oddly enough

oddly enough

Alaska man tries to elude police by jumping into lake

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

A 29-year-old Anchorage man who fled a traffic stop by jumping into a small lake and taking off his clothes was arrested after authorities fished him out.

Joshua Ellis was arrested Wednesday evening on charges of eluding, resisting arrest, false information and driving while intoxicated. His bail has been set at $5,000.

Police said Lt. Garry Gilliam was trying to pull Ellis over for speeding in a construction zone.

They said Ellis then fled in his Subaru, striking a construction cone and driving through a road section that was closed to traffic.

According to police, Gilliam blocked the Subaru in the parking lot of a park and approached the vehicle. They said when he opened the car’s door, Ellis ran off and jumped into Waldon Lake.

Police said Ellis emerged from the water but jumped back in when Gilliam approached with handcuffs. At some point, Ellis took off his shirt, pants and shoes, police said.

Authorities finally obtained a boat from the Anchorage Fire Department, which an officer and a firefighter took to arrest Ellis. Lt. Dave Parker said Ellis grabbed the firefighter during a brief struggle. Ellis also gave a false name, police said.

Tortoise shows up in NH 4 years after disappearing

BRENTWOOD, N.H.

A New Hampshire couple say a 25-pound pet tortoise has reappeared four years after escaping from its pen.

Mike and Christine Wellington say their African spur thigh tortoise named Lucy made off from their greenhouse business in Brentwood. But on Friday, the Wellingtons received a call from a neighbor half a mile up the road that Lucy had reappeared.

The Wellingtons say they’re certain the tortoise is theirs because of the unusual protruding bumps on its back.

Mike Wellington says turtles of Lucy’s species dig deep holes in the ground for protection in extreme weather. He says he supposes Lucy did just that to survive New Hampshire’s winters the past four years.

Denver driver survives 500-foot drop from road

SILVERTON, Colo.

Authorities say a 33-year-old Denver man suspected of drinking and driving survived after he lost control of his car and it dropped almost 500 feet off the side of a road.

The Colorado State Patrol says Anthoney L. Buckner seemed to be in “amazingly good condition” after rescuers used ropes and a litter to pull him up from the crash site Thursday. Trooper Jonathan Silver says Buckner’s 1990 Toyota hatchback was “pretty mangled.”

Silver says Buckner may have been saved by wearing a seat belt. Silver says Buckner was driving on slick roads up Red Mountain Pass near Silverton when the accident happened.

Associated Press