MINNESOTA: A real
“road hog” at the wheel?
We learn that a distracted driver had a great
excuse for “hogging” the road – a 250-pound pig was sitting in his lap. The
unidentified man was pulled over in Chicago County after he swerved into
another lane. An officer spotted the pig leaning against the steering wheel.
Another pig was in the back seat. The driver said he didn’t want his pets to
get cold in the back of the pickup. He got off with just a warning.

INDIANA: They
call it a basket case!
A thief stole a hot air balloon in Bloomington,
sparking and interstate investigation that led to its recovery more than 900
miles away in Ocala, Florida. The heist ended when police spotted the $30,000
ride at The Villages Balloon Festival. The owner refused to press charges and
said he just wants his balloon back.

INDONESIA: Leaping
lizards?
It has been reported that the famed Komodo Island will shutter
temporarily, starting in January 2020, to thwart giant lizard smugglers. The
report reveals that a ring was arrested in March 2019, for snatching 41 Komodo
lizards. The lizard can grow to 8 ½ feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds.
Smugglers sell them abroad for about $35,000 each.

ITALY: Art
thieves punked by police.
Bandits thought they had stolen a 17th-century
$3.4 million masterpiece from an Italian church – but the work was actually a
fake. Police had swapped out “The Crucifixion” painting by Flemish artist
Pieter Bruegel the Younger with a faux one as part of a sting operation that is
continuing.

JAPAN: What a
racket?
A thief who was arrested for stealing three used tennis rackets
told police he couldn’t resist their sweaty smell. The 40-year-old kook
allegedly swiped $200 worth of sporting gear from a locker at a high school on
Japan’s Kyushu Island.

The post Weird Criminal Law Stories # 640: A Real Road Hog… appeared first on Birdsong’s Law Blog.