The Odd Truth, Jan. 20, 2005

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

Do They Keep The Check?

SYDNEY, Australia - State government officials who sent a benefits check payable to "Mrs. Passed Away" to the family of a deceased woman said they want to apologize for their mistake in person.

The father of a 15-year-old boy who opened the letter said the family initially believed the check was a "sick joke," until they realized it was accompanied by official government letterhead, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported in its Thursday edition.

Both the check and the letter were addressed to "Mrs. Passed Away."

"This is nothing short of disgraceful," said the father, who asked not to be identified. "All the work that's gone into helping my son since his mother died has gone down the drain."

The New South Wales state Director-General of Education, Andrew Cappie-Wood, said the government had sent the family a written apology, but said he wanted to contact them personally to explain the mistake.

"We are reviewing the processes to make sure this mistake does not happen again," Cappie-Wood said.

Goosenapped!

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Police want this tale of a stolen Mother Goose costume to end happily ever after.

Jane Hayes said someone stole her Mother Goose outfit after shattering a rear window in her minivan Monday night.

Hayes has worn the costume for the past 20 years, teaching at schools and during community events.

"It's not like you could wear it out and about. You'd get spotted in a minute," said Hayes, who is an environmental educator for Rock Hill's Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department.

The thief also made off with $300 in gift certificates.

But it could have been worse. Hayes normally keeps Glen the Frog and Gabby Greenleaf costumes in the same garment bag, but co-workers who wore the costumes Saturday kept them, Hayes said.

Rock Hill Police Capt. Charles Cabaniss said officers appreciate Hayes' work for the community and want to get the costume back.

"It probably is a prank or initiation into some organization," Cabaniss said. "Or somebody thought it was cute. It's not cute."

Probably A Bad Tipper, Too

NEW YORK - Say it, don't spray it.

Police arrested a man who allegedly found a messy way to complain about restaurants where he believed he had received poor service or been served bad food: graffiti.

Miguel Camacho, 29, was caught Tuesday night after eluding police for six months, police said. He was suspected in more than 60 spray-painting incidents.

Camacho scrawled his trademark tag, "VAMP," on the outside of restaurants where he had negative experiences, said Lt. Thomas Conforti of the NYPD's 112th Precinct.

His targets included a pizzeria in Queens that Camacho said served bad pizza, and a Chinese take-out restaurant in Rego Park where he believed he had been overcharged. He also vandalized mailboxes and lampposts, police said.

When shown photographs of his targets, Camacho asked for copies as souvenirs, Conforti said.

"We respectfully declined," Conforti said.

Squid Hit The Beach

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Hundreds of giant squid are washing up on Orange County beaches, creating a scene more akin to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" than "The O.C."

The bug-eyed sea creatures, believed to be Humboldt squid, normally reside in deep water and only come to the surface at night. Why approximately 500 of them began washing up on the sands of Laguna Beach and Newport Beach on Tuesday isn't clear.

Authorities said the squid — the biggest weighing 17 pounds — might have been pursuing bait fish and gotten too close to shore, or the tides might simply have carried them in.

School Stowaway

MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota authorities say a homeless man went back to his old high school and posed as a student for three weeks, sometimes sleeping there after hours.

The 21-year-old man attended Apple Valley High during the 2002-03 school year.

Francisco Serrano says he and his family moved to Connecticut after his sophomore year and that he returned to Minnesota in December with only 200-dollars in his pocket.

According to police, a janitor found Serrano sleeping in a classroom earlier this month but let him go after he produced an old student ID card.

A PE teacher recalled seeing Serrano taking a shower at one point but did not realize he did not belong there. Serrano denies eating in the cafeteria, as some students claimed.

Cops Stay Close To Home

CONCORD, Calif. - Being in sight of a police station may not be the best location for a brothel. Police in Concord, California, have busted four suspected hookers as well as the alleged madam. They were doing business out of a new apartment building near the city's police station. Detective Thomas Parodi says the women are "very, very attractive" and were charging 260 dollars an hour. Authorities say they found sex toys, condoms and appointment books, too. Police say they also have photos, video and files on more than 100 men from all over the San Francisco Bay area who visited the apartment since the investigation began.

Automatic Business Booster

CONROE, Texas - Police charge there was more than a fish combo in some orders-to-go at a Texas Long John Silver's. John Sweeten is charged with selling pot from behind the fast-food restaurant in Conroe, Texas. According to police, Sweeten, who managed the place, would pack weed in the to-go boxes. Authorities say an undercover officer bought pot from Sweeten in the Long John Silver's parking lot. Investigators report they found about three and a-half pounds of marijuana in Sweeten's car, along with scales, to-go boxes and about $1,400 dollars in his wallet. He now faces felony drug charges. A statement from the company says it doesn't tolerate drugs in the workplace and obviously didn't know about the situation.