Utah police: Drug dealer claimed to be aspiring cop

A Utah man, busted for selling marijuana, told officers that he was doing it only so he could save enough money to attend the police academy.

Charges expected in fatal goat attack

Georgia authorities plan to charge a man whose escaped goat killed an 88-year-old neighbor, repeatedly butting the elderly man when he tried to get back to his feet.

You meet the weirdest people at garage sales

I think my favorite part is how he allegedly tried to get a guy to run in the path of a motorcycle.

WyCo searches for escaped inmate

From the Wyandotte County Sheriff's Office: At 1015 hours, on August 30, 2010, Inmate George Dudley was in custody with Larned State Hospital personnel for a court hearing at the Wyandotte County Courthouse. Inmate has escaped custody and investigation is on going.

If you have any questions or have seen this inmate, please call 911 or the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office at 913-573-2830. The inmate was wearing light-colored polo type shirt and jeans, 60 years old, Caucasian. Inmate is a charged and convicted sex offender and is considered extremely dangerous.

Man kills ex-girlfriend, four others at Ariz. party

An Arizona man killed his ex-girlfriend and four others last night at a birthday party for her new boyfriend, then fled with their children to his sister's house in California, where he killed himself, police say.

Monday's Open Thread

Welcome back to the Open Thread, our blog's space for off-topic comments and discussion. If you've seen an interesting story somewhere else, feel free to post a link below.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Many thanks to Tony Rizzo, Meredith Rodriguez, Sara Shepherd and Bob Cronkleton for minding the store while I was out last week. And thanks to everybody who helped them out!

As always, please follow our standard rules: Please sign your comments, and please avoid profanity, as well as racially and sexually abusive language. And when you sign your comments, please use only one nickname. If you need to reach me, please email jhart@kcstar.com. Thanks again, and have a great day!

Got your goat? Nope

Authorities in Mexico, Mo., are struggling to capture a goat on the loose there. The goat has developed something of a following on Facebook.

Florida thief reaches into woman's bra, steals $70

Story is from tcpalm.com.

Neighbor demands $150 to return missing dog, police say

Think of it as a processing fee ...

Man tries -- and fails -- to Mace protesters from Westboro Baptist, police say

An Omaha man allegedly drove past protesters at a Marine's funeral this weekend and released a "Mace-like spray," police say. They believe it was an attempt to attack picketers from Westboro Baptist Church, who said none of their members were affected. Instead, it appears the spray hit people who were counterprotesting against the church.

Guilty plea in pregnant woman's murder

Jason Cott has pleaded guilty to killing his wife, 29-year-old Angela, and the unborn child she was carrying, the Johnson County DA's Office reports. Angela's body was found in January under a tree along U.S. 69 by a passing driver in Miami County. Her murder actually happened at a motel in Lenexa, though.

Man beaten up after asking drug dealer for change, police say

An Iowa City man was beaten up after he asked his drug dealer for change, police there say.

Anti-crime bike ride to visit KC

The Surviving Parents Coalition -- an anti-crime group started by parents whose kids were abducted or assaulted -- is on a cross-country bicycle ride to rally support for crime prevention, and Kansas City is one of the stops. The riders will arrive at Kansas City's Liberty Memorial on Wednesday afternoon. The event starts at 5 p.m. with safety information and activities for kids. The speakers don't arrive until 6 p.m.

Lead official in Mexican migrant slaughter goes missing

Last week, Mexican authorities started investigating the murder of 72 migrants who were found slaughtered in Tamaulipas state. Complicating matters? One of the officials leading the investigation has now gone missing.

Wearing protective mask and suit, a worker walks next to a funeral home where the bodies of 72 men and women that were allegedly killed by the Zetas drug gang are held inside a refrigerated truck in San Fernando. (AP Photo/Guillermo Arias)

Awful Ways to Die, No. 770

A 29-year-old man -- waiting to see a legendary "ghost train" -- was struck and killed by a real train last Friday, a North Carolina sheriff says.

Boy, 8, was paid $1 to curse on video, police allege

A Connecticut man was arrested after he allegedly recorded his 8-year-old neighbor swearing and using racial slurs, which he then posted to YouTube. The charge is "impairing the morals of a child" because the man is accused of paying the kid $1. The suspect denies the charges.

Now, THAT is a lovely mugshot

Say what you will, but Paris Hilton takes a good booking photo.

KC plans sobriety checkpoint

KCPD has announced a DUI checkpoint for sometime Friday through Sunday -- probably not a big surprise, considering it's a holiday weekend.

Missing Vegas woman found under garbage pile in her own home

Las Vegas police spent four months searching for Billie Jean James, but it was her husband who finally found the 67-year-old woman's body last week -- under a pile of garbage in their home. Billie Jean was something of a hoarder, it seems. The mess was bad enough that it hid James' remains from search dogs when they went through the house.

 The Clark County Coroner's office said Friday the corpse found in the clutter-filled home belongs to 67-year-old Billie Jean James. A spokeswoman says it could take weeks to determine when and how she died. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Motorist accused of using sex toy while behind the wheel

Suddenly, texting-while-driving doesn't seem like such a big deal ...

Results from local DUI checkpoints

KCPD, assisted by Jackson County deputies, made 20 DUI arrests during a sobriety checkpoint on Friday night near 40th and Main. About 665 cars were stopped.

Overland Park had a checkpoint on Friday, too. They arrested 14 people for DUI. There were 678 vehicles that went through that checkpoint.

Victim, suspect knew each other from high school, police say

Eddie Lamar Thomas is accused of killing a Shawnee man, 22-year-old Chris Dotson, last week. Dotson's body was found in his apartment near 67th and Lackman after he missed a few days of work. Thomas, who was arrested over the weekend, faces a charge of first-degree murder. The Metro Squad says Thomas and Dotson knew each other from high school.

If we don't have sex, evil men will kill us

In North Dakota, an 18-year-old told his ex-girlfriend that drug dealers would kill the two of them unless they had sex, police say. The "drug dealers" were imaginary. The young man is now facing criminal charges.

Search for dead body in south JoCo

Over the weekend, Johnson County deputies searched for human remains in the 16400 block of Mission Road, near the former Kuhlman Die Casting location. No word yet on whether they found anything. Authorities say they got information earlier in the week that led them to that spot.

Shon Pernice murder trial set for June

Shon Pernice, a Northland man accused of murdering his missing wife, is scheduled to stand trial in June 2011. He has pleaded not guilty. Authorities are still trying to find any trace of Renee Pernice, who is now presumed dead. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information in her case.