oddly enough

oddly enough

Dead leopard, other swag snagged at mansion party

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, Calif.

Authorities have recovered a huge haul of high-end swag that thieves snagged during a party at an empty mansion — including armor, shields and a stuffed snow leopard worth $250,000.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says 15 teenagers were arrested last week in connection with last month’s party in La Habra Heights. Officials say it was planned on social media and took place without the homeowner’s knowledge.

According to investigators, partygoers entered through a window that was pried open, then trashed the place and stole several pricey items including designer suits and jewelry. The combined theft and damages totaled more than $1 million.

Sheriff’s Lt. Arthur Scott tells the Los Angeles Times that the suspected leopard thief had no idea how valuable the mounted cat was and only grabbed it “because all the good stuff was gone.”

England no longer outlaws ‘incorrigible rogues’

LONDON

England’s repeat rascals can breathe a little easier tonight. Being an “incorrigible rogue” is no longer against the law.

Britain’s Ministry of Justice said that the old-fashioned-sounding offense, created in the early 19th century, was one of more than 300 obsolete offenses that had been scrapped over the past year.

The 1824 Vagrancy Act was aimed at the punishment of “idle and disorderly persons,” “rogues,” and “vagabonds.” It defined an “incorrigible rogue” as a homeless person who violently resisted arrest or escaped confinement.

Many such laws have been heavily amended since or slipped into obsolescence as they were replaced by newer legislation.

The Ministry of Justice publishes an annual account of new and expired offenses. Last week’s report said that as 309 old ones were scrapped, 327 new ones were added.

Stolen headstones placed as NW Pa. road hazards

WATERFORD, Pa.

State police say someone stole headstones from a northwestern Pennsylvania cemetery — then placed them as road hazards on a nearby street.

Troopers in Erie County say several headstones were removed from Waterford Cemetery early Dec. 8. Police know that because motorists discovered them in the middle of the street of Waterford Township, a small community just southeast of Erie, about 12:30 a.m. that day.

Troopers from the Lawrence Park barracks are hoping witnesses will help them find who moved the stones.

Associated Press