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Maryland boasts at least 3 Harry Potters

LEONARDTOWN, Md., July 14 (UPI) -- A Maryland man who shares his name with fictional wizard Harry Potter says he is frequently contacted by young fans of the book and film series.

Harry E. Potter, 76, of Leonardtown said he not only shares a name with J.K. Rowling's boy wizard character, he also shares one of the fictional Potter's trademark characteristics -- a scar on his forehead, The Baltimore Sun reported.

"Oh my lordy Hannah," Potter said. "You have no idea what it is like to have this name. Just 15 minutes ago, I got a phone call from some girls who were about 13 or 14, and who giggled a lot. And you cannot be rude to them, you know that? You cannot be rude.

"That J.K. Rowling owes me something. I'm not sure what, but she owes me."

The Sun said Maryland contains or recently contained many residents who share names with characters from the Harry Potter novels, including at least three men sharing the titular wizard's name, 16 women named Hermione, 3 men named Sirius, 13 Snapes and 15 Narcissas.

"Each time another book or movie comes out, the phone rings off the hook for about two months," Potter said. "It does get tiring. I'm seriously thinking of changing my listing in the phone book to 'H. Potter.'"

Ohio woman logs 500 rides on coaster

MASON, Ohio, July 14 (UPI) -- Ohio's self-proclaimed "Roller Coaster Mama" has become the first to log 500 rides on the Diamondback coaster at Kings Island in the city of Mason.

Darlene Bell, 52, of Dayton, marked the 500-ride milestone Saturday. By Sunday her total had risen to 522 rides on the roller coaster in 29 visits to the park, the Dayton (Ohio) Daily News reported.

Bell, who said she has been a regular at Kings Island since it opened in 1972, said her eventual goal is to ride the Diamondback 1,000 times.

The mother of two grown sons said she became a roller coaster addict at age 13.

"They relax me. And the speed -- I like the speed," Bell said of her favorite rides.

She said the Diamondback, which opened to the public April 18, has "good air time."

"When your booty leaves the seat, that's air time," she said. "Air time is good for us roller coaster enthusiasts. The more air time, the better the ride."

Police: Robber with toy gun chased off

PINE GROVE, Ala., July 14 (UPI) -- Authorities in Alabama say a man who attempted to rob a store with a toy gun was foiled by a worker wielding a real weapon -- a cricket bat.

The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office said a man entered the Bee Gee's gas station Saturday in Pine Grove, flashed a toy gun and demanded money, the Mobile (Ala.) Press-Register reported.

"After noticing that the suspect's gun had an orange tip at the end of the barrel, the employee grabbed a cricket bat and the suspect ... fled the store without getting any money," sheriff's Cpl. Mike Gaull said.

Gaull said investigators arrested Justin Blake Sims, 22, and charged him with first-degree robbery. He was being held at the Baldwin County Corrections Center in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Fla. city warns of code enforcement fake

LONGWOOD, Fla., July 14 (UPI) -- Officials in a Florida city are warning locals to be wary of a fake code enforcement letter telling them dogs, cats and "small livestock" must be kept indoors.

Longwood City Administrator Katrina Powell said a resident reported receiving a letter dated July 3 that said all dogs, cats, reptiles and "small livestock such as chickens, swine or pygmy goats" must be kept inside, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

"There were several things in the letter that screamed 'This is not a real letter,'" Powell said.

She said the letter was not written on city letterhead, bore an incorrect address for code enforcement and was signed "City of Longwood Code Enforcement" instead of an individual official.

Mayor H.G. "Butch" Bundy said the letter, which cited new pet restrictions to guard against "animal terrorism," informed the recipient that code enforcement officers would be performing weekly inspections.