Small Bits of News You Didn’t Know You Needed

Thieves’ net trout catch at fish hatchery

Someone in California has a truck load of stolen merchandise that probably is starting to stink.

State Fish and Game wardens are investigating what they believe to be the first large-scale theft from a state fish hatchery after as many as a thousand trophy-sized trout were taken from a facility near Fresno.

Workers at the San Joaquin State Fish Hatchery found the gate pried open and blood covering the floors. Department spokesman Patrick Foy says the trout were 3 years old and weighed approximately three pounds each.

The trout were part of a program paid for by fishing license fees to stock lakes for fishing enthusiasts.

Wardens are now scouring California fish markets for signs of them. Trout sells for up to $7 a pound.

.

Guards' Fired Over Genitals Prank

A federal judge says Franklin County officials are not responsible for the actions of two guards who fed a prisoner a bologna sandwich that had been rubbed against another inmate's genitals.

U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost has ruled the county, its commissioners and its late sheriff did not foster a culture of rule-breaking that encouraged the deputies to act out of line.

Court documents say two deputies were handing out bologna sandwiches in 2009 when they made an inmate put his genitals on one while they took a picture with a cell phone. They fed the sandwich to another inmate and showed him the picture.

Both deputies were fired.

One deputy pleaded guilty to health code violations. His attorney called the incident a "prank."

The other deputy wasn't charged.

.

Mom humiliated son in public by wearing I’m a theft sign

Residents of an Australian city said a mother forced her young son to sit in public wearing Shrek ears and a sign proclaiming him to be "a thief."

Witnesses said the boy, who appeared to be about 10 years old, spent nearly an hour sitting near a Townsville water park wearing the ears and the sign while his family ate lunch nearby,

"Do not trust me. I will steal from you as I am a thief," the boy's sign read.

Diane Mayers, said she was so "horrified" when she saw the boy that she immediately notified the Child Safety Services.

"A lot of people walked past laughing at him, including boys who would have been his age," Mayers said. "At one point, the boy had taken off the Shrek ears. My daughter walked past and heard the mother say, 'Put them back on or I'll smack your head in.'"

Mayers said she feared the long-term effects from the public humiliation would be worse than the potential effects from physical abuse.

.

Preteen boy named town's drag queen

British boy has been named the top drag queen at his village's annual contest after wearing women's clothes and singing pop hits for the crowd.

12-year-old Redvers Stokes of Sticker, England, beat other local men in the drag contest by doing his "Naughty Nora" persona and singing tunes including “Michael Jackson's "Thriller" for the judges.

The boy said he started wearing his mother's clothes for fun when he was young and he now frequently attends village events in women's clothes and makeup.

I think it's really funny. I've always been open to new things. I might like dressing up in women's clothes but I still like girls. It's just a little hobby of mine," Stokes said.

Organizers of the drag contest said they started the annual event two years ago when they did not find enough girls that were willing to participate in the carnival queen pageant.

The boy's mother, Georgia Stokes, 43, said she "couldn't be more proud" of her son.

"His Naughty Nora routine is very convincing. I've never been concerned. Redvers just loves being the center of attention. He has no plans to make it a career," she said.

.