Watercooler Stories

'Piggyback Bandit' jumping on athletes

FARGO, N.D., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A Seattle man dubbed the "piggyback bandit" has been reported jumping or trying to jump on the backs of athletes at games in five states, officials say.

The Forum of Fargo, N.D., reported Saturday the man, identified as Sherwin Shayegan, 28, has shown up in North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Oregon.

The newspaper said Shayegan, who weighs an estimated 250 pounds, has been banned from all high school sports events in North Dakota after episodes at three schools in Bismarck. A Minnesota high school league official said Shayegan was spotted in St. Cloud Thursday and was known to be in Minneapolis Friday, the Forum said.

Jim Haussler, activities director for Bismarck, N.D., Public Schools, said Shayegan was apologetic during a phone call Friday but seemed insincere.

"It's just a continuing pattern of deception. I think it was basically to feel out where the potential charges sit," Haussler said.

The newspaper said Shayegan pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor assault charges last week in Helena, Mont.

He also has been convicted of felony burglary and theft, the Oregon School Activities Association said, and in Washington state, he has about two dozen convictions for trespassing, criminal impersonation and possession charges.

"It's the creepiness of the behavior that alarms most people," Haussler said. "It's a little creepy. Well, a lot creepy is more like it."

A unique date? Wastewater treatment plant

NEW YORK, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A wastewater treatment plant in Brooklyn, N.Y., says it's offering a Valentine's Day date to remember -- a tour of the plant.

"It's a unique date, and one they'll never forget," said Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Superintendent Jim Pynn.

On the Valentine's morning tour, offered by the Department of Environmental Protection, Pynn will show off the plant's egg-shaped "digesters," which break down noxious waste into sludge and gas.

Pynn hosts public tours every month, but for the Valentine's Day tour, every visitor will get a Hershey kiss.

Those taking the tour also will get great views not only of the 53-acre plant but also the Manhattan skyline. And they'll have a story to tell.

"Just imagine going home and saying, 'Where did he take me on Valentine's Day? I went to see the digester eggs in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.'"

Romeo, Juliet make Verona a proposal venue

VERONA, Italy, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The fictional Romeo and Juliet's home town of Verona, Italy, is one of the world's top cities for marriage proposals, the online travel site Cheapflights says.

Couples seem to be attracted to the Renaissance flavor of the city made famous by Shakespeare's 16th-century play about two star-crossed teenagers, the Web site said. However, Italy's ANSA news service said Cheapflights urged visitors to skip a visit to the popular home of a long-ago, real-life family reputed to be Shakespeare's inspiration for the House of Capulet, of which Juliet was a member.

"Take a stroll through the Giardino Giusti instead," said the site.

If Verona is too intimidating for nervous soon-to-be grooms, then Paris, New Orleans and London are also on the list of romantic backdrops.

Man says transvestite escort cheated him

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A Florida man says a young escort he hired off Craigslist cheated him in two ways: He was a transvestite and he took advantage of his host's generosity.

The 69-year-old Palm Coast resident said he let the young man stay at his house because he felt sorry for him, The Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal reported. The older man acknowledged they were also having sex.

The escort allegedly then blackmailed him, saying he was only 16 and would report his host for rape. The escort eventually left after the older man purchased a car for him.

The older man eventually decided to file a report with the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. He told the newspaper he now believes the escort is older than he looks.

The man said he goes on a drinking binge about once a year and then turns to Craigslist for female companionship.