Unusual News
Judge Finds Accused Serial Killers Aren’t Necessarily Good Lawyers
Judging by Superior Court Judge Andrew Sweet’s comments, Joseph Naso is not off to a good start. Reuters reported that on Day Two, the judge admonished Naso for repeatedly interrupting a witness and “several other transgressions of trial decorum.” The judge accused him of trying to turn the trial into a “circus” and warned him that he could lose the right to defend himself. read more
Catholic School Teacher with Four Kids Fired Because Ex-Husband May be Threat
The Catholic Diocese of San Diego fired a longtime elementary school teacher and kicked her four kids out after it became known that her ex-husband, who had a history of domestic abuse and had instigated a ruckus at the school before, was getting out of jail.
Carie Charlesworth made $37,000 a year and does not presently have any employment prospects. She doesn’t know where her kids will go to school in the fall. read more
Ex-BART GM Left in 2011, but Was the Agency’s Top Earner in 2012
After the board botched her firing—they voted 5-4 without public notice behind closed to doors to can her, in violation of the Brown Act—she threatened to sue and negotiated a lucrative package before resigning. Dugger was also allowed to remain on the payroll for 19 months, drawing benefits and accruing an extra two months vacation time read more
Escondido Woman Sues over Disputed $16,000 Monthly Water Bill
To average 87,000 gallons a day, Kreusser’s pipes would have to leak the equivalent of an Olympic size swimming pool under her property every seven days. Someone probably would have notice the resulting sinkhole.
When Kreusser protested, the utility offered to cut the bill in half. Instead of paying, she sued the city for $300,000. read more
Court Upholds Prisoner’s Inalienable Right to Read Werewolf Erotica
They confiscated the book from Martinez, claiming it was obscene and likely to incite violence.
But after a careful reading, Justice James Richman found the book’s explicit sex and violence—and its depiction of a love affair between a werewolf and a female werewolf hunter—did not mean it lacked serious literary value and was, therefore, protected by the First Amendment. read more
Facebook Billionaire to Pay $2.5 Million for Unpermitted Big Sur Wedding in the Woods
Sean Parker, who booked the entire Ventana Inn and Spa for the nuptials, built a wedding site that resembled a movie set in an ecologically sensitive part of Big Sur. He hired contractors to build fake ruins, multiple event platforms, rock walls, a pond with a waterfall, a dance floor and a stone bridge at a closed public campground, according to the commission staff report. read more
App Might Help Malibu Beach-Goers Reclaim Turf from Billionaires
Environmental writer Jenny Price and Escape Apps have designed a smartphone application—Our Malibu Beaches—that identifies hidden public beaches and previously unidentified access points to them along Malibu’s 27-mile coastline. Until now, the wealthy people who own homes along 20 miles of that exclusive shore have been very successful at shutting the public out. read more
Drivers Using Cellphones Busted Big Time in April, but They Are Hardly the Only Distracted Ones
April was national “Distracted Driving Awareness Month” and 57,000 California drivers celebrated by earning a ticket for driving while handling a cellphone, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).
But while most of the warnings about distracted driving focus on cellphones—and are the overwhelming subject of “distracted” fines—they are far from the only distractions. read more
School District Wants to Expel Mentally Disabled Teen Targeted by Undercover Cop
Parents of a 17-year-old high school senior with Asperger’s syndrome, bipolar disorder, Tourette’s syndrome and various anxiety disorders are suing the Temecula Valley Unified School District for trying to expel him after he was busted by an undercover cop for selling the officer a couple of marijuana joints. read more
Navy Dolphins Near Coronado Find Torpedo—from the 19th Century
Bottlenose dolphins stationed in San Diego and trained to find undersea objects located a torpedo in March near Coronado that was last used in the 19th century. The Howell torpedo, only one of 50 made between 1870 and 1889, was one of the world’s first self-propelled torpedoes. The Howell just found is only the second known to still exist.
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Judge Considers Sentencing Dead Cop for Kidnap and Rape
Westminster Police Detective Anthony Orban killed himself in jail last year after being convicted of kidnapping, beating and raping a waitress in 2010, but before his victim had the satisfaction of seeing him sentenced for his crimes.
But last Friday, West Valley Superior Court Judge Shahla S. Shabet indicated that she was prepared to sentence a dead man because there were still legal issues that needed to be addressed. read more
Doctor/Minister Gets 14 Years for Pedaling Quack Cancer Cure
Dr. Christine Daniel pitched her witch’s brew of suntan lotion and beef flavoring, which she promoted as the herbal product C-Extract, on Trinity Broadcast Network, online and at her Sonrise wellness center in Mission Hills.
She charged dozens of terminally-ill patients up to $150,000 for treatments but cured no one. read more
Deadly Swine Flu Is Back, but This Time Elephant Seals Have It, not Humans
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have detected swine flu in elephant seals off the Central California coast, the first time a human pandemic strain has been found in marine mammals. Their research indicates it is the same flu that swept through human populations, but they don’t know precisely how it was transmitted to elephant seals. read more
Woman Slaps Sacramento Cop to Kick Her Nicotine Habit
Etta Mae Lopez wanted to quit smoking in the worst way, and she may have found it—slap a cop. Campoy said Lopez told him that she couldn’t quit smoking and figured that she wouldn’t be able to light up in jail. Lopez picked an officer in uniform to make sure she nailed a cop and guaranteed jail time, Campoy said. read more
“Slow-Motion Disaster” Is Swallowing Homes in Northern California
Within a short time, eight homes in the 30-year-old, hilly volcanic subdivision had to be abandoned and around two dozen more were threatened. The assumption was that the hill was somehow being eroded by water, but a dry winter and groundwater shortages seemed to belie that notion. read more
Legal Battle for 860-Pound Emerald Continues
The rock was stored in an apparently abandoned office building in San Jose, kept under armed guard at an attorney’s office in Santa Barbara, and then transferred once again to a private vault in South El Monte. The emerald was then driven to Las Vegas, where it played a supporting role in the fall of fraudster Bernard Madoff and a shady deal between some Colombians that nearly ended in bloodshed in the desert. read more