Small Bits of News

Woman claims she was chased by abominable snowman
Two Lema Drive residents were startled on Sunday morning when a woman knocked on their door and asked for a ride home because the abominable snowman was chasing her. Sally Meurant and Carmen Fraccica called police after the woman, whom they had never seen before and who later was identified as Toni Zillifro, came to their home at 7:17 a.m. Zillifro, who smelled strongly of alcohol according to a police report, told a sheriff's deputy that she had got drunk at a local bar the previous night and that the snowman, which she described as 7-feet tall, had chased her. She said she fought the snowman, even getting in a kick.

Man admits to stealing neighbor’s underwear
He's accused of breaking into his neighbor’s home to steal underwear. And now, the Galveston County man explains why he did it; the bizarre thefts, and even more bizarre explanation from a man who lives in Santa Fe. "Well, it's true. I went into this lady's house twice," said burglary suspect Charles Clark. "I took her bra, but I didn't know anything about her panties."The lady Clark is talking about is his 61-year-old neighbor, who caught him in the act. "I was stoned and stupid," said Clark.

Woman Accused Of Wiping Her Nose On Police Officer's Shirt
Sometimes you need a police officer; sometimes you need a tissue.
Confuse the two, and it could cost you.
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Fire crew's Tater Tots start blaze
A fire station crew must be a little embarrassed by the way some of this state's famous potatoes got fried. Boise firefighters returning from a medical call had to turn their hose on the firehouse kitchen after an overheated pan full of Tater Tots melted and set some cabinets ablaze.
The Christmas Eve fire at Station 8 was quickly extinguished, with no injuries. No damage estimate was available.
Investigators were trying to determine why a computerized safety system that automatically turns off appliances when firefighters are called away apparently had not been activated. Assistant Fire Chief Dave Hanneman said the three firefighters on duty might have forgotten to use it.

Furs found after 30 years in storage
Sam Haskins didn't ask for a fur coat for Christmas. But he got six of them.
Haskins, the new owner of a hardware store, made an unexpected discovery early this month when he started poking around the basement: a climate-controlled vault containing six fur coats, about a dozen suits and some dresses and hats, apparently untouched since the late 1970s.
"The fans were spinning and the furs were spotless," said Haskins. "Everything inside was very nice and clean. The fan was set on 65 degrees and that is exactly what the thermometer read. Everyone wants to know who has been paying the electricity bill."
Haskins, 56, bought J&H Hardware in May and the building — a three-story structure on the village square — in September. In surveying the basement, he figured there might be usable space hidden behind a wall that had hinges on it.
With son Jeremy Haskins, 27, he rented an electric hammer and then a jackhammer and eventually bored through 18 inches of brick and mortar, four inches of wallboard and then a cement wall to find the room once used by Royal Furriers, a business that closed in the late 1970s.
Haskins said he had no idea what the coats are worth, but planned to have them appraised.
It was unclear whether anyone could step forward to claim a long-lost coat — or whether anyone who did would be on the hook for 30 years of storage fees.

Robber's Yells Cause Bluetooth Connection
A man who allegedly tried to rob a Wendy's restaurant in Ohio was foiled by modern technology when his screams activated an employee's Bluetooth phone.
Keith Allen Sturgill was yelling at the worker not to answer her ringing phone, police in Columbus, Ohio, said.
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Drunk father had 9-year-old son drive
Authorities say a 32-year-old man got drunk on Christmas Eve, then put his 9-year-old son in the driver's seat of their pickup to work the gas and brakes while he steered. Jonathan David Olson of Hamlin Township was arraigned on Wednesday in Eaton County District Court on child abuse, drunken driving-third offence and other charges. A judge set bond at $50,000 and scheduled a January 9 preliminary examination. Authorities say an off-duty police officer saw the pickup driving erratically on Monday night. They say a sheriff's deputy stopped the truck in Eaton Rapids Township, and the boy said they had driven about seven miles. With news video.