The Odd Truth: June 29, 2005
The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Meredith Stoffel.
Teacher Assigns Arson
HOUSTON - A chemistry teacher who was at least three months behind on her car payments gave passing grades to two failing students who stole and burned her car so she could collect insurance money, a fire investigator said.
Aldine Senior High School teacher Tramesha Lashon Fox, 32, was charged with insurance fraud and arson, and the two students were charged with arson.
Roger Luna, 18, and Darwin Arias, 17, had been failing Fox's class up to their final exam. But Arias received a 90 and Luna an 80, grades high enough for them to pass the semester, said senior fire investigator Dustin Deutsch of the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office.
Luna was arrested and bail was set at $10,000. Neither Fox nor Arias was in custody early Wednesday afternoon, and they could not immediately be reached for comment.
The teens initially thought her scheme was a joke, but Fox continued to pursue them, Deutsch said. On May 27, the last day of school, the students took the unlocked 2003 Chevrolet Malibu from a shopping mall, drove it to a wooded area and set it on fire, he said.
Fox reported the theft that day, after already having bought a 2005 Toyota Corolla, investigators said. She owed about $20,000 on the Chevrolet and had been facing repossession, Deutsch said.
Aldine Independent School District officials said Fox remained employed while they waited to see the fire marshal's report. The students will probably be placed in an alternative school when they return, depending on what happens to them in court, school officials said.
Putin Pockets Super Bowl Ring
BOSTON - Russian President Vladimir Putin walked off with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's diamond-encrusted 2005 Super Bowl ring. But was it a generous gift or a very expensive international misunderstanding?
Following a meeting of American business executives, Kraft showed the ring to Putin — who tried it on, put it in his pocket and left, said Russian news reports.
It isn't clear yet if Kraft, whose business interests also include paper and packaging companies and venture capital investments, intended that Putin keep the ring.
Stacey James, a spokesman for the football team, said Wednesday that Kraft was traveling and he hadn't talked to him in four or five days, despite e-mails and calls.
"It's an incredible story. I just haven't been able to talk to Robert Kraft to confirm the story," James told The Associated Press.
However, a Kremlin official who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of compromising his position said the ring was a present. "Such a present was made," the official said.
He said Putin had given the ring to the Kremlin library where other foreign gifts are kept.
Woman Marries Boyfriend Despite Restraining Order
SPOKANE, Wash. - When Rachel Dunham took out a restraining order against her boyfriend, she didn't expect to be marrying him a short time later.
So instead of honeymooning in Mexico, her beau, Rodney Tomsha, sits in the Spokane County Jail, accused of violating the order by getting within two blocks of Dunham.
He tried to persuade a Spokane judge last week to lift the restraining order, but the judge refused.
The couple was married last week in nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Spokane police Detective Stephanie Barkley said.
Police received a tip about a wedding reception at a Spokane mansion, waited until the reception was over and then arrested Tomsha, 49, police spokesman Dick Cottam said.
Dunham, 25, had obtained the order after two reports of domestic violence against Dunham. In addition, Dunham was arrested on June 17 for investigation of domestic violence against Tomsha.
Man Totals Two Cars Within Eight Hours
CLINTON, Tenn. - A man was involved in two crashes that totaled two cars in the space of only eight hours, but he didn't get into trouble for a good reason.
He's a sheriff's deputy.
Deputy Mike Nations, 47, lost control of his patrol car around midnight Saturday while responding to a domestic call. A tire apparently blew out, causing the vehicle to roll several times.
His wife, Robin, who was participating in the sheriff's ride-along program, was a passenger. Both were taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center for injuries. She was treated and released. He was kept a little longer.
Deputy Nathan Brown picked up Nations around 7 a.m. Sunday. While driving him home, Brown, 27, apparently went into a diabetic shock, lost control of his cruiser and crashed.
"We are thankful that no one was seriously injured or killed in either accident. We expect both officers to return to full duty soon," Sheriff Bill White said.
Mom Gives Birth To 'Big Enchilada'
MILWAUKEE - Even arriving three-weeks early, a Wisconsin baby born last week weighed in at 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
Her parents have dubbed Delaney Jessica Buzzell the "Big Enchilada."
A nurse says Delaney's diaper and shirt were a little snug and that she had "quite an appetite" and was "ready for a steak."
Paul and Robin Buzzell, who live in suburban Milwaukee, have two other children who were born weighing about eleven pounds each.
Their latest weighs nearly twice the average newborn. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, less than one percent of babies weigh more than eleven pounds at birth.
Shopping Cart Drunk Driving
DEVILS LAKE, N.D. - A man is accused of driving an electric-powered shopping cart around a grocery store here while drunk, endangering other customers.
Clifford Mattson, 27, was charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, Detective Sue Schwab said.
Schwab said police went to the Leevers grocery store, after reports of a drunken man driving the shopping cart into people and nearly knocking them down.
"He appeared to be actually driving after them," Schwab said. No one was hurt, she said.
The maximum penalty for the misdemeanor charge is 30 days in jail and a $500 fine, Schwab said. A court hearing was set for July 19.