oddly enough

oddly enough

Fugitive found in ‘elaborate tunnel system’ at trailer park

SITKA, Alaska

Authorities arrested a fugitive convicted on drug and theft charges after finding him hiding recently in what they called an “elaborate tunnel system” dug underneath a trailer home in Alaska.

The tunnels narrowed as officers walked further in, forcing them to trudge through on their knees and then on their stomachs. Police in the city of Sitka say they eventually spotted Jeremy Beebe’s foot sticking out of another hidden entrance, catching him after an officer pulled back the skirting around the trailer.

Police Lt. Lance Ewers said Beebe, 42, had failed to report to the police department Jan. 12 after he was sentenced to nearly two years in prison, the Sitka Sentinel reported.

Acting on a tip, officers staked out a trailer park and saw Beebe heading in to one of the units. A woman who answered the door said Beebe was not there.

Police used a battering ram to get through a plywood door they found on the outside of the trailer, which led to the tunnel system.

Beebe was arrested and may face additional charges of contempt of court, Ewers said.

Garbage truck fueled by natural gas explodes in NJ

HAMILTON, N.J.

Authorities say no one was injured when a garbage truck fueled by natural gas exploded “like a missile” in New Jersey.

Last week’s blast in Hamilton damaged four homes.

One of the truck’s four natural-gas tanks blasted a hole in a nearby home, and debris tore a hole in the roof of a neighboring home. Windows were broken, and the siding melted on two other houses.

Police say the truck’s operators evacuated the vehicle when they saw smoke coming into the cab.

Officials are trying to determine what caused the fire and explosion.

Cats in Maine still await inheritance from $200K estate

DIXFIELD, Maine

A Maine town and a group of cat caretakers have sued estate trustees in a long-running dispute over a woman’s wishes that her life savings go to care for abandoned cats.

Barbara Thorpe died in 2002 and left most of her $200,000 estate to give food, shelter and veterinary care to the stray cats of Dixfield. The Sun Journal reports that only a few thousand dollars have been given for the cats’ care. Lawyers have taken more than $16,000, and the estate’s trustees received more than $22,000.

Dixfield and five women who care for the town’s strays sued the trustees last week. The suit says the trustees excessively billed fees to the trust and have failed to carry out Thorpe’s wishes.

The trustees’ attorney says they “vehemently deny any wrongdoing.”

Associated Press