ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Police: Teletubby break-in suspect faces charges

BETHLEHEM, Pa.

A student accused of breaking into a friend’s Pennsylvania home while wearing a yellow Teletubby costume and stealing leftover food is facing charges.

Police say the Lehigh University student was dressed as the Laa-Laa character from the BBC children’s series when he damaged a door early Oct. 26 in Bethlehem.

They say he went into the friend’s refrigerator and dumped Chinese food into a “man purse” before leaving.

No charges were filed initially. But police Chief Mark DiLuzio told Easton’s The Express-Times newspaper the home’s occupants apparently changed their minds after the landlord became involved.

DiLuzio says a disorderly conduct and criminal-mischief summons will be sent to the 20-year-old suspect — and the unusual nature of the case isn’t lost on him.

He says: “Not that many Teletubbies get arrested. You can’t make it up.”

Drivers scramble for flying cash on Maryland highway

URBANA, Md.

Drivers scrambled to grab money flying around a Maryland highway after an armored truck’s door burst open.

Maryland State Police say a lock on the truck seems to have malfunctioned, causing the door to open the morning of Oct. 31.

A bag of cash fell onto Interstate 270 near Urbana and the bills flew in the air.

Police say a number of drivers stopped on the interstate and grabbed what cash they could before a fire department vehicle arrived and turned on its emergency lights.

Responding troopers were able to help the truck’s driver recover about $200. It’s not known how much cash was lost.

Police urge the drivers who took the cash to return it to the state police barracks in Frederick, or else face charges of theft if they’re found.

Substance that gives natural gas its smell spills in Montana

HELENA, Mont.

Officials say there’s no danger despite the smell of a gas leak near a northern Montana city.

The only thing that leaked is the chemical that gives the gas its odor.

NorthWestern Energy said about 300 gallons of mercaptan spilled near the company’s gas-gathering operation near Cut Bank.

Natural gas is naturally odorless, so utilities add the chemical to give the gas its sulfuric smell that alerts people to a leak.

NorthWestern officials said the chemical doesn’t present any danger to the public, although people nearby will have to put up with the unpleasant odor for a little while.

Associated Press