Small Bits of News

Drunk dude accused of stealing plane to impress g-friend
A man accused of stealing a twin-engine plane and driving it down the taxiway staged the stunt while he was drunk to impress his girlfriend, police said.
Michael Santos, 38, was charged Friday with theft, criminal mischief and operating a vehicle after his driving privileges had previously been forfeited for life. According to police reports, Santos was drunk when he took his girlfriend to the airport to show her that he could fly a plane. They climbed into the plane and were heading down the taxiway when, Santos told police, flames began shooting from the left engine. He said he turned off all the switches and veered into a soybean field. Damage to the aircraft was estimated at $160,000.
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Quick thinking almost got him out of a DUI, almost.
Police said a man fled a traffic stop, went home, shaved his mustache and changed his clothes, and reported the truck he was driving as stolen. Conemaugh Township police said they stopped Robert Sadlon, 50, for a broken taillight on Thanksgiving night and he ran off. Later, the same officer went to Sadlon's home near Stoystown to investigate the reported theft. There, he found a just-shaven Sadlon in different clothes.Sadlon is charged with drunken driving, escape and related charges. » Article here

Flying Furniture Repels Bank Bandit
A Salt Lake City bank robbery was foiled Friday when someone threw a chair from a second-story balcony, striking the would-be bandit.
About 4:30 p.m., a masked suspect entered Home Savings Bank at 1455 E. 2100 South.When he drew a knife, police say, someone on the bank's second floor saw what was happening and activated the alarm.
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Blue Light Special Ends With An Arrest
Who among us hasn't dreamed of this: Trapped in commuter traffic, you flip on some emergency lights, play policeman and watch the slowpokes part before you.
Thursday evening, Washington State Patrol troopers arrested a 25-year-old Tacoma man who they said used flashing blue lights on his car to get through traffic on Interstate 5.

Driver Passes Test, Then Hits Building
HOUSTON (AP) - A student driver passed his test Monday, then crashed the car into the Texas Department of Public Safety building. No one was hurt.
The man was parking the car when the vehicle went over the curb and hit a wall of the brick building, creating a small hole, DPS spokesman Tom Vinger said.
The driving examiner was not in the car, Vinger said.