Weird News

James Jett, 33, was arrested in Blount County, Tenn., in February after attempting to evade police by jumping into the Little River and submerging all but his face. However, the high temperature that day was only 36 degrees (F), and by the time he was discovered, he was suffering from hypothermia.

Undignified deaths

A 39-year-old man who had been cited 32 times for driving without a seat belt (and who finally rigged a fake belt in his car to create the illusion that he was belted in) was killed in a low-impact car crash that would not have been fatal to a belted driver (Okata, New Zealand; coroner’s inquest, February).

And a 74-year-old man died of hypothermia after sneaking out of a nursing home at 4:30 a.m. to smoke (Winnipeg, Manitoba; January).

And a man and a woman were fatally struck by several vehicles on the Trans-Canada Highway after they had continued a fight from their stopped car out to the middle of the road (Chilliwack, British Columbia; February).

Spokane police department gets weird questions on tip line, including how to thaw a turkey

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Spokane police and sheriff's departments operate a tip line to record information from callers about crimes. It gets about a dozen calls a day, but not all are tips.

The sheriff's department said people call with questions about boating regulations and what businesses are open on holidays.

Other questions on the police tip line asked how to thaw a 12-pound turkey, how long to wait after a death to read a will, and, "Who can I get to come over and pick up my claw-foot bathtub?"

Clerk Throws Cans of Tobacco at Robber

(04-14) 19:58 PDT Des Moines, Iowa (AP) --

A cigarette store cashier has snuffed out a robbery. Police said a masked man flashed a knife at the Cigarette Outlet on Friday and forced one employee to the floor, then demanded money from another worker, Ruth Wright.

Instead of cash, Wright threw two cans of chewing tobacco at the robber, and one hit him in the face.

Officers said a customer then tackled the man, but the robber broke free and bolted out the door.

A cashier, Kittie Peacock, said the store had been robbed at least once before.