The Odd Truth, Dec. 16, 2002
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.
Junkie Santa Claus Robs Pharmacy
CHESTER, Va. — Police are looking for a man with a familiar description who robbed a drug store at gunpoint: long white hair and beard, a white-fur-trimmed red suit and hat, black boots, prominent belly.
Police Capt. Mike Spraker said the Santa Claus lookalike obtained an undisclosed amount of the painkiller OxyContin from the Eckerd Drug Store in Chester on Saturday night.
"An individual dressed as Santa — beard, hat, the whole works — just walked to the back of the store to the pharmacist, displayed his weapon and asked for the OxyContin," he said.
Spraker said the robber fled on foot. A canine unit tracked him to the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex, where police believe he got into a car and drove away.
"No reindeer or sleds were observed in the area," said Spraker, who said he wanted any children hearing about the incident to know "we immediately contacted the North Pole and verified Santa was there. This Santa was definitely an impostor."
Waitress Gets $10,000 Tip
QUINCY, Mass. - Waitress Sarah Nilsen got an early Christmas present in the mail this week: A $10,000 tip from one of her regular customers.
The check, made out to Nilsen's 11-month-old son, came from an older widower who patronizes the Newcomb Farms restaurant, where Nilsen, 22, waits tables twice a week.
The man, whom Nilsen would not identify, sits at the same table and orders the same meal every Wednesday.
Nilsen, who also works full-time at an insurance agency, said she's been talking to the man about her son Andrew since he visited the restaurant with her when he was 3 months old.
"I said, 'I don't know how I can thank you,'" Nilson recalled, according to The Patriot Ledger of Quincy.
His reply: "I just wanted to do something for you."
Nilsen and her husband, Jeffrey, plan to put the money in Andrew's college savings account. She says she's sure Andrew will meet his benefactor at the restaurant many times.
Guilt-Stricken Thief Returns Old Loot
CARTERET, N.J. — A man whose coin collection was stolen 20 years ago has received a $400 money order from the remorseful thief, who wrote in an anonymous letter that he was sorry for his youthful misdeeds.
Vincent Calabria, 73, of Carteret, said he didn't even know the coin collection was stolen, but was pleasantly surprised to receive the letter after so many years.
"I think it's a message from God that not everyone is bad or loused up," Calabria said last week. "There are good people, and there are people that have made mistakes and feel the need to atone."
The letter-writer wrote that he felt guilty about stealing the coins, which he found in Calabria's garage when nobody was home.
"I have grown up to be a good father and churchgoing man," the person wrote. "I know this money will never undo the pain I caused you, but I truly hope it will restore a small piece of your faith in humanity."
Calabria, a retired grandfather of five, said he had thought he simply hid the coins so well that he couldn't find them. He said the collection of coins was almost certainly worth less than $400.
DNA Saves The Day
LOS ANGELES - A judge dismissed drunken driving charges against a 20-year-old college student after DNA testing paid for by the young man's parents showed police had used the wrong blood sample.
The Los Angeles Police Department has also launched an investigation into the mix-up, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.
The case began when Nick Bergamo was arrested May 25 on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. When blood test results came back they indicated Bergamo's blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit.
Bergamo disputed the results, hired a lawyer and paid $1,200 for DNA testing, an unusual step in alcohol-related court cases.
The DNA test showed the blood sample wasn't his, and the judge dismissed the charges earlier this month.
"I was floored," said attorney Lane Scherer. "A mistake like this is a big, big deal."
The implications could extend beyond Bergamo's case, since blood is typically tested in batches, Scherer said. The same police department has faced questions of its handling of blood evidence before, including during the O.J. Simpson's murder trial.
Obscene Message Lands Man In court
HOWELL, Michigan - Eric Wilmoth should have kept his thoughts to himself. He's to appear in court today, for writing an obscene message on a check used to pay a traffic fine. Wilmoth is facing a contempt of court charge in Howell, Michigan. His lawyer concedes the obscenity was hard to miss, because Wilmoth highlighted it with a yellow marker. The lawyer adds Wilmoth will apologize when he appears before the judge.
Library Drops Fines For Food
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida - People with overdue library books in West Palm Beach can get forgiveness in a can this holiday season.
The library in the Florida city will forgive overdue fines in exchange for a donation of nonperishable food. Proceeds will be distributed to poor families and homeless people.
The offer extends to overdue CD's and videos as well.
The library manager says the offer gets the library's stock back in circulation, people get their overdue items forgiven, and the needy benefit.
She calls it a "win-win-win" situation.