Watercooler Stories

Officer sues over hair on bagel

EVESHAM, Pa., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A Pennsylvania police officer is suing a deli and the cook who admitted to putting body hair into his bagel sandwich.

Evesham Police Officer Jeremy Merck, 30, said in his lawsuit against Marlton deli Good Foods to Go the eatery was negligent for failing to keep its premises safe and for failing to properly examine the sandwich, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.

The suit alleges the eatery failed to properly hire, train and supervise its employees.

The suit names former Good Foods to Go employee Ryan Burke, who pleaded guilty last October to aggravated assault on an officer and retaliation for a past official action. He was sentenced to two years' probation, fines and 15 days in jail.

The suit is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Artist gives birth in gallery

NEW YORK, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A New York conceptual artist said she gave birth at an art gallery with an audience watching as part of an installation entitled "The Birth of Baby X."

Marni Kotak gave birth Tuesday at the Microscope Gallery to a 9-pound, 2-ounce baby she dubbed Ajax before an audience of about 20 people, the New York Post reported Thursday.

Kotak said the aim of the installation was to show giving birth is the "highest form of art."

Kotak's husband, Jason Bell, said there has been some negative reaction to the installation.

"There's a history of people who do stuff like this in art galleries," he said. "This guy shot a dog. This guy got shot by somebody in an art gallery. But this wasn't someone getting hurt. This was a positive thing."

Police: Gym teacher faked bomb threat

DENVER, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Denver police said an elementary school physical education teacher made a fake a bomb threat to avoid having to go to work.

The district attorney's office said Jennifer Gomes, 42, left a note at the private Escuela de Guadalupe School Oct. 17 saying "there is a bomb inside," KUSA-TV, Denver, reported Thursday.

Gomes, who was arrested Oct. 19, told police she left the note because she did not want to go to work that day. She is facing a class 6 felony count of false reporting of explosives, KMGH-TV, Denver, reported.

Gomes, who was released after posting $2,000 bond, has been suspended from the school, where she has worked since spring 2010.

"The safety and well-being of our kids is our top priority and we are confident that we are providing this type of environment at Escuela right now. We are not able to get into the particulars of personnel matters. At this point the matter is now in the hands of the Denver police and the Denver DA's office," said David Card, president of Escuela de Guadalupe.

Police: Angry customer threw Molotov

ALBANY, Ga., Oct. 28 (UPI) -- Police in Georgia said a man allegedly threw a gasoline bomb at a Taco Bell drive-through window because he felt there wasn't enough meat in his chalupas.

Albany police said Taco Bell manager Cynthia Thompson received a call shortly before the 5 a.m. Sunday incident from a man who said there was not enough meat in his two chalupas and demanded a corrected order, The Smoking Gun reported Thursday.

Thompson said the man used racial epithets when she told him the restaurant was preparing to close and the man said he was coming to "redecorate the place."

The manager said she and other employees soon discovered the fire outside of the drive-through window. There was no damage to the building from the fire.

Police said the attacker used a Molotov cocktail, a plastic bottle filled with flammable liquid, to start the blaze.