The Odd Truth, Jan. 16, 2004

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.

SPOKANE, Washington - Three men who went streaking through a restaurant were chilled and chagrined when they spotted a thief drive off in their getaway car, their clothes inside.

Naked in the 20 degree weather, the three young men huddled behind cars in a parking lot until police arrived.

"I don't think they were hiding. I think they were just concealing themselves," police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

The three entered the restaurant before daybreak Wednesday, wearing only shoes and hats. They left their car running so they could make a quick escape.

But the streakers watched through the windows as a man who had been eating inside the restaurant drove off in their car.

No charges were brought against the streakers.

"I think it was just three kids who decided to fool around," Cottam said. He added: "We always tell people to not leave their car running."

Weeding Through Security

DES MOINES, Iowa - A man going through a courthouse metal detector emptied his pockets, tossing a small bag of marijuana into the security tray.

When Clyde Lamar Pace II realized what he had done, he tried to flee. But he ran the wrong way from Polk County deputies into a locked revolving door.

"He threw in a baggie of marijuana without realizing it, and the person working the security post said, 'Hey, what is this?"' said Chief Deputy Bill Vaughn. "He kind of gave that old I've-been-caught look, and the chase was on."

Pace, 18, first tried to retrace his steps, then ran through the building before he was stopped by deputies at the locked door.

Pace was arrested for drug possession and resisting arrest. The arrest caused him to miss a scheduled hearing on drug and driving charges filed after a traffic stop last month.

For Sale: 70,000 Bottles Of Vodka

SINGAPORE - Singapore is having trouble unloading some 70,000 bottles of seized Russian vodka, finding no takers when they were offered at auction for 75 Singapore cents (44 U.S. cents) each, a newspaper reported Friday.

That would amount to $30,000 for the Russkaya and Starorusskaya vodka, valued at $830,000.

But after an initial unsuccessful auction in November, customs officials suspected that potential buyers were balking at the $590,000 in duties and taxes that they would have to pay, the Straits Times newspaper reported.

Taking a different tactic at an auction Thursday, they offered the pint bottles in lots of 11,000 for export only, exempting them from duty and taxes, the report said.

Still, no takers.

Meanwhile, the 30 people at the auction snapped up offers for wine, whisky and beer in less than half an hour, report said. Vehicles, jewelry and ceramic flower pots also were on the block at the bi-monthly auction, the newspaper said.

Customs officials told the newspaper they have yet to decide what to do with the vodka, which was seized in June. The report did not say why the vodka was confiscated.

Underwater Massacre

PORT SALERNO, Fla. - As many as a thousand sharks and fish were found dead when federal officials pulled a large abandoned fishing net from the ocean.

Two divers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, accompanied by state officers and two commercial fishing vessels, pulled the 500-yard "ghost net" from nearly 80 feet of water.

A loggerhead sea turtle also was found dead in the net Thursday.

"We have an investigation under way (in) reference to that ghost net," said Jeff Radonski, a special agent with NOAA's fisheries enforcement division in Miami. "It's a crime scene just like anywhere else. We pick up clues and leads from that."

The net, made of thick fabric lines to catch coastal sharks, was first spotted a week ago off the coast of St. Lucie Inlet.

The "sheer weight of all the animals" kept the Coast Guard from retrieving the net last week, divers said.

"It was pretty gruesome," diver Nick Chrobak said.

The mid-sized turtle, bloated and dead for days, was measured and documented by biologists from the Florida Marine Research Institute and later taken to a laboratory to be preserved as evidence.

Wild World Of Web Rescue

CHARLOTTE, Iowa - Bev Holzrichter feels she owes her life to some Web surfers. People around the world saw Holzrichter get accidentally kicked by her horse, while the mare was giving birth. The delivery of the foal in Charlotte, Iowa, was broadcast on a live Internet Web cam. People from California to Germany saw the mishap and called for help. Holzrichter's husband is a truck driver. She says she could have been lying in the barn for days, before anyone found her. Holzrichter wasn't seriously injured. But she may need surgery to repair a leg injury. And she's not ready to give up her horse. She says like all new mothers, her mare was just very protective of her baby.

A Check Just Isn't The Same

PINE LAWN, Missouri - Curtis Smith Senior wants his $1000 bill back. He carried the rare one-grand note in his pocket for 20 years. It was seized by police in the St. Louis suburb of Pine Lawn, when Smith was arrested during a traffic stop. Officials gave Smith a check last April in return, but he wants his really big bill. Now, the one-grand bill is in the City Hall safe of the mayor - who considers it novelty. Collectors say the bank note is worth much more than its face value. The $1000 bill was last printed in 1934 and was taken out of circulation in 1969. Officials say Smith can have the bill back, once it's no longer considered evidence. But they say he'll have to pay for it.