Police use hidden GPS to track stolen toy

Police in Georgia say they used a GPS device hidden inside a teddy bear to track down the toy and apprehend a suspect in the theft. Athens-Clarke County police say Mid-Atlantic Clothing Recycling had been experiencing thefts of clothing from its collection bin at Georgia Square Mall. The Athens Banner reports that a company manager concealed the GPS device inside the bear, placed it in a bag of clothing and tossed it into the collection bin. Around 5:30 am on June 3, the manager called police to report the teddy bear was on the move. Police said the manager worked with the officer to update the stuffed animal's location, and a 55-year-old man was stopped and charged with theft by taking, a misdemeanor.

Drug smugglers pretend to be federal agency

It looked like a US Fish and Wildlife Service truck. But the US Border Patrol says it was actually the latest in a long line of creative attempts by smugglers to get illegal drugs from Mexico into the United States. Agents spotted the white truck with US Fish and Wildlife Service decals along a boundary fence in Douglas, Arizona, on June 2, while responding to reports of possible drug smuggling. When agents tried to contact those inside, the vehicle suddenly stopped and two people fled into Mexico. Agents say they found 3,200 pounds of marijuana stashed in the truck worth an estimated $1.6 million. Smugglers have used catapults, tunnels and panga boats to get drugs across the border.

Fake officer accused of pulling over a real one

Police say a man impersonating an officer face charges after signaling a real detective to pull over on a road in Florida. St. Johns County authorities say 20-year-old Matthew Michael Lee McMahon activated a red and blue light Monday while driving behind an unmarked sheriff's car. Detective Chance Anderson pulled over and was shocked to see an unknown face behind the wheel of the other car.

Halfway house employee charged with licking food

A kitchen employee at a women's halfway house has been charged with three counts of battery on a peace officer for licking sandwich cheese and ice cubes and serving them to probation and parole officers at the center, according to court documents. Yolanda Arguello, 59, was employed at the South Valley New Mexico Women's Recovery Academy in Albuquerque as a contract employee, said Alex Tomlin, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Corrections. "The case is still under investigation but she has had her security clearance revoked and no longer works at the facility," Tomlin said.

Judge seeks anger management help

A Florida judge accused of punching an assistant public defender after telling him "stop pissing me off" is stepping down temporarily for anger management counseling. Video footage shows Brevard County Judge John Murphy challenging lawyer Andrew Weinstock to join him outside the courtroom to settle a dispute over the scheduling of a trial date. "If you want to fight, let's go out back and I'll just beat your ass," Murphy said. Weinstock's boss, Public Defender Blaise Trettis, said the judge became angry because Weinstock refused to waive his client's constitutional right to a speedy trial. "If I had a rock, I would throw it at you right now. Stop pissing me off. Just sit down," Murphy can be heard telling Weinstock on the video from the courthouse in Viera on Florida's east coast.

Beastie Boys' fight for their right to not let Monster Beverage Corp use the hip-hop group's music without their permission resulted in a verdict of $1.7 million on Thursday. A federal jury in Manhattan issued the verdict on the eighth day of trial in a copyright dispute between members of the Brooklyn-born band and the energy drink maker over songs the band says Monster used without a licence in a 2012 promotional video.

Reuters

(China Daily 06/08/2014 page4)