To a 13-year-old boy, it probably looked like a pretty hot set of wheels.
But now, the young teenager from Dillon, S.C. faces charges after he allegedly did some patrolling of his own in a stolen police car.
Dillon Police Sgt. Jason Turner tells the Morning News of Florence that officers didn’t even know the car was missing until residents reported seeing the boy driving it Sunday. The boy had done the same thing the previous Sunday, but no one noticed.
The boy had watched someone enter a security code on a police department door, memorized it and used it to get into the building to take the keys to the vehicle. The boy, whose name hasn’t been released because of his age, is interested in law enforcement, Turner said.
He remained in custody Wednesday at the Department of Juvenile Justice. He has been charged with larceny and second-degree burglary.
His mother was arrested Tuesday and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Patricia Gillespie told police she didn’t report her son’s escapade because she didn’t see anything wrong with his patrolling.
— Here’s a followup to a Mid-Daily Item we reported back in May.
Remember the guy from Valparaiso, Ind., who was arrested for climbing to the roof of a gas station to sing a song protesting high gasoline prices?
He now says he will plead guilty to a trespassing charge.
Jay Weinberg, 29, is scheduled to appear in a Porter County courtroom Thursday to enter his guilty plea. He expects to be sentenced to six months probation.
On May 5, Weinberg carried a guitar and a megaphone to the roof of the Family Express station in Valparaiso, where gas was selling that day for $3.78 per gallon.
He sang “Price Gouge’n” for about 15 minutes to the cheers of commuters before police arrested him.
Weinberg says he’s not done with his protests of high gas prices. And he’s selling his song online. If you interested, the Website is www.gasolinesong.com.
— People looking for work by dialing a published phone number for the Maryland Job Service Hotline could end up with something completely different.
Dialing a phone number listed on the Family Health Administration’s Web site steered unsuspecting job seekers to women in the area looking for sex. The incorrect number was also listed in the a phone book and on other Web sites.
State officials say they are aware of the problem and are working to correct it.
— And finally, just in time for Fourth of July picnics:
Scientists in Texas report today that watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body’s blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra.
Found in the flesh and rind of watermelons, citrulline reacts with the body’s enzymes when consumed in large quantities and is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems.
“Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” said Bhimu Patil, a researcher and director of Texas A&M;’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center. “Watermelon may not be as organ-specific as Viagra, but it’s a great way to relax blood vessels without any drug side effects.”
— Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend. Mid-Daily Items will return on Monday.
