Statue thefts hits California

Authorities in Escondido, California says thieves have been carrying off statues -- some weighing hundreds of pounds -- from lawns across San Diego County, Calif., authorities say. Many of the stolen sculptures are metal and may be targeted for scrap, Sgt. Christina Bavencoff of the Ramona Sheriff's Substation. Eighteen statues have been stolen in thirteen thefts reported since Oct. 14, law enforcement records show. Their total estimated value is $43,820. The missing statues include two bronze horses in Solana Beach, two Buddha’s in Vista, a bronze horse in Rancho Santa Fe, a life-sized copper statue of three children in Bonita and a 600-pound bronze moose and a life-sized aluminum colt, both in Ramona.

Man sent a rude email about ex across the country

A property surveyor inadvertently copied his ex into his conversation with a male friend – after he had referred to her as an ‘f***ing t***’. Now the exchange, which took place last Wednesday, has been passed to office inboxes across the country. The surveyor meant to send his ex-girlfriend’s email address to the friend but instead sent the message – and all previous exchanges – to her. Realizing his mistake immediately, he wrote back to his friend: ‘F*** – I CCd her in!’ To make matters worse, he still lives with the woman in question. In a later email, he wrote: ‘I’m in so so so much trouble; we didn’t get on before so this will be the final nail in the coffin.’ It began when the property surveyor, received an email from his friend, a City insurance worker, who wanted to organize a game of football on the weekend. The friend added: ‘Bumped into your ex-girlfriend the other weekend... she is a looker to say the least!’ In another message, the friend checked if he could ask the woman out. The property consultant replied: ‘Wouldn’t care in the slightest. To be honest she is f***ing t***. I don’t dislike many people but she is one. He then made the cc blunder, after which the friend wrote: ‘Oh my god!!! You are going to be in serious trouble!!’

Office worker fired for “SHOUTY” emails

An office worker was fired for sending e-mails in capital letters and red lettering, a tribunal heard. Vicki Walker, a financial adviser, was being too 'confrontational' when she sent out her 'shouty' e-mails, her former employer claimed. In one e-mail, she typed: 'TO ENSURE YOUR STAFF CLAIM IS PROCESSED AND PAID, PLEASE DO FOLLOW THE BELOW CHECKLIST.' General Netiquette rules say people should avoid typing in capitals, which is considered to be shouting or yelling. But Ms Walker had the last reply when she was awarded UK£ 7000 = 11,220.3 U.S. dollars for unfair dismissal in Auckland, New Zealand. While the e-mails caused disharmony, she received no warnings about losing her job in 2007, the panel found. ProCare also had no e-mail style guide, meaning staff could not be certain about what communication was appropriate.

Woman choked a 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter

Authorities in Elyria, Ohio say a pregnant woman and her mother were arrested after the older woman choked a 71-year-old Wal-Mart greeter while leaving the store. Elyria police say 49-year-old Toni Duncan, of Elyria, was asked to show a receipt Saturday and responded by pushing a cart into the greeter, grabbing his throat and choking him. She was charged with assault. Her daughter, 21-year-old Ashley Jackson, of Elyria, was charged with aggravated menacing and inducing panic. She's accused of saying she would blow up the store and that the greeter would be dead when her boyfriend learned of the incident.

Woman accused of having cocaine in her diaper

A Boston woman accused of trying to smuggle 1,000 grams of cocaine inside what police describe as a 'diaper-like garment' she was wearing is facing arraignment. State police say 22-year-old Karen Morla Ramos is scheduled to be arraigned on drug charges Monday. Police say Ramos arrived at Boston's Logan International Airport on a flight from the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Customs officials, suspicious about the inconsistent answers she gave about her travel, frisked her and found the cocaine hidden in an undergarment. .

'This will be good for you – and for me.'

A learner driver attacked his examiner after he refused to accept a cash bribe in exchange for letting her pass. .Jin Su reportedly handed the examiner a red envelope which contained between £400 and £500 during her test When examiner Keith Ashcroft refused the bribe and declared the test over, Su attacked him in the street, and tried to insist that the test continue. When she was arrested she told police that the money had been for luck rather than a bribe. Su, who has failed her driving test five times, was sentenced to 50 hours unpaid work and will also pay Mr. Ashcroft £100 compensation.

Thieves used golf cart to make their getaway

Fresno County sheriff's spokesperson Chris Curtice says the heists appear the work of the same crooks. The Fig Garden Golf Club was their latest target. On Monday, an employee heard an alarm and spotted the crooks fleeing down a fairway in a golf cart. Deputies discovered the thieves had used an all-terrain vehicle to pull the top off the ATM, but they fled in the golf cart before they could get any cash. Two men stole an ATM from Blackbeard's entertainment center on March 7. Sgt. Mark Hudson says the thieves loaded the cash machine into a golf cart stolen last month from the Fort Washington Golf Course. .

Man jailed for highway porn prank

A Moscow court jailed a Russian hacker for 18 months after he altered an electronic advertising billboard so that it screened a pornographic video, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday. Hacker Igor Blinnikov stopped traffic by breaking into a computer system and screening a graphic sex video for around 10 minutes on a video billboard beside a busy highway in central Moscow. Blinnikov, who comes from the southern Russian city of Novorossiisk, was found guilty late Wednesday of illegally gaining access to information on a computer and distributing pornographic materials. He called the video prank on Moscow's Garden Ring highway a "joke that went wrong" He had earlier been convicted of attempting to deal in marijuana and was handed a total sentence of six years by Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky court, a year of which he has already served in detention. .

Thieves steal diamond ring at Tiffany's in Paris

Police say three men pretending to be customers stole a $353,200 diamond ring from the Tiffany & Co. store in Paris' upscale Printemps department store. A Paris police official said Thursday's heist happened at around 1030 GMT. Three men posing as customers asked to look at several very expensive rings. They eventually decided on a three-carat diamond set on a platinum ring. The thieves took advantage of a moment's inattention by the sales person to make off with the ring, also avoiding detection by Printemp's security guards. . .

Radio Shack offers free gun with purchase

When driving through Hamilton, there's no need to do a double-take when you see the sign hanging above the Radio Shack Super Store. "Protect yourself with Dish Network. Sign up now, get free gun," "I think it really, really fits the Bitterroot Valley," said Steve Strand, who has owned Hamilton's Radio Shack for about seven years. Strand, along with store manager Fabian Levy, wanted to generate more foot traffic at their location. So far, the gun giveaway has worked like a charm. "We have people literally stop by just to take pictures of the sign," Levy said. Qualifying customers have the choice between a Hi Point 380 pistol or a 20-gauge shotgun. The deal is only good for new Dish Network customers and they must buy a certain amount of equipment to qualify for the free gun. .