Jockstrip: The world as we know it.

Rappelling Santa becomes stuck by beard

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A Santa who attempted to make a grand entrance by rappelling from the ceiling of a Florida mall was slowed when his false beard became stuck in the equipment.

Video footage provided to WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, by witness Milly Olson depicts the Santa, who officials at the Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens said is a professional rope climber, beginning his descent from a catwalk Saturday and halting almost immediately when his beard becomes stuck in the equipment.

The video shows the emcee leading the watching children below in a rendition of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" to give Santa the "magic" he needs to finish rappelling.

Santa eventually removed his beard and hat and made it the rest of the way to the ground, where he quickly exited. Mall officials said the man performed the stunt for free and asked to remain anonymous.

Officials said the man had performed the stunt without complications during a test run, but he had not been wearing the beard at the time.

Police: Woman mooned, threatened neighbor

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A Florida woman accused of dropping her pants to give a neighbor "something to take a picture of" allegedly told officers about her "Cuban temper," police said.

Port St. Lucie police said Mercedes Donahue, 52, allegedly dropped her pants and bent over Nov. 22 when she spotted her neighbor taking pictures of her dogs running around outside without leashes, TCPalm.com reported Thursday.

The neighbor, who said he has had problems with Donahue for more than 14 years, told police the incident took place in front of his driveway after the woman spotted him taking the pictures of her dogs, which he said he planned to use as "evidence" of them running around unleashed.

The man said he could clearly see Donahue's genitalia and buttocks when she dropped her pants and bent over, pointing her buttocks in his direction.

Police said Donahue, who then allegedly kicked rocks from her yard onto the neighbor's land, told officers she pulled her pants down "to give him something to take a picture of."

The woman allegedly told officers she's an "angry person" and her neighbor would "see what her Cuban temper is really like."

Officers said Donahue was threatening to hurt the man "by bashing his head in with one of the stones she kicked over."

Police said Donahue's husband captured video footage of the incident.

Donahue is facing charges, including lewd lascivious behavior, disturbing the peace and criminal mischief.

Frosty costume causes four 911 calls

VANCEBORO, N.C., Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man whose one-man parade in a Frosty the Snowman costume yielded four 911 calls said he never meant to frighten anyone.

Jeffery Acker, who donned the top section of an inflatable snowman Sunday and strolled through downtown Vanceboro while carrying a 4-foot candy cane, said his walk was meant to be inspire holiday spirit, not fear, WCTI-TV, New Bern, N.C., reported Thursday.

"Christmas is everything to me. I love it," Acker said. "It was never an intention to be scary."

Acker is not accused of any illegal activities and Police Chief William Turner, whose department received four 911 calls about a man in a scary costume, said he has "more important" things to investigate.

Dog shoots hunter in buttocks

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Authorities in Utah said a hunter was wounded in the buttocks when his dog jumped on a 12-gauge shotgun, causing the weapon to fire a round of birdshot.

Box Elder County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Kevin Potter said two duck hunters were at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge preparing for a day of hunting Sunday morning when the incident took place, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday.

"One of the hunters was inside the boat with the dog, and the other hunter was in the water setting up decoys," Potter said. "The guy in the water had put his 12-gauge shotgun across the bow of their boat."

"The dog got excited, was jumping around inside the boat and then it jumped on the gun. It went off, shooting the (decoy setter) in the buttocks," Potter said.

Potter said the man was taken to the Brigham City Community Hospital around 9 a.m. and released after doctors removed the birdshot from his posterior.

The chief deputy said there were no other injuries to their hunters or the dog.