WEIRD NEWS

Not the Greatest Prom Invite

Apparently one teen saw it as the perfect "promposal" - even if it did mean defacing sacred parts of our National Parks. It seems someone spray-painted the rocks at the Colorado National Monument with messages including, "PROM...ISE?" Monument officials are now looking for the moron who did it. Technically the act is considered vandalism which carries a punishment of up to six months in prison and a $500 fine, but monument officials say they would be lenient if a young person comes forward. Monument rep Frank Hayde took the high road and said, "What better way to impress your date than to show that you're the type of person who will take responsibility for their actions?" The park service is working on removing the graffiti, but it first must assess whether the paint damaged any cultural items of note, such as works of art that might have been on the rocks. (Denver Post)

So You Love Whiskey Do Ya?

Ever heard of castoreum? Well let me tell you, it's a yellowish, strong-smelling secretion that comes from the castor sacs found near the base of a beaver's tail. It's not easy to get but it is an FDA-approved food additive, and now somebody's decided to add it to whiskey! Food & Wine(TheTakeOut.com)

Oh Poo!

Hard to believe but school superintendent Thomas Tramaglini has been accused of repeatedly relieving himself during early morning workouts and leaving piles of his own poop next to a track at a New Jersey high school. Tramaglini did not explain his behavior during a brief court hearing yesterday (Tuesday). He's been charged with public defecation, lewdness and littering. Authorities say surveillance video caught the 42-year-old in the act following an early-morning run at Holmdel High School's athletic facilities. Angry staff members were watching to see who'd been doing the unthinkable deed. Tramaglini is superintendent of the Kenilworth school district, about 25 miles away. He's on paid leave from his $147,000-a-year job. Last month, one of his attorneys, Michael Adams, said the legal team planned to "rebut some of the falsehoods" that had been spread about his client, but didn't elaborate on the nature of what these alleged falsehoods are. And let's go to the video tape! (NBC New York 4)

Oh Poo II

Because there hasn't been enough poop in the news lately, we take you to Dauphin County Prison in Pennsylvania - the current home of 34-year-old Rasheem Drummond who will stand trial on charges he gave an envelope to a prosecutor that contained "only fecal matter," according to the district attorney's office. Court records indicate the incident occurred on May 1. Drummond was being held in prison on $100,000 bail for a robbery in Harrisburg from Jan. 2017, and he is representing himself in the case. As a result of the new charge, District Judge David O'Leary ordered Drummond be held without bail because he "constitutes a threat to the community." According to the district attorney's office, Drummond handed the prosecutor an envelope purporting to be a letter regarding pre-trial matters. When the envelope was opened by in court, it was found to contain only poop. We assume his. (Penn Live)

Bad Cop - Now No Cop!

A New Jersey state police trooper accused of repeatedly pulling over women to ask them out on dates has agreed to give up his job as part of a plea deal. Prosecutors say former officer Eric Richardson pleaded guilty to illegally using an FBI database to obtain information about a motorist. They say a friend of Richardson's asked him to do an inquiry on a woman the friend employed to see if she had any warrants or drug activity. Prosecutors will recommend that Richardson get probation when he's sentenced Aug. 3. Authorities say the 32-year-old pulled over women and threatened to arrest them unless they gave him there phone numbers. He was suspended after being charged in May 2017. (Newser)

Stole $1.2 Million From Amazon. Enjoy Prison!

Meanwhile in Indiana, US Attorney Josh Minkler says married couple Erin and Leah Finan stole more than 2,700 electronics items from Amazon, including Apple MacBooks, Samsung smartwatches, and GoPro cameras, by demanding free replacements for products they wrongly claimed as faulty. The 38-year-olds used "hundreds" of false identities to order and pick up items at locations across the state, netting $750,000 between 2014 and 2016. An accomplice, 29-year-old Danijel Glumac, also benefited to the tune of $500,000 he made selling the stolen goods for a profit to a buyer in New York. The buyer then raised prices again before offering the products for sale to the public, including on Amazon. All three have pleaded guilty and must pay $1.2 million in restitution. Glumac will also serve two years in prison for money laundering and fencing stolen products while the Finans were sentenced to just under six years. While announcing the plea deals, Minkler said, "Consumer fraud not only unjustly enriches the perpetrator, it causes all of us to pay higher retail prices." (USA Today)

$0 Salary Doesn't Mean You Leave the Top 1 Percent!

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner may have taken no salaries from taxpayers, serving as "unpaid senior advisors" to the president, but that doesn't mean they went broke last year. According to financial disclosure forms released this week, Kushner drew at least $70 million from dozens of companies linked to his family's real estate company, Kushner Cos. Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump made at least $12 million, including $5 million from the trust overseeing her clothing brand, $3.9 million from her stake in DC's Trump International Hotel, and $2 million in severance as a result of her January departure from the Trump Organization. Based on the filings, CNN estimates Kushner's net worth is $174 million to $710 million and Trump's is $55 million to $75 million. Amid allegations that they are profiting from the presidency, the couple's ethics counsel adds that their net worth "remains largely the same, with changes reflecting more the way the form requires disclosure than any substantial difference in assets or liabilities." (Washington Post)

What the What?

Police in Madisonville, Tennessee arrested 28-year-old Jacob Bradly Hodge who they found wearing only his underwear and cowboy boots at a Walmart. He was charged with public intoxication, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. While responding to reports of a fight at the Walmart, officers were confronted by Hodge, who was screaming and cursing while clad in just his underwear and cowboy boots. Patrolmen Daniel Martin and Kyle Day tried to get Hodge to go home with his friends, but he became belligerent and ended up getting his drunk butt arrested. Son, when you're wearing only your underpants and cowboy hat, and are in a drunken argument with an officer of the law, and that officer gives you the chance to walk away, walk away son - walk away. (The Advocate & Democrat)

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