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Poll: U.S. trusts Obama on ET's

NEW YORK, June 28 (UPI) -- Almost two-thirds of Americans said President Obama can better deal with an alien invasion from space than presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, a poll found.

The "Aliens Among Us" survey -- released Wednesday by the National Geographic Channel as part of its promotion for a new series on UFOs -- found more than 80 million Americans [36 percent] are sure UFOs exist and 11 percent are pretty sure they've seen one.

Sixty-five percent said if there is an invasion from outer space, Obama would be better suited than Romney to deal with it, with 68 percent of women vs. 61 percent of men agreeing with the proposition.

Seventy-one percent said they think it is more likely aliens exist than it is that there are superheroes, vampires and zombies. But if there are such things as real superheroes, 21 percent said they would want the Hulk to deal with an ET invasion, while 12 percent would put their fate in Batman's hands and just 8 percent would call Spider-Man.

Tech Supervisor Erin Ryder and UFOlogist James Fox -- who worked on the National Geographic Channel series "Chasing UFOs" -- said the survey results reflect what they have learned in their research for the show, NGC said in a release. The eight-part series is scheduled to premiere Friday.

Kelton Research conducted the survey of a random nationwide sample of 1,114 people May 21-29, using e-mail invitations and online surveys. The margin of sampling error is 2.9 percentage points.

Man robbed beauty salon after bank attempt

BRENTWOOD, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- Police in Florida said a man accused of robbing a beauty salon allegedly failed in an attempt to rob a bank just prior to the crime.

Suffolk County police said Anthony Jannace, 54, of Brentwood, attempted to use a handwritten note to rob a Bay Shore Citibank branch at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, but the teller refused to comply, Newsday reported Wednesday.

Investigators said Jannace then entered the Salon Astarte in Bay Shore, less than half a mile from the bank and verbally demanded cash from an employee. He fled with an unspecified amount of cash and was arrested at 3:24 p.m., after being located by a canine officer.

Jannace was charged with one count of third degree robbery and one count of attempted robbery.

Victim arrested alongside alleged thief

MOUNT HOLLY, N.J., June 28 (UPI) -- New Jersey police said a man whose bank teller spent nearly $100,000 from his bank account was found to have deposited nearly $550,000 from phony tax returns.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday Kenneth Costello, 49, of Barnegat, complained to police about suspicious activities in his TD Bank account and teller Lisa Jarvis was found to have made herself a debit card for his account and spent nearly $100,000 of his funds, the Cherry Hill Courier Post reported Wednesday.

However, the investigation also discovered Costello's bank account funds included about $545,000 he obtained by filing fraudulent state income tax returns.

Jarvis was charged with theft by deception and tax offenses. Costello was charged with theft by deception, money laundering and multiple tax offenses.

Man arrested with 26 pot plants in home

HOLT, Fla., June 28 (UPI) -- Authorities in Florida said a man arrested for cultivating marijuana plants told them he had done his research before growing the cannabis.

Okaloosa County sheriff's deputies said Britton Jernigan of Holt was arrested June 13 after a search of his home resulted in the seizure of 26 marijuana plants "with the root systems intact," the Northwest Florida Daily News reported Wednesday.

Jernigan told deputies he had researched marijuana growing and had given other plants to friends.

Jernigan was charged with a felony count of producing marijuana and is due in court July 17.