ODDLY ENOUGH | Woman dressed as dead mom is arrested in pension plot

ODDLY ENOUGH

Woman dressed as dead mom is arrested in pension plot

FERNDALE, Wash.

Authorities say a Washington state woman suspected of pension fraud was arrested when she tried to open a bank account in her dead mother’s name while disguised as her mother.

Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo says 59-year-old Loewen B. Craft was wearing a gray wig and makeup to make her look older when she arrived recently at a credit-union branch in Ferndale, Wash.

The sheriff alleges Craft fraudulently collected more than $145,000 in pension benefits since her mother, Betty Becker, died in 2007.

Detective John Allgire was waiting at the credit union. He arrested Craft for investigation of first-degree identity theft, criminal impersonation and multiple counts of forgery.

The sheriff says the scheme began to unravel when the detective started investigating an unrelated arson case. He learned that Becker had been admitted to St. Joseph hospital in 2007 and died April 23, 2007.

Dad: Baby has 1 scratch after SUV lands atop crib

RICHMOND, Ky.

The father of a baby girl says the Kentucky infant survived with just a scratch on the head after a sport-utility vehicle crashed into her room and came to rest atop her crib.

Kenneth Enright told Lexington station WKYT-TV that the SUV barely missed his 10-month-old daughter when it crashed Monday morning into his home in Kirksville, Ky.

Enright says the Toyota 4-Runner tore a gaping hole through a wall, and he quickly ran into the room where he heard his daughter crying. He says he found the infant just inches away from the SUV’s front tire and adds she had her hands up, “like, get me out of here.”

Authorities say it appeared the driver lost control, adding that the crash is considered an accident.

Police: 3 cited after goose is taken from Ohio park

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio

Police in central Ohio say they found a goose in a vehicle during a traffic stop and cited three people after discovering the animal had been captured from a park.

The Chillicothe Gazette reported Monday that a police report says the goose was standing in a rear cargo area when the vehicle was stopped Saturday.

The police report says the driver first had told police that the goose was from the home of a passenger and later said they had fed the bird in a city park and captured it with a net.

Witnesses told police that the two passengers used a fishing net to catch the bird while the driver watched.

The trio was cited under a law aimed at protecting nongame birds.

The goose was returned to the park.

Associated Press