This Week in Weird, Aug. 13

Police say burglar crawled into bed with couple

CANTON, Ohio - Often during a burglary, an intruder enters the home, perhaps causes some property damage, steals some items and leaves.

But in a burglary early Tuesday, an unshaven homeless man went into a residence, apparently through an unlocked door, entered the kitchen, placed a can of noodles and pack of cigarettes into his pocket and then crawled into bed with the home’s occupant and his wife, according to a police report.

The report does not disclose how the occupant realized there was a third person in his bed during the incident, which took place about 2:45 a.m. But at some point, the intruder fled through a side or back door.

A police supervisor, who wasn’t on duty during that morning shift, read additional details from the dispatcher’s notes. Police found the man, who was wearing a dark baseball cap, peeking through a window of a home and took him into custody.

The report and court records identified the arrested man as Michael C. Phillips, 22.

“He told the officers he’s a ninja and knows mixed martial arts,” the supervisor read from the notes, adding that Phillips, described as roughly 5 feet 8-inches tall and 160 pounds, is also known as “Snake Eyes.”

Phillips was charged with felony burglary and a misdemeanor count of possessing marijuana.

Man arrested for allegedly vandalizing in-law’s property

TAUNTON, Mass. - Talk about an ungrateful in-law.

A Taunton man, who police say flew into a rage after his father-in-law told him to pay insurance on a vehicle the older man allows him to use, will face charges of destruction of property and breaking and entering.

He’s also to be charged with witness intimidation after police said he contacted and threatened his father-in-law the day after the incident.

The 44-year-old victim told cops that Jason Roderick, 27, drove the Jeep Grand Cherokee to his home Monday morning and demanded $500 in order to pay for the insurance policy.

When the victim told his daughter to inform her husband that “he needs to get a job,” Roderick allegedly confronted his father-in-law in the kitchen and then began to vandalize the property.

Roderick allegedly used a lawn chair to smash a window, which also resulted in damage to the doorframe and its locking mechanism. The chair itself was demolished, police said.

The victim told police the SUV is registered under his name and that he allows his son-in-law and daughter to use it with the understanding that they foot the insurance bill.

Woman tries to help lost homing pigeon

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. - Blown off course or lost on what was apparently a 600-mile flight, the pilot made an emergency landing on the sidewalk outside a local day spa. That's where, three days ago, Danielle Bucchieri found the aviator - a brightly colored pigeon.

Struck by the blue identification band around the bird's leg and its lack of fear, Bucchieri took it home.

She has since traced the bird to a Rhode Island club that races pigeons - most recently from Sandusky, Ohio, back to their homes in New England. But she's still searching for the bird's rightful owner.

"I figure we'll just keep her here until she finds her home," Bucchieri said.

Bucchieri, a day spa manager and esthetician, said the pigeon seemed depressed - slumped over, its head down.

"I was just concerned if she wandered into the parking lot or some mean-spirited kids came along ... she clearly wasn't afraid of people," she said. "She clearly wasn't a wild bird."

So Bucchieri scooped up the bird and carried it inside. Few of her co-workers batted an eye.

"I've rescued other birds and animals before," she said. "So they were like, 'We're not really surprised you caught a pigeon.'"

Daisy Mae the dog gets steak for saving owner from fire

CANTON, Ohio - Daisy Mae the dog was content to claim her hero’s reward Tuesday: A porterhouse steak cooked rare.

The 3-year-old white-and-brown boxer was treated to steak as a gesture of appreciation from her owner, Raymond Sweeney, for saving his life.

Sweeney, whose house was destroyed by a fire late last week, credits Daisy Mae with rousing him while he slept in the burning house.

“If it wasn’t for the dog, I definitely wouldn’t have made it,” Sweeney, 52, said.

Sweeney, recalling the events leading up to the fire, said he had returned home from the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival Ribs Burnoff.

“I came back drunk, passed out on the couch,” he said. “We had a few beers. She woke me up, jumping, trying to pull me. That is why they call them boxers - she was swinging.”

GateHouse News Service