ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Police say smartphone led them to hot electronics

LEWISBURG, Pa.

There’s a reason they’re called smartphones.

Police in central Pennsylvania said a man who reportedly was breaking into homes of Bucknell University students was nabbed after the owner of a stolen iPhone used its GPS tracking system to pinpoint the address where the loot was stashed.

Twenty-one-year-old Tristan Swigart of Lewisburg was arrested by Buffalo Valley Regional Police and charged with burglary, criminal trespass, theft and related counts.

Police said students from at least three homes reported burglaries last month, when items from TVs and DVD players to laptops and cellphones were taken.

One of the victims told investigators her stolen iPhone had software installed that tracked it to a nearby home. Police said they arrived at the address and found a number of the items in Swigart’s room.

Pa. borough’s plan to trap feral cats also nabs pets

NORTH CHARLEROI, Pa.

A tiny western Pennsylvania borough’s plan to trap stray cats has angered residents who say their pets have been swept up in the trapping effort, which the pet owners say wasn’t well-publicized.

KDKA-TV reports angry pet owners pelted North Charleroi council members with questions at a recent council meeting. Adding to the drama was the absence of a newly-hired animal control officer who has been trapping the cats, but didn’t show up at the meeting as requested.

The borough’s attorney says residents have 48 hours to claim their pets if they’re trapped. But residents say they wouldn’t have known that because the trapping plans weren’t well-publicized. Council members say they announced the plan at their August meeting.

Council is considering giving residents up to 10 days to claim their cats.

Shotgun wedding? Jeweler offers rifles with rings

NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa

Have you spent your life hunting for the perfect wife? Maybe you have met the one but are feeling gun shy?

An Iowa jeweler is offering free rifles for husbands-to-be who spend at least $1,999 on an engagement ring at his store near Iowa City.

Jeweler Harold van Beek told KCRG near Cedar Rapids that he wanted to “do something for the boy who doesn’t like to hunt for diamonds but likes to hunt for deer.”

The deal at Jewelry By Harold in North Liberty will run through the end of October.

The rifle offer is subject to Iowa laws on gun ownership. Those barred include felons and addicts.

Associated Press