Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Wolf statues quickly stolen

ABINGTON, Va., June 23 (UPI) -- The 27 painted wolf statues in Abington, Va., are an endangered species after two were stolen soon after they were placed throughout town, police say.

Police and local officials said the wolf statues were noticed missing from outside of the Barter Theatre and a downtown business Monday, only two days after they had been installed,

The wolves were decorated by local artists, with themes including flags, eagles, butterflies, tuxedos and polka dots. They also have names such as Hollywolf Incognito and Earth, Wind and Flowers. The statues are to be on display until October when they will be auctioned off to benefit Advance Abingdon, the town's Main Street organization.

"Some number of people (who stole the statues) have managed to spoil what's probably one of the greatest things that's happened in Abingdon in a long time," said Gary Kimbrell, the president of Advance Abingdon who championed the wolf statuary.

Kimbrell said the city will not press charges if the missing wolves are returned voluntarily.

"If they'll bring them back and put them at Town Hall, put them back where they were, we'll let them go," he said. "Something that should be a great day for Abingdon has ended up being a sad day because of what they've done."

Phone thief called victim's cab company

TORQUAY, England, June 23 (UPI) -- British police said a burglar who stole a cab driver's phone from his house made the mistake of using the pilfered phone to call the cabbie's company.

Police in Torquay, England, said the phone operator for the cab company recognized the incoming call as coming from the phone of a cabbie named Don Smith, whose house had been burgled the night before, and sent cops instead of a cab to pick the man up, The Sun reported Tuesday.

Jake Ormerod, 18, pleaded guilty to burglary as well as theft and shoplifting charges from unrelated incidents, the report said. Prosecutors said they are seeking a jail sentence of at least 18 months.

"He must be the unluckiest burglar in the world," Smith said of Ormerod. "He could have chosen any cab firm to ring, but he called mine. And if that wasn't bad enough, he happened to get the one controller on duty who would recognize my mobile number immediately."

Pregnant woman falls four stories in car

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., June 23 (UPI) -- Police in Massachusetts said a 31-year-old pregnant woman was miraculously unharmed after accidentally backing her car off the fourth story of a parking garage.

Springfield Police Lt. Rupert Daniel said the woman, who was alone in her car at the time, accidentally put her Hyundai Sonata in reverse and drove off the fourth story of the downtown garage, plunging 40 feet to the sidewalk below, WWLP-TV, Springfield, reported Tuesday.

The woman was treated for minor injuries at Baystate Medical Center and released.

Police: Man tried to drive golf cart home

RICHFIELD, Wis., June 23 (UPI) -- Police in Wisconsin said they arrested a man who drunkenly tried to drive 40 miles home in a pilfered golf cart after being ditched by a group of "uncles."

Investigators said the 47-year-old man had empty beers in the golf cart when he was pulled over Saturday while driving on southbound state Highway 175 and he told a Washington County sheriff's deputy he was trying to drive home to Milwaukee after being abandoned by his "uncles" at Kettle Hills Golf Course, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The man, who allegedly admitted to the deputy he had consumed at least 10 beers, was pulled over about a mile from the golf course, authorities said. He was arrested on suspicion of second-offense operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He also was cited for open intoxicants in a motor vehicle and failure to stop at a stop sign.

The suspect, whose name was not given, was released into his wife's custody.