Weird But True

WEIRD BUT TRUE

A South Carolina man faked his death more than 25 years ago to avoid paying child support, cops say.

Johnny Sterling Martin, 58, of Myrtle Beach, had a relative call Family Court in 1979 to say he died in a bar fight in Alabama.

He’s been married four times since and thought he’d never be caught – until one of his bitter ex-wives got revenge by blowing the whistle.

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Matthew Mueller faced a big bill after blowing the engine of his 1997 BMW.

So the Akron, Ohio, man buried his car in a vacant lot, claimed it had been stolen and collected $20,000 from his insurance company.

Mueller faces a year in prison for fraud, has to make restitution and also must shell out $15,500 to state officials for the cost of digging up the vehicle.

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A Tokyo zoo presented Gohan the hamster to Aochan the rat snake as a snack after the reptile refused to eat frozen mice.

But instead of indulging, Aochan decided to make friends with the furry rodent, and the two have happily shared a cage for the past three months.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” one official said. “Gohan sometimes even climbs onto Aochan to take a nap on his back.”

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A British vicar is using some devilish techniques to lure young people to church – staging wild “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-style services.

The Rev. Marcus Ramshaw of St. Edward King and Martyr Church in Cambridge, lights candles, blasts Goth-rock music and has the congregation dress in black Gothic clothing.

“As Goths, there is a broad sense of an outlook of life that focuses on the bad things,” Ramshaw said. “Sometimes life seems hopeless. The Goth Eucharist re-establishes a link; God is still there for you even if you have been blinded.”

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She teaches kids during the day – and strips for their dads at night.

Denise Proell, 19, from Dresden, Germany, says she works for a church-run nursery school during the day and a topless joint at night to make ends meet.

“I’m also studying to become a fully qualified teacher,” she said.