trooper to have a suspended license and crack cocaine with him, for which he was charged with a misdemeanor and released, according to authorities. At 2:30 p.m., police said, the same trooper stopped him again, this time in a Honda Civic, and again found him in possession of crack cocaine, along with heroin. His final arrest came at 5:45 p.m., when Radek was stopped driving the Cherokee again and detained after the trooper determined he appeared to be under the influence of drugs, said police. Radek was released with tickets on all three violations and ordered to appear in court in April. [Daily Freeman, 3/17/2021]

-- Volusia County (Florida) Sheriff's deputies responding to a fire at Myers Marine Service in Deland on March 13 were met by witnesses who said they saw Sean Sword running out of the building saying, "I lit a tow rope on fire." Sword, who was severely burned, told deputies conflicting stories about his motives, according to court papers, but after being interviewed at the hospital, he admitted he was looking for a vehicle to steal, but "it didn't work out," so he set a tow rope on fire and the flames spread, adding that he hoped to be in jail for a long time. Boats and equipment valued at nearly $100,000 were damaged, records show, and Sword faces arson and burglary charges. [ClickOrlando.com, 3/15/2021]

Shoe Zone, a footwear retailer with stores throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, announced March 8 that Terry Boot has been named its next chief financial officer effective immediately, according to the Evening Standard. Mr. Boot takes over the role after the unexpected departure in February of Peter Foot, who had been with the company for seven months. [Evening Standard, 3/8/2021]

Quick Thinking

An unnamed maskless woman waiting in line at a Pick 'n' Pay supermarket in South Africa was caught on cellphone video being confronted by a store guard who demanded she put on a mask or be thrown out of the store. On the video, she is next seen reaching up under her dress, pulling out her underwear -- a black thong -- and placing it on her face, the New York Post reported. Witnesses were mixed in their reaction. "Good lord," one shopper was heard saying. "Brilliant," said another. [New York Post, 2/26/2021]

Oops!

Federal Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Feb. 16 that Citigroup could not expect to receive repayment of nearly $500 million of the $900 million it mistakenly wired to a group of lenders last year after a contractor checked the wrong box on a digital payment form. Intending to make only an interest payment to the lenders on behalf of its client Revlon, Citi instead wired payment in full for the entire loan, and after realizing its error, asked for the money back, but some of the lenders refused, according to The New York Times. Judge Furman found that the lenders were justified in assuming the payment had been intentional. "To believe that Citibank, one of the most sophisticated financial institutions in the world, had made a mistake ... to the tune of nearly $1 billion, would have been borderline irrational," he said in his ruling. Citi vowed to appeal. [New York Times, 2/16/2021]

Can't Help Himself

Garrett Monds, 30, was sentenced to 3 1/2 to seven years in prison on March 10, following his sixth conviction for unlawful surveillance in women's restrooms in central New York state. Syracuse.com reported Monds spent two years in prison for the first five incidents, in which he set up hidden cameras in restrooms in college buildings, a warehouse, a mall and a Walmart. He was released in March 2020, but within four months was arrested again. "That wasn't a long turnaround," County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty remarked, adding, "No offense, but I don't want to see you again." Monds agreed, telling the judge, "I really am remorseful this time around." [Syracuse.com, 3/10/2021]

Creepy!

Samantha Hartsoe noticed a draft in her New York City apartment and traced it to the mirror in her bathroom, the New York Post reported on March 4. With the help of friends, Hartsoe removed the mirror and found a hole in the wall behind it leading to ... another apartment. As she documented her adventure on TikTok, Hartsoe climbed through the hole into a hallway leading to a room at the end and "a whole other apartment" with three bedrooms, a disconnected toilet, a staircase and an unlocked door (which she promptly locked). Hartsoe returned to her own apartment, showered and vowed her landlord would get an unusual call the next day. [New York Post, 3/4/2021]

Least Competent Criminal

Authorities in Camden County, Missouri, arrested Leigh Ann Bauman, 43, a prominent Lake of the Ozarks real estate agent and self-described "cheer mom," on March 4 for plotting to kill her former mother-in-law. Prosecutors say Bauman offered to pay $1,500 to a person in St. Louis who contacted the Missouri Highway Patrol and then turned informant, recording Bauman's request that the "look like an accident," and later saying she's a Christian but she could ask for forgiveness later. According to The Daily Beast, Bauman also texted her daughter, saying, "Your grandmother will die." She is being held without bond in the Camden County Jail. [The Daily Beast, 3/5/2021]

Crime Report

Detectives investigating recent thefts of catalytic converters from vehicles in Pasco, Washington, went to the mobile home of Dustin Allen Bushnell, 30, in nearby Burbank with a search warrant on Feb. 26, and not only found converters, but also discovered a 400-pound playground slide that had been removed from a city park in December, KEPR reported. The slide had been repainted and mounted to a bunk bed in the home. Bushnell was arrested for possession of stolen property for the slide; no charges were filed for the converters. [KEPR, 3/10/2021]

Awesome!

Snake breeder Justin Kobylka of northeast Georgia has been breeding ball pythons for eight years to achieve a bright golden yellow and white color combination, but recently wound up with a snake bearing three smiley face emoji-looking markings on its body. Kobylka told United Press International one in 20 of his snakes sports a smiley face, but this was the first to have three faces. He sold it for $6,000. [United Press International, 3/9/2021]

What Could Go Wrong?

Alexandr Kudlay, 33, and Viktoria Pustovitova, 28, of Kharkiv, Ukraine, are experimenting with a new way to preserve their on-and-off relationship: On Valentine's Day, they handcuffed themselves together and have vowed to stay that way for three months. "We used to break up once or twice a week," Kudlay told Reuters, but now when they disagree, "we simply stop talking instead of packing up our things and walking away." They take turns taking showers and give each other privacy in the bathroom by standing outside with one hand inside. [Reuters, 3/11/2021]

Bright Ideas

-- On March 9, Eric Dion Warren, 50, was sentenced to federal prison in Lubbock, Texas, after pleading guilty to robbing a bank and using a BMW he was test-driving as his getaway car. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that, according to court documents, Warren drove to the AIM Bank in Wolfforth on June 7, 2019, handed the teller a note demanding $10,000 in small bills and showed what appeared to be a handgun. The teller complied, and Warren headed back to the dealership where he pulled out $3,000 as the down payment on the car he had been driving. As Warren finalized the deal, the dealership received a call about the bank robbery and the connection was made. Warren was given the maximum sentence of 20 years. [Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3/10/2021]

-- Police in Spain announced on March 12 they had foiled the plans of drug smugglers who were building a narco-submarine capable of carrying over 2 tons of cargo, the Associated Press reported. In February, police in Malaga discovered the 30-foot-long, light blue craft made of fiberglass and plywood, which they suspect was meant to "go into the high seas to meet another ship (to) take on board the drugs," said Rafael Perez, head of the Spanish police. It was powered by two 200-horsepower engines but had never sailed. Fifty-two people were arrested in the international smuggling scheme, and hundreds of pounds of cocaine, hashish and marijuana were seized. [Associated Press, 3/12/2020]

Sign of the Times

After many months of postponement, voting in the 74th Annual Tony Awards is underway, and the statues are scheduled to be presented with the reopening of Broadway this spring. In an unusual twist, reported The New York Times, actor Aaron Tveit, star of "Moulin Rouge!" is competing for recognition as leading actor in a musical against ... only himself. And even though there are no other nominees, Tveit could still wind up losing, as the rules require 60% of the vote to win. [New York Times, 10/15/2020]