The Weird Week in Review

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Gas Pump Assaulted

48-year-old Michael Mason has been identified as the man who repeatedly shot a gas pump at a Sunoco station Saturday in Naugatuck, Connecticut. He then fled the scene and crashed his car twice before stopping, according to police. Mason is in a hospital recovering from injuries received in the second crash.

When his condition improves, police expect to charge Mason with first-degree reckless endangerment, having weapons in a motor vehicle, first-degree criminal mischief, unlawful discharge of a firearm, reckless driving and evading responsibility.

Police Seek Speeding Muppet

Police in Germany are looking for the driver of an Audi that was caught on several cameras breaking the speed limit. The "driver" as seen in photographs is clearly a Muppet! The Muppet was identified as Animal, the drummer on The Muppet Show. Only after closer examination did the authorities in Bavaria realize that the car is a British vehicle with the steering wheel on the right side. German traffic cameras are aimed at the left side of the vehicle, so the actual driver was not in focus.

Reluctant Groom Sets Hotel on Fire

A man in Japan was arrested on suspicion of arson when the hotel he was scheduled to get married in was set on fire. No one was injured in the early morning fire at a resort hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture.


"I thought if I set a fire I wouldn't have to go through with the wedding," the Yomiuri quoted him as telling police.

Dog Risks Life for Kittens

150leo.jpgA dog named Leo stayed behind in a burning home in Melbourne, Australia, to guard a box of kittens. Four family members and one dog escaped the fire, but Leo stayed behind until firefighters went back in to retrieve him and the kittens. Leo was unconscious, but firefighters revived, according to Fire Department Commander Ken Brown.
He said Leo licked the kittens with joy when he saw them. "It was a wonderful sight," he said.

The kittens' mother Sabrina had disappeared and was unavailable for comment.

Man's Arm Trapped in Train Toilet

A 26-year-old man dropped his phone into a toilet on a French train and reached in to retrieve it. His arm became stuck, and firemen worked for two hours to rescue him! They eventually had to saw the toilet from its mooring. The unnamed man was carried off the train in a stretcher and taken to the hospital with the toilet still attached to his arm.

Wallabies Terrorize Senior Citizens

150Wallabies.jpgResidents of Carlyle Gardens, a retirement village in Townsville, Queensland, Australia are staying inside due to a horde of wallabies. Around 100 wallabies bounce around the compound, crashing into walls, each other, and the people who live there. Residents are also afraid of slipping on wallaby feces. North Queensland Wildlife Care is attempting to relocate the wallabies away from residential areas, and have moved twenty of the animals so far.

Preacher Arrested on Heroin Charges

59-year-old Robert McQueen is the pastor of Burning Bush Missionary Baptist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He also owns McQ Bail Bonds. McQueen was arrested Tuesday night in a drug raid and charged with 21 counts of trafficking in heroin. A police informant had been recruited to buy heroin from the man known as "Preacher". The informant made quite a few buys, but on Sundays had to wait until church services were over. McQueen's bond was set at $45,000.

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October 31, 2008 - 3:00am
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