oddly enough

oddly enough

Attention, thieves: Watch who is behind you in line

WILLISTON, Fla.

A would-be robber picked the wrong time to steal a jar of money from the counter of a north Florida convenience store.

Williston Police Chief Dennis Strow says 27-year-old Michael Wayne Aurilio took the jar containing $35.78 from the Kangaroo store Wednesday. But he didn’t realize an off-duty Marion County deputy sheriff was standing behind him.

The Gainesville Sun reports that as Sgt. William Dietrich tried to take Aurilio into custody, the two fell through a plate-glass door. Meanwhile, Williston police officers arrived and took the man into custody. Aurilio and Dietrich were treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The money was intended for a charity that sponsors recreational events for terminally ill children.

Aurilio was charged with robbery and felony battery on a law-enforcement officer.

Ohio barber accidentally takes bullet in backside

PARMA, Ohio

An Ohio barber says he got more than a tip from one longtime customer, whose gun accidentally discharged and left a bullet in the hair cutter’s backside.

Barber Kurt Voelkel in the Cleveland suburb of Parma says the man was adjusting his clothing and sitting down Sept. 29 when a 9 mm handgun fell from his holster, struck the ground and went off.

WJW-TV reports a bullet passed through the chair where Voelkel was sitting and also went through his wallet before coming to rest deep in his buttocks. He spent more than two hours being treated at a hospital, where doctors decided to leave the slug where it is, for now.

Voelkel decided not to file charges against the customer, who’s covering his medical needs.

Outcry spurs rescue try for alligator in Pa. lake

SLICKVILLE, Pa.

Officials with a municipal water company may let experts try to rescue an alligator seen living in a western Pennsylvania reservoir after a public outcry over comments that officials planned to just let the reptile die as the weather turns cold.

Chris Kerr, manager of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday the agency will explore letting officials from a zoo or licensed animal-rescue organization try to catch the alligator.

Experts have said the gator is likely a discarded pet. Security workers spotted the 5-foot-long reptile about a month ago.

Kerr says the authority has received more than 60 calls complaining about plans to let the animal die. A Facebook page called “Save The Beaver Run Alligator” has tallied more than 700 “Likes.”

Associated Press