Watercooler Stories

Man arrested after charging at deputies

LONGMONT, Colo., March 3 (UPI) -- A Colorado man was stun-gunned and then arrested for allegedly charging at Boulder County sheriff's deputies with a broom, officials said.

John Sena, 56, was stun-gunned on his front yard in Longmont Saturday after allegedly charging at deputies who were at his home to arrest his daughter, The Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo., reported.

Two officers arrived at Sena's home to serve a $20,000 traffic warrant on Melissa Sena, 27, said Sgt. Jason Heathman with the sheriff's office.

They could hear a baby crying, but no one answered the door for about 15 minutes.

The officers said they thought the baby was left alone, so they attempted to open the door, Heathman said. That's when John Sena charged at them with a broom, forcing them to retreat to the edge of the yard, the Daily Camera said. The deputies then used a stun gun on him, and placed him under arrest, the report said.

Sena was charged with menacing and second-degree assault on a peace officer after the incident.

Melissa Sena, meanwhile, ran out the back door of the home, Heathman said. Officers were looking for her, but she had not been located as of Saturday afternoon.

3-story icicle removed from building

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, March 3 (UPI) -- A three-story icicle was removed from an apartment building in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canadian officials said.

The icicle, which made Canadian and American headlines, was slowly cut down by crews Friday, The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, reported.

"I'm saying this thing has got be at least three, four thousand pounds," said Erik Foster, one of two men hired to dismantle the icicle. Foster said he had to replace the blades of his chainsaw several times as he sawed away at the ice.

The owner of the building hired Foster to remove the icicle after he received an order from the Saskatoon Fire and Protective Services on Thursday to remove it within 24 hours.

Foster said the operation to remove the icicle cost the building owner "thousands of dollars."

"Preventative maintenance could have dealt with all of this. As soon as they saw that leaking like that, they should have called someone. It would have taken us a couple of hours, cost a couple hundred dollars, and it would have been fixed. Now, you are talking some real money," Foster said.

Man fakes kidnapping to avoid lover

NEW YORK, March 3 (UPI) -- A New York City man was arrested and charged with faking being kidnapped to avoid telling his girlfriend why he was gone for two weeks.

Rahmell Pettway, 36, was discovered by passersby early Thursday between two cars parked on a street in Brooklyn, the New York Post reported.

His hands, legs and mouth were covered with duct tape, and he complained of pain in his ribs, police said.

When being questioned by police, Pettway said he had been kidnapped by two men in a blue minivan on Feb. 19. They then held him captive for about two weeks, driving him around from place to place, Pettway said.

However, authorities became suspicious of Pettway's story and he soon confessed that the kidnapping was a hoax, saying he had been avoiding his girlfriend for a couple of weeks and was terrified of facing her.

"He's a total moron," said one law-enforcement official. "It was a pathetic attempt to pull the wool [over] her eyes."

Pettway was arrested and charged for filing a false report.

Small dog helps missing girl survive cold

PIERZWIN, Poland, March 3 (UPI) -- Authorities in Poland say a small dog likely saved the life of a 3-year-old girl who went missing and spent the night outside in freezing temperatures.

The girl, Julia, disappeared with her dog from the village of Pierzwin in western Poland on Friday, RIA Novosti reported.

More than 250 firefighters, police officers, rescue workers and local residents searched for the girl throughout the night, Vesti FM radio reported. She was found Saturday, lying in nearby marshland with the dog by her side.

Firefighters who found Julia said the dog kept her warm enough through the night, when temperatures got down to 23 degrees.

Julia was taken to a local hospital because she appeared to have suffered some frostbite, hospital workers said. Her condition is not life-threatening.