ODDLY ENOUGH

ODDLY ENOUGH

Drunk man who jumped in lake to avoid rescuers sent to trial

LEVITTOWN, Pa.

A district judge says a drunken-driving suspect who ran naked from a hospital and jumped into an eastern Pennsylvania lake must stand trial in connection with disorderly conduct and other charges.

The defense attorney for 29-year-old Gregory Morten of New Hope argued recently that his client was so drunk and mentally disturbed that he couldn’t think clearly and didn’t intend to disturb the public or endanger rangers at Core Creek Park in Middletown.

Morten was arrested in June because police say his blood-alcohol content was more than four times the legal limit after a car crash.

That’s when he ran from St. Mary Medical Center and jumped into the lake where he kept authorities at bay by swimming around, sometimes underwater, for about an hour.

He’s still awaiting a hearing on the drunken-driving and related charges.

Hiker climbs tree to escape coyotes, gets stuck for 5 hours

MANCHESTER, N.J.

A hiker trying to escape from coyotes in a wooded area of southern New Jersey ended up getting stuck in a tree for nearly five hours.

The Asbury Park Press reported that Manchester Township police found April Lewis tied to a tree about 15 feet off the ground recently.

The Quakertown, Pa., resident thought she had spotted coyotes in the distance and climbed the tree for safety.

Lewis cut off a piece of her pants to tie herself to the tree but didn’t have her cellphone to call for help.

A man heard Lewis’ cries and called police.

Officers found Lewis. Firefighters helped her down from the tree. She was evaluated at the scene and was released.

Owl with an attitude wins face-off with deputy sheriff

BOULDER, Colo.

A Boulder County deputy sheriff got into a face-off with an owl with an attitude, and the owl won.

Deputy Sophie Berman came across the raptor on a dirt road recently as Berman patrolled an area near a campground west of Boulder.

Berman crouched down to take video of the owl and spoke to the owl, which answered Berman’s words with clicks.

The owl stared wide-eyed at the deputy for a few minutes before turning around and flying away.

Associated Press