oddly enough

oddly enough

In Denmark, bikers nix party after police recover bar

COPENHAGEN, Denmark

No bar, no party.

Danish police say members of a biker gang have called off a planned party after officers raided a new club house in western Denmark and took away the bar that had been stolen from a nearby workshop.

Anders Uhrskov of the police in Aarhus said Saturday officers found the piece of furniture when raiding a house in Lystrup, northeast of Denmark’s second largest city, as part of “our preventive strategy” against organized crime groups so “they never doubt that we keep an eye on them.”

Police also seized a “minor amount” of drugs and a gold chain.

Gang members declined to comment.

It was unclear whether the party would be rescheduled.

Dozens of Brazilian bats invade courthouse in Utah

ST. GEORGE, Utah

Order is being restored to the courthouse in St. George with the removal of dozens of bats from the building.

The Brazilian free-tailed bats were discovered when employees arrived for work last week at the 5th Judicial District Courthouse.

More than 50 bats were removed Oct. 30 and last Friday from the attic and other areas of the building, said Eric Palmer of Southwest Exterminators.

Zac Weiland, a Washington County deputy prosecutor, said he heard scratching noises when he walked into court last Friday morning. Bats were in the ceiling, hallways, stairwells and even inside courtrooms.

“I don’t like bats. I saw [one] crawling, and it’s stuck in a little lamp, and I’m like, ‘I’m done, I want out,’” he told KSL.

Court officials said while the bats caused minimal disruptions in court operations, some proceedings had to be moved from one courtroom to another.

Suspected entry points opened up during a recent renovation project were sealed to keep bats out of the building, said Nancy Volmer, Utah state courts spokeswoman.

“We are investigating to find all entries so we can prevent this from happening again,” Volmer told The Spectrum of St. George. “There may be other ways they could have gotten in.”

Because Brazilian free-tailed bats are a species of special concern in Utah, the state Division of Wildlife Resources took the lead in removing them with the help of Southwest Exterminators. The bats were being released back into the wild.

Officials hoped to have all bats out of the building by the time court proceedings resumed Monday. It was unclear how many others remain.

“It’s unusual, there’s no doubt about that. This is a first, I think, for the courts,” Volmer said.

Associated Press