The Odd Truth, April 5, 2005

The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Joey Arak.

Couple Of April Fools

ROGERSVILLE, Tenn. - Hawkins County authorities were waiting for two would-be burglars after a cell phone in a suspect's pocket accidentally dialed 911 and dispatchers overheard them plotting the crime.

Authorities arrested Jason Anthony Arnold, 29, and James Keith Benton, 38, both of Church Hill, and charged them with burglary and theft of more than $500. Officers said they tried to steal a refrigerator from a mobile home dealership.

The Hawkins County Sheriff's Department was tipped off early Friday morning when dispatchers overheard a 40-minute conversation from a cell phone about plans to rob the dealership.

"It's the kind with the numbers exposed," detective Eve Jackson said. "Apparently with this type of phone if you hold down the number nine it automatically dials 911. So Mr. Arnold's phone was in his front jeans pocket, and somehow the number nine got pressed, and central dispatch heard everything they said."

Deputies thought the 911 call could have been a prank because it was April Fool's Day, but the scene unfolded exactly the way the conversation had described.

The suspects went into one of the mobile homes, carried out a refrigerator and were surprised when police came out from hiding and confronted them.

Viking Unemployment Rate Falls

OSLO, Norway - Help wanted: Vikings. Must be friendly, tourist-oriented and interested in ancient Norse traditions. Crazed, bloodthirsty pillagers need not apply.

In a rare employment opportunity for Vikings, whose job market peaked about 1,000 years ago when they terrorized Europe in their longboats, southern Norway's Vestfold county wants to fill slots at its local historical park.

The ad, to appear in local media Saturday, will be simple: "Jobs available. Vikings in Vestfold," with a link to the center's Internet home page, said Lars Kobro, self-described chieftain of the Midgard Historical Center.

"More and more we see that tourists are interested in Vikings," Kobro said Tuesday. "They don't want just exhibits, but face-to-face encounters."

But the center is seeking to play down the Scandinavian Vikings' reputation as wild, murderous looters who pillaged and burned through much of Europe, a claim Kobro said was largely exaggerated in texts left by ancient English monks.

"They were really more traders and merchants," said Kobro. He said they are seeking a corps of about 50 part-time Vikings, ready to turn out at the center when needed.

Wallet Returned 20 Years Later

JACKSON, Wyo. - Twenty years after losing her wallet, along with $177 and her Social Security card, Lisa Tonks finally has it back.

Tonks lost the wallet during a family trip in 1985 to Jackson and Yellowstone National Park.

The wallet was turned over to police, but without more information — and because the case was considered a minor one — it collected dust on a shelf along with other old evidence, including drug paraphernalia and weapons.

Jackson police technician Tom Turcol decided to reopened the case using a police computer network and some investigative know-how.

He traced the Social Security number to Tonks, of Peru, Ind.

"She was quite surprised," Turcol said. "She figured it was gone and that's that."

City Wants You To Play Hooky

CLEVELAND - Some employees showing up two hours late for work soon will have the perfect excuse: A ticket stub from last night's show in Playhouse Square.

The "Late Out, Late In" promotion, announced Monday, is meant to encourage music and theater fans to enjoy the city's nightlife, even on weeknights. The city's tourism agency organized the promotion with participating employers.

Employees need approval in advance and must provide a ticket stub to claim the time off.

"Our employees work so much overtime as it is, I think it will benefit us in the long run," said Tony Weber, chief executive officer of Glazen Creative Studios, whose 11 employees specialize in corporate videos.

Weber said it was too early to say how much it might cost his company to allow concertgoers to arrive late at work the next day. He also wasn't sure whether the option would be limited to, say, once weekly or once monthly.

Horse Tail Crime Spree

TOWN OF LEON, Wis. - Some horses in central Wisconsin may still be bright eyed, but no longer bushy tailed.

Waushara and Portage county sheriff's departments are trying to figure out who is cutting off the tails of some horses.

Someone cut off parts of the same horse's tail about four times since January at Town of Leon, Waushara County Sheriff David Peterson said. And Portage County officials are investigating the theft of the tails of four show horses in the town of Eau Pleine.

The horses were not injured and no one has determined a motive.

Portage County sheriff's Detective Gina Boettcher said the culprits could be after horsehair that is sometimes used for making jewelry, watchbands, or belts.

"It's very expensive if you go to buy it," Boettcher said.

Sneaky Car Rental Co. Exposed

HARTFORD, Conn. - The Connecticut Supreme Court is putting the brakes on a rental car company's use of a global positioning satellite system to fine speeding customers.

American Car Rental — which operates Acme Rent-A-Car — had been fining speeders $150.

Acme said the fines were to make up for wear and tear on cars driven at excessive speeds. However, a consumer protection hearing officer determined such costs at about 37 cents per vehicle for each infraction.

State officials say Acme failed to warn customers of the fines they would face if the company's GPS system showed they were speeding. Acme also automatically debited consumers' bank accounts or credit cards without notice.

The company has already returned some of the fines it collected.

Strippers Not Free To Express

LA HABRA, Calif. - There's no constitutional right to get up-close and personal during a lap dance. That's the gist of a ruling from a federal appeals court. The panel has refused the appeal of a Southern California strip club owner who wanted a local "two-foot rule" overturned. The city of La Habra requires that lap dancers stay at least two feet away from customers during their performances. Badi "Bill" Gammoh, who owns the Taboo Theater, contends the rule infringes on freedom of expression. The strippers say they also lost money because of the requirement. A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a January ruling that upheld the two-foot rule. But Gammoh's lawyer says their fight isn't over yet.

Drive-Thru Jail

EVERETT, Wash. - Lynn Frances Johnson just had to get into jail and police say she used her SUV do it. Authorities in Everett, Washington, charge Johnson repeatedly rammed her Nissan Pathfinder into the drive-in entrance of the county jail. Deputies say Johnson told them she was being chased by someone and needed to get into the jail early Sunday morning. She got her wish. Johnson was jailed for investigation of malicious mischief and held on $10,000 bail. Authorities charge she caused about $100,000 worth of damage to the automatic doors.

46,000 Bottles Of Beer On The Road...

HALIFAX - It's enough to make a beer-lover cry. A truck hauling more than 46,000 bottles of beer tipped over on a Canadian highway, spilling its load. The smell of beer hung in the air, as authorities in Halifax, Nova Scotia, tried to unsnarl the traffic mess. Constable Mark Hobeck, of the Halifax Regional Police, says there was actually a tear in his eye as he surveyed the accident scene. He says they were hoping a truck full of pretzels would come by, but no such luck.