Family dines with ol' Dad on the fire

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- A northeast Missouri man has been sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement for burning his father's body to hide his death, allowing the family to continue to cash the dead man's Social Security disability checks for nine more years.
U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway said the family moved McWilliams' body behind the home and burned it to hide any evidence that he had died. Hanaway said the family ate dinner while the body burned.

Hat tip to reader Jim R.!

Burglars accidentally ring doorbell

Three teenagers trying to break into a house in Florida accidentally rang the doorbell and woke up the homeowner, who confronted them. They ran, one hid in a trash can, but all three were arrested.

Hat tip to reader The_Golfer!

Man dies of DWO: Driving While Online

YUBA CITY, CALIF. — A 28-year-old computer tutor who authorities say appeared to be using his laptop computer while driving died Monday when his car crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with a Hummer.
Troopers found the laptop still running and plugged into the cigarette lighter of his 1991 Honda Accord. The couple in the Hummer suffered minor injuries.

Hat tip to reader kmb!

Sketch of bomb-mailing suspect

CHICAGO - Federal authorities released a sketch Tuesday of a man being sought in connection with the mailing of two explosive devices to companies in Kansas City and Chicago.
The man depicted in the drawing was last seen in the lobby of a suburban Chicago post office on the day the packages were mailed.

Funeral home body mistaken for wet rags

A Michigan waste hauler accidentally hauled off a cremation urn containing the body of a 66-year-old man from a funeral home garage, where it was being kept cool. He said he thought he was hauling off wet rags.

The body was never found; now the family wants millions.

Hat tip to reader kmb!

Teacher snips off unruly boy's tongue

A substitute teacher in Italy snipped off the tongue of an unruly Tunisian student with scissors, police said.

Hat tip to reader Jessica!

Like, Tommy Chong for Drug Czar?

From reader Bill from LEAP:

Tommy Chong for Drug Czar

You can cast a vote here.

Grisly San Diego murder 'on next level'

A story about a man whose dismembered body parts were found all over San Diego brought this memorable cop quote: "A killing in and of itself is pretty brutal, but a dismemberment kind of takes it to the next level," Lt. Kevin Rooney said.

Hat tip to reader John T.!

DC cops ticketed on way to emergencies

Red-light cameras in Washington, DC are issuing tickets 10 to 15 times a day to police officers responding to emergencies. The cops than have to jump through hoops - write letters, etc. - to get the tickets dismissed. Some have just paid the ticket to avoid the hassle.

Hat tip to reader kmb!

Standoffs end peacefully in Indy, Olathe

An armed police standoff in Independence with a man suspected of kidnapping his estranged wife ended peacefully.
The ordeal began at 8 a.m. Tuesday when, according to police, Amanda Maudlin, 27, was approached in the parking lot of her boyfriend's home in Overland Park.
She was forced at gunpoint back inside her boyfriend's apartment, where her boyfriend of about two months was beaten and bound with duct tape. The boyfriend broke free, ran to neighbors and called police.

Indictments and probable cause statements at Jackson County prosecutor's office.

An Olathe standoff ended peacefully, too, if you call getting shot with a "less lethal force (Extended Range Kinetic Impact Projectile" peaceful. News release from Olathe police.

Charges in Rolla campus standoff

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) - What at first looked like a potential case of terrorism at the University  of Missouri-Rolla turned out to be a despondent international student making bogus threats, authorities said.
Still, those threats threw this south-central Missouri town into a brief panic Tuesday. Charges were filed Wednesday against the student, 22-year-old Sujithkumar Venkatramolla, a civil engineering student from Nazambad, India.

Baby offered in trade for used Dodge

PUEBLO, Colorado (AP) -- Three people were arrested on charges of swapping a 5-month-old boy for a down payment on a used Dodge Intrepid and cash, police said Tuesday. The baby was placed in a foster home.

Meanwhile, this girl was lost in a poker game.

Hat tip to readers BS Steve, kmb!

Mom whose son died still partying

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) -- A woman whose 15-year-old son was killed in an alcohol-related wreck 18 months ago has been charged with providing beer to minors last week during a party at her house, authorities said Tuesday.

Hat tip to reader Terry S.!

17.5 years for "Snitches get murdered"

A crack dealer who threatened a witness with "Snitches get murdered" has been sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison.
Brian Lockett, 28, admitted he and Wilbert Stevenson sold cocaine out of Celina Johnson's apartment in KCK. Stephenson got 24 months; Johnson got 15.
Oh, and Daniel Montgomery, 53, got 10 years in an unrelated drug trafficking case from Wyandotte County.

News release: "Death threat adds to sentence"

Open thread Wednesday

This is the place to come for discussion of off-topic topics. It's also a good place to bring crime-related story ideas, especially with a link or hint as to where I can find it. The blog is always hungry.

Moment of silence for Rhonda's gas cap

Reader Rhonda in the open thread today:

• I fell victim to a crime at lunch today...I was filling up at the Quik Trip on Westport Road and I went into the store while the gas was pumping. When I came back out, someone had taken my gas cap, which was lying on top of the trunk.
• It's an '89 Honda Accord. I guess newer cars have the gas cap attached.
• I am pissed... and mystified.
• Posted by: Rhonda | Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at 01:19 PM

Sorry to hear that, Rhonda. It is away...

Mom, son fire on crowd outside home

A 16-year-old St. Louis County boy was killed and another wounded when a mother and son opened fire on a crowd of youths who had gathered at their home seeking a fight, police said.

Hat tip to reader The_Golfer!

Cigarettes target of minimart burglar

Hmm, risking a possible felony rap for this:

• A thief smashed the glass door at a minimart outside Edgerton about 4:30 a.m. today and stole several cartons of cigarettes from behind the counter.

Co-ed hoaxer: 'Sorry I swore so much'

The dramatic Valentine's Day breakup of a couple at the University of North Carolina, which was filmed, drew 747,000 hits on YouTube and made the news, was a hoax, the students say - they weren't even dating. Now the woman says she wishes she hadn't sworn so much in her tirade:

• 'The Pit Breakup' video (language alert)

Update: They're all narcissists, anyway

Airline CEO jailed with 1,200 women

Some think US Airways CEO Doug Parker got a sweet deal because famous Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio put him in with 1,200 women to serve a 24-hour sentence for DUI. But Arpaio says Parker got a bologna sandwich and a bunless hot dog, just like other inmates.

Hat tip to reader eephus!

'Find the other guy before it's too late'

A rendezvous at 12th & Askew to buy a gun went wrong when one of the participants shot two others, one fatally, police said. Charged is Cedric Tucker, 18, who allegedly told a companion he, "had hit that guy and that he was going to die" and that he needed "to find the other guy before it is too late."

Complaint and probable cause statement

Pot customer calls cop, not dealer

MURRAY, Ky. (AP) - A middle-school teacher trying to buy pot was arrested after she sent text messages to state trooper instead of a dealer, police said.

Hat tip to reader kmb!

Man who ran light now faces up to 4 years

A California driver has turned a $215 ticket for running a stop sign into a felony perjury rap after prosecutors said that he presented photos from another accident at his trial.

Hat tip to reader kmb!

Military signal zaps garage door openers

A bonanza for garage door opener salesmen, a hassle for East Coast homeowners, and surely a sign of the times:

• Marine signal knocks out garage door openers

Hat tip to reader BS Steve!

'Anthrax' standoff closes campus at Rolla

Update:  He's arrested

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) _ Nearly two dozen people were being decontaminated Tuesday after a white, powdery substance was found on a student who claimed to have a bomb and threatened ''terrorist-type'' actions at the University of Missouri-Rolla, officials said.
The man, described as an international graduate student depressed about his grades, also claimed to have anthrax, according to police. School officials said ''possible bomb materials'' were found when he was taken into custody.
Twenty-three people were sent through a decontamination process Tuesday morning outside the university's civil engineering building, where a police standoff with the student had started around 2:30 a.m.
Acting Police Chief Mark Kearse said that when police arrived the student was holding a knife and that he held up a bag and said: ''This is a bomb.'' He also claimed to have anthrax.

AP story