oddly enough
oddly enough
Ohio man claims ghostly presence as trial defense
MOUNT GILEAD, Ohio
A former Ohio police officer accused of theft denied being aware of stolen property in his basement, saying he avoided the room because he believed it contained a paranormal presence.
WBNS-TV reports that Joseph Hughes faced 21 charges when items ranging from a heater and a welder to an air-conditioning unit labeled “auditor” were found in his home.
Hughes told stunned prosecutors Wednesday that he was unaware of the property and there was evidence to support his claims of paranormal activity in the room.
Tom Elkin of the Morrow County Prosecutor’s Office says it was the oddest defense he’s ever heard. He says it’s the first time in almost 30 years of practicing law that he’s heard of paranormal activity during trial.
The jury found Hughes guilty of 18 charges.
Prison from ‘Shawshank’ is popular for weddings
MANSFIELD, Ohio
Here’s one that invites wisecracks from weary spouses inclined to joke that marriage is a kind of incarceration: the old, imposing prison in Ohio where the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” was filmed has become a hot spot for weddings and hosts an annual bridal show.
“When people ask me, ‘Why would anyone want to get married in a prison?’ I tell them to come here and check it out. You’ve got to see it to believe it,” said Susan Nirode, operations manager for the Mansfield Reformatory Preservation Society.
Nirode told the Mansfield News Journal that what was once known as the Ohio State Reformatory is all booked up for weddings through the end of 2012 and has begun taking reservations for 2013.
“On the inside, the central guard room is just beautiful,” she noted. The room, about the size of a basketball court and sporting a 25-foot-high ceiling, was used as the prison cafeteria in “Shawshank,” the popular 1994 movie starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman.
In its fifth year, the bridal show — “Glamour in the Slammer” — recently drew nearly 40 vendors and 500 spectators to the reformatory, which closed in 1990 after playing host to more than 155,000 inmates over the span of 94 years.
“It’s just nice to see something that was once a dark spot in peoples’ lives be turned into something bright,” Nirode said. “And we’re not taking away from the history of the place.”
Brian Clark of Newark said while attending the bridal show that ghost stories about the reformatory make him nervous at the thought of getting married there, despite the wishes of fianc e Marka Glenn.
“She’s got this morbid fascination with the reformatory — although I will admit that this place has the capability to be very beautiful,” he said.
Associated Press