The Odd Truth, Aug. 13, 2003
The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Brian Bernbaum. A new collection of stories is published each weekday. On weekends, you can read a week's worth of The Odd Truth.
Robbing Like A Man Half His Age
ABILENE, Texas - Authorities say convicted bank robber J.L. Hunter "Red" Rountree isn't letting old age stand in his way.
The 91-year-old Texas man is back behind bars, accused of robbing his third bank in five years.
Police say Rountree walked into a branch of First American Bank in Abilene about 10 a.m. Tuesday, demanded money from a teller and passed over a large envelope with "ROBBERY" written on it.
He left in a car parked near the bank, but a witness got the license plate, which police tracked to an address in Goldthwaite, 110 miles southeast of Abilene. About a half-hour later, Rountree was pulled over by officers 16 miles south of Abilene on U.S. 84 on his way home.
Rountree was jailed on a charge of bank robbery. Bail was set at $150,000.
On Dec. 9, 1998, one week before his 87th birthday, Rountree was arrested in Biloxi, Miss., minutes after he robbed a bank. He was eventually given three years probation, fined $260 and told to leave Mississippi.
In October 1999, he was arrested outside a NationsBank in Pensacola, Fla., after giving a teller a note that said "ROBBERY" written in red ink and telling her, "Give me the $100s." He was convicted of bank robbery and sentenced to three years in prison, becoming the oldest inmate in the Florida prison system.
Abilene Police Sgt. Mike Perry said about $2,000 was taken in Tuesday's robbery.
Cream Party Candidate
SAN FRANCISCO - Depending on your point of view, Ralph Nader got either his just or unjust desserts.
The Green Party presidential candidate ended up with pie on his face as he was endorsing fellow party member Peter Camejo for California governor.
Appearing at the Green Party's San Francisco headquarters, Nader said California voters should take advantage of the unprecedented gubernatorial recall. He said Camejo understands the state's fiscal crisis better than other candidates.
The show of political support took an unscripted turn when a prankster burst into the room and slammed a cream pie in Nader's face. The culprit fled through a side door.
Camejo later suggested the pie assault was the work of Democrats who may feel threatened by the Green Party's growing popularity.
Some Democrats blame Nader for helping put President Bush in the White House by siphoning off votes from Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 election.
Malaysia Bans Washing, Cooking, In Public Toilets
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Officials in a southern Malaysian state will soon enforce a new law that forbids people to wash clothes, cook or light a fire in public toilets, a news report said Wednesday.
The law will allow fines of up to $263 for anyone deemed to have abused restroom facilities, said Low Boon Hong, a government official in Johor state, 300 miles south of Kuala Lumpur.
Offenses under the law include failing to flush, vandalism, spitting and littering — as well as more irregular behavior in toilets such as bathing, cooking, washing clothes and lighting fires, Low was quoted as saying by the Bernama national news agency.
Follow That Bar Stool!
RENO, Nev. - Police pulled over a man on a bar stool - after a slow speed pursuit on one of Reno's busier streets.
It started Monday when an officer saw a man riding the motorized bar stool at 35 mph. He was being followed closely by a woman in a Mustang.
Both driver and rider were pulled over.
The woman told police she had been on the phone with a dispatcher reporting the bar stool stolen.
The owner of the bar stool confirmed that the stool, powered by a small engine, had been taken three weeks earlier.
Jarrett Orcutt, 22, said he had bought it a little over a week ago, thinking it was a toy and added that he had driven it between Reno and nearby Sparks several times. Police estimate its value at more than $1,000.
Orcutt faces Reno charges of possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia and numerous traffic violations.
Sparks police are handling the stolen vehicle report.
Japanese Cop Nabbed In Up-Skirt Photo Caper
TOKYO - A policeman in western Japan is facing disciplinary measures after he was caught photographing up a young woman's skirt with a hidden camera while on duty, an official said Wednesday.
The 42-year-old police sergeant, whose name was not released, used a digital camera to surreptitiously snap the shots when the woman was reporting a stolen bicycle at his station in the western city of Takarazuka.
The woman became suspicious after she saw a flash go off. She later reported the incident to state police, a spokesman said on condition of anonymity.
The sergeant has admitted to the accusations and is expected to face disciplinary action, the spokesman said, without elaborating.
The camera was not police property, he added.
Newspapers reported that police will ask prosecutors to charge the sergeant with violating public nuisance laws, but the spokesman said the punishment was still under consideration.
Man Takes Off Pants At Airport; Motive Still Unclear
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - A Florida man says airport screeners humiliated him by asking that he drop his pants at an airport checkpoint.
Martin Holness says when coins in his trousers set off a metal detector, a guard asked him to run the pants through an X-ray machine.
But the Transportation Security Administration gives a different account of the July incident at Fort Lauderdale's airport.
TSA spokeswoman Lauren Stover says the passenger was frustrated, and took the pants off by himself, insisting that they be X-rayed. She says Holness caused a scene and says the screener did nothing wrong.
Stover says passengers who feel the need for privacy can ask to be screened in a private area, adding that officials need the public's cooperation to make the security system work.
NASCAR Email Nut Pleads Guilty
BOSTON - A fit of anger is costing a NASCAR fan plenty. Michael Melo has pleaded guilty to flooding Fox Entertainment with angry e-mails, after a Boston Red Sox game pre-empted an auto race. He has already paid $36,000 in restitution and has to fork-over another $2,000 in fines. Melo admitted that he wrote a computer program that blitzed Fox with more than a-half million e-mail messages. Melo has also been sentenced to six months of home detention for his May 2001 stunt.
Another Candidate For Father Of The Year!
TAMPA - A Florida dad is in jail, after he allegedly left his kids in a truck while he visited a strip club. Police in Tampa say Olvin Pabon paid a $20 cover at the Deja Vu bar, and spent about 20 minutes inside. A security guard outside heard crying and found the four children in the truck. Security officers and several patrons blocked Pabon's truck until police arrived. He's charged with four counts of child neglect. Pabon claims he just stopped to use the strip club's restroom and only left the children for about ten minutes. The kids - ranging in age from one to eight - are now staying with Pabon's sister-in-law.