Man fined for ‘dirty’ words on state truck

HERMITAGE, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania man has been fined $50 for using his finger to write derogatory words on the dirty cab of a Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission truck. Charles J. Vranich, 33, of South Pymatuning Township, pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct last week on a citation filed by Fish Commission Officer Jeffrey Giardina. Vranich wrote the words on the officer’s truck when both happened to be at the same gas station in September.

Vranich wasn’t immediately available for comment, but his father, Charles Vranich Sr., said Monday his son wrote “”I suck”” on Giardina’s truck because his son was upset that the officer made him take an alcohol breath test — which Vranich passed — after boating weeks before.

His father said, “”It was something that he shouldn’t have done.””

Police: Drunken man in cowboy gear threatens dog

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa City Police Department officers say a drunken man dressed like a cowboy broke into a house and threatened to kill the residents’ dog. Police said 24-year-old Derrick Thomas Alger of Iowa City was arrested early Thursday morning on charges of trespassing, intoxication and carrying a dangerous weapon.

Officers said Alger reportedly threatened a cab driver with a handgun shortly after midnight. They say Alger, who was dressed in shorts, boots and a cowboy hat, fled the scene but entered the rear door of a private residence, where he demanded to know who the residents were and threatened their barking dog.

Police arrested Alger outside the house and said he had a blood alcohol level several times the legal limit for driving.

Florida man wanting ride to bar calls 911, arrested

OLDSMAR, Fla. — Authorities say a Florida man who called 911 claiming he’d been beaten and shot at was hoping the tale would get him a ride to a bar.

Instead, 37-year-old Gregory J. Oras is facing charges of misusing the 911 system and battery of a law enforcement officer.

An arrest report says Oras called 911 three times before his arrest early Tuesday in Oldsmar, northwest of Tampa. He told the dispatcher he had a broken nose and bleeding ears, and claimed people were shooting at him.

Authorities say he was actually looking for a ride to another bar.

The report also says Oras kicked a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy in the knees and a Taser was used to subdue him.

Online records show he is being held at the Pinellas County Jail but don’t indicate whether he has an attorney.

Man steals $50, flees on Wal-mart scooter

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Police say a Pennsylvania man in a hospital gown stole $50 from his ex-girlfriend at Wal-Mart, then tried to flee on a store-owned motorized shopping scooter.

Craig David Jr., 32, of Smithfield, was charged Wednesday with robbery and disorderly conduct.

State police Cpl. Chuck Frey says David had just been released from a hospital for injuries in a domestic dispute Jan. 1. Frey says David had been hit with a frying pan and table leg.

David was still in a hospital gown Tuesday night when he met an ex-girlfriend who agreed to pay for his prescription medication. Instead, police say he grabbed $50 from her and scooted away.

David remained jailed Thursday. He does not have an attorney.

Bank bandit flees after getting yelled at

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Police are seeking a timid would-be robber who fled a Springfield bank empty-handed after somebody yelled at him.

Sgt. John Delaney says a man wearing dark clothes and sunglasses entered The Bank of Western Massachusetts on Thursday morning and demanded money from a teller. The man said he was armed but never showed a gun.

Delaney says another person in the bank yelled at the man to leave — and he did.

Delaney says the would-be robber fled out the door without any money, climbed into a getaway car and drove off.

Detectives are checking bank security cameras and dusting for fingerprints.

Naked jogger nabbed after run near White House

WASHINGTON — Authorities say a man who took off his clothes and began jogging in near-freezing temperatures near the White House has been taken into custody and hospitalized for a mental evaluation.

The man was seen stripping Wednesday around 5 p.m. He left his clothes near the northeast corner of the Ellipse, the green space south of the White House.

Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford says the run lasted less than a minute before the man was apprehended. The president was at the White House at the time. But Blackford says the man, who left his clothing in a duffel bag, didn’t make any threats. His bag was declared suspicious, but its contents were found to be harmless.

Temperatures were around 35 degrees.

It wasn’t clear if the jogger would face criminal charges.

Woman who stripped to avoid arrest going to jail

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. – A 36-year-old Wisconsin woman who stripped in front of her children in a drunken attempt to avoid a shoplifting arrest is going to jail. As part of a plea agreement, Julia E. Laack of Sheboygan pleaded no contest to three charges including retail theft. The Sheboygan Press says she was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail.

Prosecutors say Laack stole beef jerky and a lighter from a convenience store in October. They say when police went to her home she began screaming at three children and told a teenager the incident was his fault.

Laack then stripped to her underwear and told officers they couldn’t arrest her because she would be naked.