Watercooler Stories

Woman attacked while driving

MIAMI, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida woman says her ex-boyfriend crawled out of her car trunk and began beating her as she drove home from work earlier this month.

Peter Maya, 24, was lodged in the Broward County jail after he allegedly hid in the woman's trunk and then squeezed into the back seat and began hitting her while she drove along a street in Aventura, the South Florida Sun Sentinel said Sunday.

Keisha Bethel of Oakland Park told police Maya struck her repeatedly and pulled her back into the vehicle when she tried to flee, arrest records stated.

He eventually stopped on a Miami street and ran off.

The police report said the couple lived together for six years and had three children together. They also shared ownership of the car.

Man allegedly steals pie, fried chicken

FORT PIERCE, Fla., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida man was arrested after a struggle with police for allegedly stealing a pie and fried chicken from a grocery store, police said.

Patrick McCall, 44, was arrested in Fort Pierce Aug. 4 on three misdemeanor charges following the alleged theft at a Winn-Dixie grocery store, TCPalm.com reported Friday.

A Winn-Dixie store manager told police he suspected McCall stole food from the deli area of the store, but said when he asked the alleged thief to show him what he was carrying in a couple of five gallon buckets, McCall refused.

McCall left the store and was stopped by police officers as he exited the parking lot. An officer noted McCall was eating a "fruit filled pie," and carrying two of five gallon buckets. Police found two pieces of fried chicken wrapped in a Winn-Dixie bag in one of the buckets.

The suspect told police he brought the pie and chicken from home, but officers found a discarded $1.69 pie box nearby.

Florida litterbug leaves calling card

ENGLEWOOD, Fla., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida man was arrested for littering after allegedly dumping a load of trash and a receipt with his name on it in a vacant lot.

Charlotte County sheriff's deputies said they tracked down Andres Lopez, 33, in Englewood East after they found paperwork with his name on it in the pile of debris.

Lopez admitted he dropped off the pile of construction debris and palm fronds in the lot because the landfill was closed for the day and he needed his trailer emptied out for other tasks.

The South Florida Sun Sentinel said Lopez was a convicted felon with two previous arrests in Charlotte County.

Another lighthouse benefit swim completed

ISLAMORADA, Fla., Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The winner of a benefit long-distance swim in the Florida Keys says he did it to help save the lighthouse that marked the halfway point.

Larry Herlth completed the 8-mile swim in Islamorada in a little over 5 hours and said his ultimate goal was to rescue a half-dozen beacons in the Keys that have been deteriorating over the years.

"It's sad this is happening to our natural treasures," Herlth told the Miami Herald. "They are really in bad shape, and if something isn't done soon, we'll lose them."

Herlth and the other competitors used one of the endangered lighthouses as the out-and-back target for the swim. The Alligator Lighthouse is the most recent swim to raise awareness. Herlth has already paddled around four other lighthouses.