Stupid people of the week

Missouri man selling catalytic converter online forgets to hide meth

A Missouri man trying to sell a catalytic converter online has been arrested after a huge stash of meth and a syringe were spotted in the background of the photo he used for the advertisement.

James Kertz, 38, was taken into custody in Reeds Spring on Wednesday after posting a photo of the catalytic converter on Facebook Marketplace.

His bag of meth and drug paraphernalia were clearly visible on the coffee table behind the exhaust emission device he was trying to get rid of.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said someone tipped them off to the drug stash soon after Kertz posted the ad on Facebook.

“Apparently he must have been under the influence because in the background of his picture he posted, he left his large bag of meth and syringe on the coffee table,” the sheriff said.

“Take note, if you are selling items on social media, make sure your drugs are not in the background!”

Authorities conducted a search warrant at Kertz’s home and uncovered 48 grams of meth and a handgun he wasn’t legally allowed to own, the sheriff said.

“We have now provided him a new place to stay. Sorry folks, his catalytic converters are not for sale right now,” the sheriff added.

Kertz remained in Stone County jail without bond on Friday on a charge of possessing a controlled substance.

He has prior convictions for resisting arrest, domestic assault, possession of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child.

Source; Fox News

A Wedding with Flare: 2 Men Fined over Coast Guard Search

Two Rhode Island men authorities say touched off a needless and expensive ocean search-and-rescue effort when they fired maritime distress flares to celebrate a friend’s wedding have agreed to pay $5,000 each to settle the case, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.

The Coast Guard and the town of New Shoreham spent more than $100,000 combined responding to the flares off Block Island on June 6, 2020, when there was no one in distress, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Providence.

Perry Phillips, 31, and Benjamin Foster, 33, “knowingly and willfully communicated a false distress message to the Coast Guard,” according to the civil complaint, and “caused the Coast Guard to attempt to save lives and property when no help was needed.”

The men borrowed a flare gun and flares, set out on the water in a small skiff, and fired three flares when they thought they could be seen by people at their friend’s wedding reception, prosecutors said. They recorded their actions to post on social media, prosecutors said.

People who saw the flares reported them to the New Shoreham harbormaster, who in turn alerted the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard deployed a boat and two helicopters for the search.

Source; Military.com

Schools nationwide warn of ‘slap a teacher’ challenge as kids are arrested, face expulsion

Parents are being urged to speak with kids about steering clear of a trend in which students encourage one another to assault teachers. The nationwide alerts from police and school officials come as kids are violating school conduct and breaking the law.

This week, Fox News reported on students in South Carolina and Louisiana participating in “slap a teacher” – a suspected TikTok challenge. The Louisiana incident landed 18-year-old Larrianna Jackson behind bars after she punched her 64-year-old teacher, according to the Covington Police Department. [thebesig posted about her here if this sounds familiar]

Police said the assault was prompted by a TikTok challenge, though TikTok said the challenge never existed on its platform.

“This alleged ‘challenge’ would violate our policies and we would aggressively remove such content, but the reality is that we have not found related content on our platform, and most people appear to be learning about the offline dare from sources other than TikTok,” a TikTok spokesperson told Fox News.

A third incident allegedly took place at East Middle School in Braintree, Massachusetts, when a student physically assaulted a teacher, CBS Boston reported Thursday.

The Braintree Police Department declined Fox News’ request for comment.

Fox News has reached out to Braintree Public Schools for comment.

The assaults have schools and law enforcement issuing preemptive warnings.

On Tuesday, the California Teachers Association took to Facebook to remind how recording video in a classroom or on school property without permission is a violation of state law.

“In addition to potential serious harm to victims, a student perpetrator could face serious consequences, including expulsion or criminal prosecution,” the post read.

Arizona’s Mesa Police Department sounded off on the trend writing on its blog, “It is the crime of Aggravated Assault, a felony.”

“Remember it is more likely for you to be criminally charged for following through with a social media prank than the person who posted it,” the post read.

Even without reported incidents, other school districts in Kansas, Louisiana and Ohio have also sent letters to parents and shared the notes publicly.

October’s TikTok challenge will not be tolerated by Mesa PD. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, read about it on our blog… https://t.co/jJAiKxJMh5

Video results using phrase and or hashtag #deviouslicks were blocked from TikTok.

A list circulating online includes challenges for each month of the school year. September was reportedly “vandalize school bathrooms” and October is dedicated to, “smack a staff member.”

“This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines,” the empty search results page read for ‘devious licks’ as well as for ‘slap a teacher.’” “Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok’s top priority. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines.”

Source; Fox News

Danish police confiscate luxury sports car caught speeding

Danish police have confiscated a high-performance luxury car after its new owner was caught speeding as he drove it home from Germany to Norway, a northern Danish newspaper reported Friday.

The man, an Iraqi citizen resident in Norway who was not identified, was registered Thursday as driving at 236 kph (147 mph) in his Lamborghini Huracan on a stretch of highway where the top speed is 130 kph (81 mph).

Under a new Danish law, police can seize the vehicles of reckless drivers and auction them off, with the money going into Danish coffers.

The Nordjyske newspaper said the man had bought the car hours earlier in Germany for 2 million kroner ($310,000).

Jess Falberg, the on-duty officer with the northern Denmark police, told Nordjyske that the owner was “a little annoyed” when the car was seized.

The car owner will also be fined for speeding in due course.

Source; ABC News

Lastly, some government incompetence in the most basic of tasks. I can’t wait for these people to run all our healthcare!

Repainted Victory Memorial Park path lines in Minneapolis come out a wibbly wobbly mess

The white stripe on the walking path seen above is supposed to be a straight line, a way to divide the walking and biking paths along Victory Memorial Parkway in Minneapolis.

Instead, a recent restriping job resulted in … well, this wibbly wobbly mess.

Nate Pentz, a local Realtor, spotted the meandering repainted lines Thursday afternoon near 43rd Avenue and shared a few photos on Twitter, writing whomever did it “should probably be given a new assignment at the Park Board.”

The reactions were a mixture of incredulousness and comedy:

“SHUTUP is this real?”

“Me cutting wrapping paper”

“Lines look EXACTLY like this after the guys have a few beers and chalk at any/every amateur baseball field in MN.”

“If you had tried to photoshop this, could you have made it worse?”

Someone then alerted Commissioner Chris Meyer of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, who promised he’d ask to get it fixed “ASAP.” And within 90 minutes of Pentz’s oft-liked tweet, the board put out a statement beginning with a simple, “Oof!”

The statement continued, putting the blame on a subpar contractor:

“If you happen to be walking or biking on Victory Memorial Parkway paths this evening and notice some wobbly lines, it’s not you! Striping was completed by a contractor today that does not meet our standards/specs. It will be covered and re-striped to MPRB standards ASAP.”

So if you’d like to catch a glimpse of the now-internet famous Victory Memorial Parkway “lines,” you’ll need to make a quick trip. Because it appears that soon (if not already), they’ll be back to their straight-edged, predictable selves.

Category: "Teh Stoopid", "Your Tax Dollars At Work", Crime, Police, Stupid Criminals, WTF?