oddly enough

oddly enough

Police: Baby’s ashes taken in Ala. purse snatching

MONTGOMERY, Ala.

A purse snatched from the arms of a young woman in Montgomery, Ala., contained the ashes of her deceased newborn baby.

Police spokeswoman Martha Earnhardt said Monday that Monica Thomas of Montgomery was carrying the cremated remains of son Jamar Simmons Jr. when she was knocked down by a robber who took her handbag Friday night.

The child lived only a couple of hours after his birth, and Earnhardt said Thomas was carrying the remains in her purse because she planned to bury them at her mother’s gravesite the following morning, on her 20th birthday.

The ashes were in a small box with the child’s name and birth date on the front.

Police Sgt. Mike Myrick said investigators are asking for the public’s help locating the suspect and the ashes.

Va. police corral cow roaming suburban streets

CENTREVILLE, Va.

A wayward, pregnant cow that had been roaming the streets and backyards of a Washington, D.C., suburb after escaping her farm was captured.

Fairfax County Police said the Scottish Highland cow escaped from a farm in Fairfax.

Police received several calls over the next two days, often from people who mistook the aggressive, horned cow for a bull.

Officers spotted the cow coming out of the woods in Centreville.

Police said the cow charged the officers and fled through neighborhood yards. Police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said the cow eventually was subdued with tranquilizers shot from a dart gun.

The cow was not injured, but a veterinarian who aided the rescue suffered minor injuries. Police said possible charges against the cow’s owners are pending.

Man arrested after running through SF Zoo exhibits

SAN FRANCISCO

Police said a man hoping to dodge the $15 entrance fee at the San Francisco Zoo led security officers on a wild chase as he dashed through animal exhibits.

The Oakland Tribune reported 24-year-old Justin Montgomery was arrested on trespassing charges after he was held for police by zoo security.

Zoo spokeswoman Abbie Tuller said visitors saw the man climbing an exterior fence and running through the African Savanna exhibit, an enclosure occupied by giraffes, zebras and ostriches.

When security officers gave chase, the Los Angeles resident ran into the Primate Discovery Center. He was discovered hiding in bushes near an exhibit containing mandrills, large monkeys from West Africa.

Animal caretakers moved quickly to secure the mandrills into their enclosures. No animals were hurt.

Associated Press