A stubborn thief – who refused to dump 50 pounds of stolen cameras and CDs weighing him down – drowned as he tried to escape cops by swimming across the Arkansas River.
Tulsa, Okla., cops were chasing Edward McBride, 37, when he jumped into the water with a duffel bag containing the goods. The excess weight started pulling him down – but he still wouldn’t let go.
“He got about 40 yards out and yelled for help. The officers took off their shirts, shoes and belts off and jumped into the river. By the time they reached him, he had gone under,” said police spokesman Lucky Lamons.
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A hungry mockingbird flapped around an Indiana zoo exhibit for two weeks, gobbling up hundreds of rare butterflies as frantic zoo staffers tried to catch it.
The brazen bird entered the Indianapolis Zoo’s conservatory through a vent, got into the exhibit of 1,500 butterflies and dined on $1,000 worth of blue morphos and other rare species.
Staff members finally soaked the feathered felon with a hose, caught it in a net and released it “far, far away,” said zoo spokeswoman Judy Gagen.
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A disabled teen swimmer has upset his rivals by strapping a flipper to his false leg during races.
Hunter Scott, 14, of Atlanta, says it balances his body, but competitors say it’s an unfair propulsion device that gives him an advantage.
“Without the flipper, my body tends to roll in the water. I think it’s helped me out a lot, but not because it’s a propulsion device,” Hunter says.
His mom, Amanda, adds: “Last year, when he was losing, it was, ‘Oh your son is so inspirational.’ And this year he started winning, and suddenly people had an issue with his leg.”
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A Mississippi man has been jailed for 18 months after admitting he had sex with a horse while high on “ecstasy.”
Carl Patrick Brown, 30, of Gulfport, was caught on a video camera set up by a farmer looking for trespassers invading his barn.
He must register as a sex offender and has been ordered to avoid any future contact with the horse, which is stabled in Pass Christian.
Assistant District Attorney John Gargiulo said: “This is truly a crime against nature.”