NewsQuirks 687

Curses, Foiled Again

Allister Q. Guerra, 19, and Donte R. Harris, 27, were southbound on Interstate 95 near Richmond, Va., when Guerra apparently fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a guardrail. State police representative Corinne Geller reported that the men weren't injured, but a trooper responding to the accident noticed that the car's steering wheel was damaged, indicating that the car might have been stolen. A check revealed that the men were wanted in connection with a bank robbery in Maryland.

After posing for a passport photo at a camera store in Silver Spring, Md., a man waited until the photo was ready, then pulled a gun, grabbed the picture and cash from the register, and fled, according to Montgomery County police Sgt. Fred Cissel. The suspect left behind the negative. "This guy is probably going to be surprised to see his picture in the newspaper," Cissel said. "He probably has no clue."

Mickey Lyman, 44, pleaded guilty to trying to rob a convenience store in Rockville, Conn. He covered his face with shaving cream to hide his identity but was identified as a frequent customer when the shaving cream dripped from his face. Shop owner Shahab Mirza refused to hand over any money, so Lyman grabbed the owner's grandson and threatened to shoot the toddler. His weapon was only a starter pistol, however, so Mirza and his wife, Jajma Shahab, wrestled the boy away from Lyman, who fled to his apartment a few doors from the store. That's where police arrested him.

Foreplay

When authorities raided a private tournament at the Hidden Valley Golf Club in Norco, Calif., they discovered evidence of prostitution, and detained more than 100 golfers and 19 women for questioning. Six other people were arrested. "As part of a golf tournament, sex acts were offered to participants for a fee," Riverside County Sheriff's Department representative Lisa McConnell said. "There were tents set up around the course where people could pay for sex."

United We Stand

Federal authorities charged Vernon Coleman, 32, and Dane Coleman, 28, with stealing cash donations from mail addressed to America's Fund for Afghan Children. The men, who worked at a screening center for White House mail that was activated after some lawmakers received anthrax-contaminated letters last fall, were also accused of taking $35,000 in traveler's checks sent to the White House Federal Credit Union.

New York City prosecutors said that as many as 4,000 municipal workers used automated teller machines to steal $15 million from their credit union after its computer system was damaged in the September 11 attacks. When the computers processing transactions were unable to determine whether people making cash withdrawals had sufficient funds, the Municipal Credit Union decided to allow unverified withdrawals to help members, many of whom are firefighters and police officers, in a time of crisis. District Attorney Robert Morgenthau explained that as word of the computer glitch spread, the suspects repeatedly withdrew as much as $500 a day from ATMs, even if their accounts didn't have the money. Morgenthau said one woman took out $18,000 more than she had in her account.

In Orbit

Four Portuguese women notified police after being persuaded to stand topless in their windows or balconies so that a satellite could give them a mammogram. The women, ages 19 to 45, who live in San Bartholomeu de Messines in the Algarve, all said that a woman claiming to be a doctor telephoned them to announce that a revolutionary method had been developed to conduct breast examinations by satellite. They were told that the consultation would be free if they followed instructions by stripping to the waist and standing in view of the satellite. One woman was so trusting that she took off all her clothes for the "examination." Later, the woman claiming to be a doctor called with the alleged results of the examinations, then told them of her sexual desires in graphic detail, prompting the victims to notify the police.