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Nude model suing New York over arrest

NEW YORK, June 20 (UPI) -- A New York model's lawsuit against the city asserts police incorrectly arrested her when she was having her nude body painted at Times Square.

Zoe West, 22, who was having her nude body painted by artist Andy Golub Aug. 30 on the corner of Broadway and West 44th Street, said police should not have arrested her because city laws allow for artistic public nudity, the New York Post reported Tuesday.

"It is not illegal to be naked in New York as long as you are doing it for the purpose of a play, exhibition, performance or show," said West's attorney, Ron Kuby.

No charges were filed following West's arrest and she was released about 2 hours later.

"We had made arrangements to ensure that Ms. West would not be arrested, but apparently, one of the cops didn't get the memo or didn't care," Kuby said.

Golub, who said he has had previous run-ins with the law during similar projects, said he supports West's lawsuit.

"To me, the clearest thing of all is that she didn't do anything wrong, so why shouldn't she sue?" he said.

The New York Police Department declined to comment.

Woman jailed over 10-year-old ticket

NEW YORK, June 20 (UPI) -- A New Jersey woman said she was arrested in New York and spent the night in jail over a 10-year-old traffic summons she did not know had resulted in a warrant.

Krystle Garcia, 27, of Elmwood Park, who said she has driven to New York for work every day for the past six years, said she was stopped at a checkpoint Thursday and arrested over an outstanding summons from 2002, WNBC-TV, New York, reported Tuesday.

The summons, which Garcia received at the age of 17, was for not having an insurance card with her while driving in New York state. She said she has since been able to renew her New Jersey driver's license and her vehicle's registration without any problems.

"It was horrifying," Garcia said of her arrest. "I sat in a holding cell for 14 hours with people who had gun charges, who were fighting each other."

Garcia said she had apparently forgotten about the summons.

"I've received tickets in New York and I've paid them," she said. "Couldn't they have just impounded my car instead of taking me and putting me with other people who commit actual crimes?

"I feel completely violated," she said. "There's got to be something they can do besides torture people."

Garcia settled the case in court last week and agreed to pay a $155 fine. However, she said she plans to file a complaint with the Police Department.

Blue lobster headed for National Aquarium

OCEAN CITY, Md., June 20 (UPI) -- The captain of a Maryland fishing boat that caught a rare blue lobster said he decided to donate the unusual crustacean to the National Aquarium in Washington.

Capt. John Gourley of The Potluck said the lobster, which was among the thousands of crustaceans his boat caught last week off the coast of Ocean City, was actually the second blue lobster he has caught after encountering another of the rare beasts nine years ago, The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday.

He said the blue lobster, which experts say describes about 1 in 2 million lobsters, would have fetched him about $10 at the market, but he heard the National Aquarium was seeking a blue lobster for display.

"I catch lobsters and sell them. That's how I make my money," he said. "If I was to sell it on the market, I would get about 10 bucks. That's a small price to pay for everyone to get the chance to see it."

City mulls parking fees for teachers

COLOGNE, Germany, June 20 (UPI) -- Officials in the German city of Cologne said they are preparing for a backlash after proposing a $63 monthly parking fee for teachers.

The officials said they do not expect the teachers to warm to idea, which they said will first be tested in the Porz area before being rolled out to the entire city, The Local.de reported Tuesday.

"Teachers will not be happy about this," a Cologne city council spokeswoman said.

However, the spokesman said officials hope to reduce teachers' concerns by reducing public transportation fees. She said officials believe the parking fee measure, which would bring in $126,770 per year, would match with what other public sector employees pay for on-the-job parking.