Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know you Needed

Cops: Man puts 911 on hold, makes drug deal
Police in Cleveland say a man called 911 because he felt he was in danger — then asked the dispatcher to hold on while he made a drug deal.
Police Lt. Thomas Stacho said Tuesday that Alejandro Melendez was arrested after the call and was charged with possessing cocaine.
Police said Melendez called 911 late Saturday and reported that two men with guns were watching him.
Police records show he hung up, so the dispatcher called back.
Melendez answered and asked the dispatcher to hold on, but the dispatcher could still hear what was being said.
A voice can be heard on the recording of the call saying: "What you need? A 10-pack? You need a 10-pack? All right." Police say "10-pack" is slang for a bundle of heroin.
The dispatcher called police, who found Melendez at the location he gave, had the dispatcher call his cell phone again, and said they found cocaine in his trousers.
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Malaysian twins beats a drug charge
A pair of identical twins escaped being convicted and hanged on drugs charges in Malaysia, due to confusion over which one of them was the culprit, reports said on Saturday.
The 27-year-old twins, R. Sathis Raj and Sabarish Raj, had been charged with trafficking 166 kilos of cannabis and 1.7 kilos of raw opium in 2003. But police had trouble identifying which one was in possession of the drugs.
"This is a very unique case as they are identical twins. Even the DNA evidence could not prove anything as the DNA could be either Sathis' or Sabarish's," said High Court judge Zaharah Ibrahim.
"I can't be calling the wrong twin to enter his defense. I can't be sending the wrong person to the gallows," as she acquitted the pair.
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Waiter allegedly assaulted over 'too meaty' steak
A St. John’s Newfoundland diner is in trouble for apparently liking his steak with plenty of marble (fat).
A 58-year-old man is facing an assault charge in St. John’s after he allegedly slugged his waiter for serving a steak that was "too meaty."
The incident occurred Thursday night at a downtown restaurant.
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary alleges the man pushed the waiter and punched him in the face on his way out of the restaurant.
He has been released from custody and will appear in provincial court at a later date.
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Man beat himself to get day off work
A 34-year-old man was the victim of a violent beating in broad daylight in downtown Kingston Friday.
Police aren't hunting the culprits. They charged the victim, who, it turns out, assaulted himself.
"He's now been charged with one count of public mischief," said Staff Sgt. Mike Attwood, who was shaking his head over the bizarre incident.
It began just after 9 a. m., when police were called to a retail shop on lower Princess Street where a man reported an assault.
The employee told police he'd been jumped by two brazen bandits while walking on his way to work.
The pair landed blows in a bid to steal the victim's wallet.
"He had a very swollen lip, a bloody nose, maybe a broken nose," Attwood said.
The obvious injuries spurred a police manhunt. Officers rushed to the area where the man had been walking. A tracking dog unit was called in.
The victim gave a detailed statement and description of his attackers.
Police could find no sign of the culprits and no witnesses and they began to see inconsistencies in the man's story.
Officers asked him to go over the story again and, after some pressure, he broke down and confessed that he had concocted the story of being jumped by unknown assailants.
"He admitted that he gave himself several shots in the face to appear that he'd been attacked," Attwood said.
The mugging tale was a ruse to get the day off work, the man told police.
"I can only assume that they didn't have a great sick plan where he works," Attwood noted.
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