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Inoperable car tagged 250 miles away

FARGO, N.D., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A North Dakota man was cited for a snow emergency parking violation in St. Paul, Minn., for a car he says hasn't used in a decade.

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Actually, Brian Nelson of Fargo received a notice that he was tardy in paying the $50 parking fine from December and would be assessed penalties until the matter was resolved, KARE-TV, Minneapolis, reported.

One small problem: The ticket was issued against his 1941 Ford, which hasn't seen the road in years, having been stored in Nelson's garage.

"It's just nuts," Nelson said.

He called St. Paul officials, who told him he either needed to appear in person or pay the fine. St. Paul is about 250 miles from Fargo.

Then Nelson contacted KARE-TV, which spoke with a city official who said the matter could be corrected with a phone call.

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"Somebody made a mistake," the official said.


Woman racks up $20,000 in traffic fines

HARLINGEN, Texas, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A woman tallied 86 traffic violation warrants and fees topping $20,000, spreading her civic debt over two Texas communities, Harlingen and San Benito.

Valerie Ortiz Sanchez's scofflaw ways didn't end at Harlingen's borders, where she racked up 76 traffic warrants totaling $18,896 in fines and fees since 1976, the city's Valley Morning Star reported. In nearby San Benito, officials said she has at least 10 outstanding warrants and owes $2,718 in fines and fees dating back to 2007.

Harlingen police arrested Sanchez Monday after she was pulled over during a routine traffic stop, police spokesman David Osborne said. She was arrested on charges of having an expired registration sticker, not having insurance and not having a driver's license -- and then police discovered the old fines and fees.

Moments after Harlingen officials released Sanchez from jail -- after she made the minimum required payment on the $18,896 in fines and court fees -- San Benito police arrested her.

In Harlingen, a judge dismissed some of the oldest warrants, leaving Sanchez a $15,696 balance due.


Police: Stolen Taser spotted on YouTube

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WAUKESHA, Wis., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities in Waukesha, Wis., said a man suspected of stealing a Taser from a police officer posted a video of himself using the weapon on YouTube.

Police accuse the 22-year-old man of stealing the Taser from an East Troy, Wis., police officer while the man was warming himself inside a squad car, after his car had become stuck in a ditch, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Thursday.

Police said the man posted a video on YouTube hours after the New Year's Day theft, depicting the suspect and his father using the non-lethal weapon on each other.

East Troy Police Chief Alan Boyes said the Taser was noticed missing shortly after the theft. The YouTube video, which has been removed from the site, came to their attention a day or two later.

Waukesha County Sheriff's Detective Steve Pederson said the suspect was in custody on an unrelated matter.


Thief may be music lover

DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Police in Durham, N.C., said a thief made off with 14 sousaphones -- each worth $3,000 -- belonging to North Carolina Central University.

The large instruments -- cousins of the tuba that are commonly used by marching bands -- were taken from the marching band room at the school, The Raleigh (N.C.) Chronicle reported Thursday.

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Durham Police Cpl. Marty Walkowe said the Durham CrimeStoppers organization is offering a reward for information about the theft, which police believe occurred sometime in December or early January.

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