Man with mannequin fetish sent to prison

Associated Press

PONTIAC, Mich. - A man who acknowledged a sexual fetish for female-shaped mannequins was sentenced Thursday to more than a year in prison after repeatedly breaking into storefront windows.

Ronald Dotson, 39, of Detroit, was sentenced to 18 months to 30 years on charges of breaking and entering and being a habitual criminal.

He was arrested in October after police in the Detroit suburb of Royal Oak spotted him near a smashed storefront window containing a mannequin wearing a French maid outfit.

The arrest came less than a week after he had been paroled for his sixth breaking-and-entering conviction in 13 years.

Some of the previous cases also involved mannequins. Police once found him in an alley behind a women's clothing store with three mannequins dressed in lingerie.

"I've never been able to take care of myself," Dotson told Judge Denise Langford Morris at sentencing.

Morris acknowledged that Dotson had never assaulted a person but said his behavior "strikes fear in the community."

Burglar caught after leaving photo

10:29 Thursday 25th January 2007

An Italian burglar was caught after failing to steal a digital camera which she had used to take a picture of herself.

Lucia di Matta, 46, took jewellery and other valuables from a flat in Turin, but left the camera with her picture on it after she decided it was old and not worth stealing.

An Italian police spokesman said: "She put it down on a table without realising that she had accidentally taken her own picture with it."

Police identified her after the owner of the flat came back to find the money and jewellery missing but the extra picture on his digital camera.

The woman was given a suspended sentence and ordered to return the money and valuables to her victim.

Bride's joke backfires

10:21 Friday 5th January 2007

A bride who jokingly replied 'I don't' found the joke was on her when the registrar refused to go ahead with the ceremony.

Tina Albrecht, 27, was to marry fiancé Dietmar Koch, 29, at a castle in Steyr, Upper Austria.

But after the receptionist tried to bring a bit of humour into the ceremony by saying "I don't" before correcting herself, the authorities called the wedding off.

Under Austrian law, if either party replies to the key question in the negative the wedding is cancelled and cannot be rescheduled for a further 10 weeks - to prevent forced marriages.

Ms Albrecht said: "We had to send all our guests home and now we have to wait until March before we can try again. In retrospect it was probably not so funny."

Shopworker finds armed robber funny

10:55 Wednesday 3rd January 2007

A Croatian armed robber managed to escape after a shop assistant got the giggles and told him he looked like a schoolboy.

Ivana Idzan, 22, was working in a clothes shop in Zagreb when the robber ran in holding a gun and told her to hand over the takings.

She said: "He just looked so young and nervous, like a spotty schoolboy on his lunch break and it just made me laugh to think he was trying to be a tough guy with a gun robbing a store.

"He looked totally shocked when I started laughing at him and then just turned on his heels and ran."

Police are studying film from a security camera in the shop and have begun a search for the young man.

Rowdy Santas cause mayhem

08:15 Thursday 21st December 2006

Police in Canada were called after a rowdy gang of 100 tipsy Santas caused mayhem in a shopping centre.

Mounties were called to a disturbance at the Metrotown Mal, near Vancouver, and found the Santas carrying a gasoline container full of 'a pungent mix of holiday cheer'.

"The Santas were relieved of their cocktails and sent on their way without incident," a police spokesman told CBC.

"Santa was using public transportation and no reindeer were located.

"With the seizure of the Christmas spirits, police feel confident he will not be impaired at the reins and be on schedule for next week."

80 live rats escape on flight

10:27 Friday 15th December 2006

People on a flight panicked when 80 live rats escaped from a passenger's rucksack.

It happened on a Saudi Airlines flight to the city of Tabuk in northwest Saudi Arabia, reports Arab News.

The plane was flying at a height of 25,000ft when the rats were spotted running around the floor.

The captain warned ground crews at Tabuk airport who called in specialist teams to deal with the rodents.

It wasn't until the plane landed that it was discovered the rats had been brought on to the plane by a passenger.

The man admitted he had 80 live rats in a leather rucksack which had somehow managed to escape during the flight.

The passenger was handed over to security authorities to continue investigations.

Camel gatecrashes Xmas party

11:45 Thursday 7th December 2006

A Christmas party in Ireland was ruined after a camel ate all the food and drank the beer.

Gus sneaked out of his stable while staff at his equestrian centre were getting changed for the big night, reports Metro.

Gus scoffed 200 mince pies and 150 sandwiches before downing three cases of Guinness, which he reportedly cracked open with his teeth.

Staff at Mullinger Equestrian Centre in County Westmeath, Ireland, came back to find the place looking like a 'chimpanzee's tea party'. The area was a mass of overturned tables and chairs with plates, crumbs and empty bottles strewn everywhere.

Centre owner Robert Fagan said: "We're going to reschedule the Christmas party for next Tuesday but next time Gus is going to be properly locked up."

Shopworker finds armed robber funny

10:55 Wednesday 3rd January 2007

A Croatian armed robber managed to escape after a shop assistant got the giggles and told him he looked like a schoolboy.

Ivana Idzan, 22, was working in a clothes shop in Zagreb when the robber ran in holding a gun and told her to hand over the takings.

She said: "He just looked so young and nervous, like a spotty schoolboy on his lunch break and it just made me laugh to think he was trying to be a tough guy with a gun robbing a store.

"He looked totally shocked when I started laughing at him and then just turned on his heels and ran."

Police are studying film from a security camera in the shop and have begun a search for the young man.

lol my country is in the news

lmao imagine a 13 year old trying to rob a storee looll i never knew we were that ghetto.

YOU were in the news! Good job foiling the robbery Ivana!

Yeah, like in French countries, and all countries. Some of them just sound stupid. Dominic(m) sounds just like Dominique(f), same with Gabriel/Gabrielle. Screw girl names, bunch of copycats.

Alex/Alexandra is Greek btw.

The fad these day here is trying to be original by calling girls Ocean. LOL.

Yeah, like in French countries, and all countries. Some of them just sound stupid. Dominic(m) sounds just like Dominique(f), same with Gabriel/Gabrielle. Screw girl names, bunch of copycats.

Actually, Dominique is used for both males and females, same for Claude... Funny thing is compound names, like Pierre-Marie is male, but Marie-Pierre is female.

In the UK, Ashley is a boy name.

Leslie Nielsen is a man WTF Leslie is so a girl name.
NAMES ARE INTRSETING OK

Actually, Dominique is used for both males and females, same for Claude... Funny thing is compound names, like Pierre-Marie is male, but Marie-Pierre is female.

In the UK, Ashley is a boy name.

Leslie Nielsen is a man WTF Leslie is so a girl name.
NAMES ARE INTRSETING OK